Page 86 of Finding Peace
Servers begin circulating again—this time with smaller plates. Late-night bites and sugary indulgences.
Mini Cheesecakes. Chocolate truffles dusted in cocoa. Petite fruit tarts that glitter under the lights. And…Macarons.
Soft pastel treats stacked neatly in delicate rows.
My favorite.
“Oh,” I breathe, already reaching.
“Easy,” Beau teases as I wobble a little in my heels.
“Come to mama.” My fingers hover, then I choose a pale green one. Pistachio, if I had to guess.
The shell cracks perfectly between my teeth.
Sweat. Creamy. Nutty.
And then—
My stomach flips on a dime.
Not a gentle twist, but a violent roll.
I swallow, forcing it down.
The sweetness of my favorite treat suddenly feels suffocating. Heat flashes through me, starting at my chest and racing upward.
I grip Jasper’s arm.
He looks down instantly, smile fading. “What’s wrong?”
The room tilts slightly. Just enough to make me blink to clear my vision.
“I’m—” I swallow again, but the nausea surges higher. “I’m fine.”
Lincoln’s gaze sharpens from across the small circle we’re standing in. Lawson cuts his conversation short mid-sentence, and Beau’s brows knit together.
“Abigail,” Jasper says more firmly now, fingers curling around my waist. “You’re pale.”
“It’s just the sugar,” I insist. “And the champagne. And I probably ate too fast.” I offer a weak laugh but no one joins me. “I’m going to run to the bathroom,” I add quickly. “I’ll be right back.”
“You want me to—”
“No,” I cut Jasper off gently. “I’ll be okay. Promise.”
I squeeze his hand and step away before any of them can argue. The hallway to the restroom feels longer than it did earlier. With each step, the nausea builds instead of fades. My heels click faster against the marble flooring. My breathing grows shallow. Halfway down the corridor, I realize I’m not going to make it gracefully.
I practically run the last stretch.
The bathroom door swings closed behind me just as my body gives up. I barely make it into the stall before I’m on my knees.
The first heave is sharp and sudden.
The second empties everything.
It’s humiliating. Loud in the otherwise quiet bathroom. My ribs ache as my body convulses again and again until there’s nothing left.
And when it finally stops, I sit back against the wall, trembling.
