I debate calling him, but I don’t want to be the wife that nags her husband to spend time with his wife. I don’t doubt he wants to be with me even as I worry my bottom lip between my teeth.
If he’s a little later maybe I can get out of this party tonight. I could wash my makeup off and get into sweats. We could order too much Chinese food and lie in bed, and as the image comes to mind it sounds like a dream.
That dream dies when I hear the sound of the front door opening and Darian coming home. His tie is long gone, and his sleeves are rolled up. His hair is messy, and his eyes look so tired as he suddenly stops when he sees me.
“I’m sorry. The meeting went long.” He holds his hand out for me to take it and I do. “You look beautiful.” When he pulls me to my feet, he kisses me quickly. “Give me ten minutes.” He rushes off to shower and change, and ten minutes later he’s coming down the steps dressed in a tux and looking gorgeous. I hate how easy it is for him.
He reminds me after the limo pulls up to the curb that tonight's party is the Global Needs event.
“This dress is going to make it a very short night for us,” Darian says as we walk inside, and he kisses me in that spot on my neck that drives me wild.
“I’d love nothing more.” His sexy smile is enough to warm up my body, and I open my mouth to ask him if we could leave now. But before I can get the words out, some senator is introducing himself to Darian.
My eyes float around the room as they talk. I recognize so many faces and not only because of all the events over the last couple of years. Some of the people are the same families I grew up with, ones that turned their noses up at Darian and me when we got married.
I’ve heard a few of them call me crazy for walking away from my family, but I didn't walk away. They closed the door on my face without looking back, so what choice did that leave me? Now here I am rubbing shoulders with these people again as they pretend to care about charity. My guess is there won’t be enough money left after this event is paid for to donate a dime.
I don’t want to be here, but I smile and nod because I know that Darian does. His dream of proving himself has paid off, and I don’t want to be like them and turn my nose up at it. He’s finally gotten to the place in his career he’s been working toward, and now is the time for me to offer him support, not drag him away from it.
As I hold on to his arm while he talks business, I scan the room. My stomach drops when I see a woman in the distance, and I realize it’s my mother.
“I-I need the bathroom,” I whisper to Darian.
“I’ll take you.” He stares down at me, and I catch the face the senator makes like he’s annoyed Darian would step away from his conversation.
“It's fine. I’ll be back soon.” He presses his lips together but nods as he squeezes my hand.
I can see the bathroom in the distance, and I quicken my steps, but just as I’m almost there I feel my elbow being tugged, and I nearly trip over my own feet.
“Rosy.” I knew she’d find me the second I stepped away from Darian.
“Mom.” I turn around to face her, and the chill of her eyes is like a blade.
“You look well.” It looks like it pains her to admit even that small compliment.
There was part of me that wondered if they would reach out to us once they got word of Darian’s success, but their pride was much bigger than their social standing, and they never did.
“Thank you.” The moment is awkward, and there’s a beat of silence. “As do you.”
My mother looks exactly the same as the day she and Dad told me they were cutting me off. They didn't mean only financially, they meant in any way they had the power to. I never landed a good job because of them, and that still burns, but nothing will ever burn more than how they treated Darian—a boy who loved me from the moment we met and was there for me in more ways than they ever were.
“I think it’s time that you and your husband came over for dinner. Sunday?” I stand there in shock because it’s a smack to the face. That was the last thing I thought would ever come out of her mouth, and I’m stunned for a moment before I shake my head.
“No.”
The one word makes her face tighten and lips purse. “People are talking.” She says this like it’s going to convince me to make amends, and I can’t help it. I laugh. “It’s not funny,” she says through clenched teeth.
“Let me guess, Mother. People wonder why you're not close to Darian? Friends are asking Dad for introductions? Am I getting this right? Am I reading through your bullshit dinner invitation correctly?”
She shakes her head at me, her face filled with disappointment. I don’t know why she thinks it will work on me. It didn't work back then when they tried to make me choose, why would it work now?
I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t wish for an apology on some level and an admission of wrongdoing. Maybe then and with time we could heal. But I know that it's the young girl in me that seeks their approval even though I know I don’t need it. It’s the part of me that let them go years ago, and though it was hard, it was the right choice.
“You think you’re better than me. You think you got out of this life and chose love, but guess what? Here you are.” She looks around the room filled with all the pretty people and things that I despised for so long. “You’re on your husband's arm like a trophy wife. You’re one of us, whether you like it or not.”
She brushes her hand over an invisible wrinkle in her gown and smiles as she walks away.
When I look into the crowd, I see Darian surrounded by people. You’re one of us. I didn't want to be one of them. I’d chosen him.
But is he choosing them?
Chapter 10
Darian
“We’d love for you to come speak at the conference next month in Switzerland.”
“That sounds like an incredible opportunity, but I’ll need to discuss it with my wife.”
“What’s to discuss?” the head of European Biometrics pushes, but I push back.
This meeting has gone on long enough, and I’ve been late every night this week. “Like I said, I’ll need to discuss it with my wife before I commit. I know you’d be disappointed if I called tomorrow and had to change my plans.”
“Of course.” His smile is tight on the video chat, and I nod before ending the call.
I sigh as I lean back in my chair and rub my eyes with the heel of my hands. God, this has been a long day and an even longer year. I thought things would begin to slow down by now, but it feels like it’s picking up at every turn.
I’ve done my part with creating the program and the software, but everyone wants more. At first it was just about pushing to get this done with my team as perfectly as possible, and it happened faster than we all anticipated. It blew up overnight, and the next thing we knew we were getting calls from world leaders and our own government. I didn’t intend for all of this to go so far, so fast, but here we are.
My phone vibrates on my desk, and I see a missed text from Amber. I swipe to see a picture of her and Allison on an island in Greece, and my heart clenches. They look so happy popping bottles and laughing, it makes me miss our Saturday night karaoke sessions with the four of us. Rosy hasn’t asked about doing that lately, but it’s not like I’ve been home enough to have that conversation.