Page 42 of The Forever Vow

“Hmm, okay.” Tate sounded intrigued. “I told her that you and I were getting close and that things seemed rocky between you and Bryce, but she didn’t seem satisfied. I get the feeling that she wants to blow your shit up. She’s angry, huh? Somebody did something to her. She really hates this family.”

I sighed. The fact that Daphne had slept with Mimi’s husband, not to mention gotten pregnant, was obviously a huge issue. I hadn’t helped matters by marrying Bryce and eliminating any possibility, no matter how small, of a reunion with Felicia. Then I’d gone and humiliated her daughter by beating the crap out of her at that wedding.Way to go, Chloe.How was I going to make this right?

“Tate, how did she find you?” I asked. I’d never heard back from Elena about that. “How did she know about me?”

“She hired a private investigator—that’s what she told me. And she found me on theSugar Finderapp. You were on there, right?”

“For a hot minute.” The investigator must have found out that, somehow traced me to AccommoDating, and dug up Lydia’s name and address, too.

“It worked out for you, huh?” Tate asked.

“I’m not sure about that just yet.” My mind was racing. If Mimi had uncovered the details of my marriage to Bryce, Gene could do the same. He might have already.

“Did you mean what you said?” Tate broke through my panicked thoughts.

“About what?”

“About outbidding Mimi. And also, what you said about Colby before.”

I shook my head, trying to clear it. “What did I say?”

“You said he thought he…liked me.”

“I did mean it,” I said immediately. “I wouldn’t have said it otherwise.”

Tate was quiet for a moment. Then she asked, “What about you outbidding Mimi, huh? Did you mean that?”

I hesitated. I’dalsomeant what I’d said about Mimi Jones. But like Lydia, I would eventually have to put my money where my mouth was. That would involve explaining quite a few things to my husband.

Sometimes, the best defense was a good offense.

“I absolutely meant it. How much is she paying you?”

“Plenty. But there’s always room for improvement,” Tate said happily.

* * *

The next thing I did was text Midge and Hazel.Please keep an eye on Tate,I wrote.She should start behaving better. If not, LMK?

It was an odd feeling, texting Bryce’s maid with the spindly legs. But what had I read during my junior-year Shakespeare class?Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.I hadn’t known what it meant until now!

Speaking of misery, I checked the clock. I had to upload Gene’s dreaded form before my twenty-four hours ran out.

Fuck.What was I going to say? Attorney Finley had instructed me to include details about the board’s proposed vote and Bryce’s feelings about the position. What the hell was I supposed to tell Gene Windsor—the truth?

The board has lost faith in you. They want you out.

They’re choosing Bryce over you.

He absolutely wants the job.

By the way, I signed a contract to marry your son. I worked for an escort agency. Mimi Jones knows all about it.

I might be pregnant…?

The last thought had me clutching my stomach. Between dealing with Lydia and Tate—and all the money I was promising everyone—I still hadn’t taken the pregnancy test. I hustled upstairs to the bedroom, throwing my phone onto the bed. I grabbed the test from under the bathroom sink and read the instructions: pee on the stick and wait three minutes.

I took the test, set it on the counter, and ran back to my phone.

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