THE BILLIONAIRE'S BETRAYED BRIDE

CHAPTER TEN

I think I replayed that phone call at least twelve times before I finally dragged myself out of bed the next morning.

I was hoping I could convince you to come for tea sometime this week.

Tea.

At her house.

With Madam Hayes.

I stood there for a moment, staring at my bedroom wall like it might somehow explain how I'd ended up in this situation.

It still didn't feel real.

A woman like Madam Hayes didn't just invite people over for tea. Not people like me, anyway. She had a driver. Her own private hospital wing. A son who ran an entire company. Probably had more rooms in her house than I had ever been inside in my entire life.

And yet she'd invited me.

Me.

As if we were two ordinary women who had somehow met and become friends.

I reached for my phone.

My best friend's name was right there on my screen. My thumb hovered over it.

I could call her.

I could tell her everything.

The alley,The grocery store,The hospital, Madam Hayes,Alexander.

Okay, maybe not Alexander. Not yet.

But I could finally tell her about all of it. I'd been keeping this strange little secret for weeks, and there were times when I nearly exploded because I wanted to talk about it so badly.

I didn't call.

Instead, I locked my phone and dropped it onto my bed.

A few minutes later, I picked it up again.

Same thing.

Thumb over her name.

Then I put it down.

I told myself I didn't know how to explain everything without sounding completely insane. The story was already unbelievable enough.

That was the excuse I'd been giving myself for weeks.

But if I was being honest with myself, that wasn't really it.

There was something about all of this that still felt...

And I wasn't ready to hand it over yet.

Not even to my best friend.

"Thursday," I reminded myself as I finally got out of bed. "You have until Thursday."

Then another thought hit me.

What was I going to wear?

I immediately sat back down.

Oh, great.

That evening, after my shift, I stood in front of my closet for what felt like forever.

I pushed the hangers from one side to the other.

Then back again.

Nothing looked right.

Everything I owned seemed to scream law student.

Blazers I'd worn for moot court. Sweaters I'd practically lived in during late library nights. A couple of skirts. Jeans. And one black dress I'd worn to a wedding two years ago and had apparently decided to forget existed.

I pulled it out anyway.

No.

Definitely no.

I put it back.

Then I found the navy dress.

I pulled it from the closet and held it against myself before walking over to the mirror.

I stared at my reflection.

It wasn't fancy.

There were no little details that screamed expensive. No designer label. No silk. Nothing that looked like it belonged in a house where people probably drank tea from cups worth more than my monthly rent.

But it was nice.

It fit me properly.

And, most importantly, it looked like me.

Just... a slightly more put-together version of me.

I considered buying something new.

Actually, I considered it several times.

I could already imagine walking into some expensive boutique, picking out a dress I couldn't afford and convincing myself that it was somehow necessary.

But with what money?

I wasn't about to spend money I didn't have just because I was nervous about impressing a wealthy woman.

Madam Hayes hadn't invited some imaginary rich version of me.

She'd invited me.

The same girl who'd knelt beside her on a dirty grocery store floor.

And I hadn't been wearing anything special that night.

I looked at the dress again.

"This will do," I said.

My reflection, thankfully, didn't argue.

I hung the navy dress on the outside of my closet door where I'd see it first thing Thursday morning.

Problem solved.

Well...

One problem solved.

My phone buzzed from the bed.

I picked it up.

Best Friend: You've been quiet today. Everything okay?

I stared at the message.

Then typed.

Me: Just tired. Long week. I'm fine.

The reply came almost immediately.

Best Friend: You keep saying that lately.

I sighed.

She knew me too well.

Me: I know. I promise it's nothing bad.

There was a short pause.

Then:

Best Friend: Okay. Love you, weirdo. Get some sleep.

A smile tugged at my lips.

Me: Love you too.

I put my phone down.

The smile disappeared almost as quickly as it came.

Guilt settled somewhere in my chest.

It wasn't exactly a lie.

I was tired.

And I was fine.

Mostly.

But I was keeping something from her.

Something big.

And there was a whole afternoon waiting for me on Thursday that she knew absolutely nothing about.

Maybe I'd tell her afterward.

Maybe.

For now, I wasn't ready.

My eyes drifted toward the navy dress hanging from my closet door.

It was simple. Familiar.

Safe.

Somehow, looking at it made everything feel a little less intimidating.

I switched off the light and climbed into bed.

Thursday.

I pulled the blanket over myself.

I'll figure the rest out by Thursday.

Hopefully.