Page 98 of The Fake Out

“Sure…”

“When did you and Seth break up?”

I cringed.

She sighed. “I was the other woman, wasn’t I?”

I nodded. “I didn’t know until he gave me the invitation.”

“It’s because of Rosie, wasn’t it?” she asked. She bounced the baby in her arms, trying to get her to stop crying.

“I assume so. I thought maybe he had changed, that becoming a father made him realize what was important.”

She wiped her eyes. “What did he tell you? About me?”

“Nothing.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean, nothing?”

I sighed. “Lily, we were high school sweethearts. We were supposed to get married, and then a week before the wedding, he left.”

Her jaw dropped. “You were engaged? Oh my God, and I invited you to my wedding. And asked you to watch my baby. You must think I’m a complete B-I-T-C-H.”

I laughed at her spelling out the cursing again. Especially since she had been letting the f-word fly while she had been yelling at Seth. “No, Lily. I figured you didn’t know.”

She cringed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

I gave her an uneasy look. “Would you have believed me?”

She shook her head, and the baby fussed a bit. Lily repositioned her, and she seemed to settle. “I’m so sorry. And for causing a scene.”

I put a hand on her arm. “It’s okay. I’m the one who should be sorry. You looked so happy at the wedding. I didn’t think it was my place to tell you.”

“You really were engaged?” she asked.

I nodded.

She sighed and pushed her blonde hair out of her face. “Okay, okay, I can do this. You moved on and are happy now. I need to get a divorce and move on with my life.”

My face must have crumbled at her words because her smile turned down into a frown.

“Veronica? You moved on with Blaise, and you look so happy.”

I blinked back tears. “No.”

What do you mean, no?”

“We broke up.”

“Why?” she cried. “You two looked so in love at my wedding. I was slightly jealous because Blaise paid more attention to you than Seth did to me that night, and we were the ones getting married.”

I wiped the tears from my eyes.

“Oh, honey, what happened?” she asked.

I was supposed to be comforting this woman who had just gotten her heart stomped on by the man she loved, not the other way around. But the tears fell despite me trying to keep all the emotions in. The baby had fallen asleep, so Lily gently tucked her back into the stroller.

I wanted to find the words, but I couldn’t. Instead, I blubbered out gibberish while she ‘momed’ me, rubbing my back and telling me everything was going to be okay.