What she saw made her heart stopped beating altogether.
Oh, God.
Henry and Stacey stood in the middle of the room in a passionate embrace. She could clearly see Henry caressing Stacey’s body, almost lifting her dress to expose her thighs.
June felt as though someone had lit her on fire then dumped ice-cold water on her. A mixture of emotion assaulted her senses. She didn’t even know how to handle it. It would be wise to leave, but she couldn’t. Her feet were rooted to the floor.
She couldn’t stop watching her husband. They kissed like lovers, familiar with each other’s bodies.
“Will I be sleeping alone again in our bed tonight?”
“Stays…”
“I want you in my bed tonight, Henry. You told me we are not over. This wedding is not the end of us.”
“I know what I said, Stays.”
Not ending? Henry planned to keep Stacey as his mistress?
The apartment. Stacey looks happy. They’re still together. Oh, my God.
“I can’t believe you’re married.”
“You know what this marriage is about, Stays.”
“I know. Still. I hate seeing you wearing that ring.” Stacey stood on tiptoe then wrapped her arms around Henry’s neck. She gave him another open-mouthed kiss that Henry returned. It wasn’t just a simple kiss. June saw the slight bump in Stacey’s cheek—Henry’s tongue. He had his hand on Stacey’s ass, pressing her against him. When Henry kissed her earlier, he could have been thinking about Stacey. She was so stupid to believe that he still wanted her.
Sharp pain deep in her chest made her bite her lower lip so hard she tasted blood. But her gasp still escaped her. Realizing what she’d done, she took a step back, ready to run. Too late. Henry and Stacey heard her. Both looked in her direction. Slowly, Henry let go of Stacey. He walked toward her then opened the door wide. Behind Henry, she could see Stacey smirking.
Henry looked at her with a deep scowl.
“I was looking for you.” She glanced at Stacey again. The woman had her fingers on her lips as if trying not to smile.
“Is it time to cut the wedding cake, June?” Stacey asked sweetly.
“I…I…” She couldn’t go on.
Oh, God.
“You need help?” Henry asked.
June blinked at the harshness of Henry’s tone. Maybe he was angry that she’d disturbed their interlude. “No.”
“Your lip is bleeding.”
“Oh!” She wiped the blood off with her fingers. “I, well, didn’t know where you went. The guests… We need to, to…you know. The toast.”
Get a grip, June.
But her heart was beating at a rapid rate and she felt dizzy.
Lord, help me.
June’s breathing became short and fast.
“You okay?”
Henry tried to reach for her but she moved out of his reach. She picked up the hem of her dress. “Perfectly fine. Excuse me,” she said then ran toward the bathroom.
“June!” Henry called.
She ignored him. She closed herself in the bathroom and cried until she couldn’t cry anymore.
Chapter Eleven
It was Vivienne who found her. Her friend fixed her makeup and helped her go back outside. Some of the guests had speared her with questioning looks while the others were busy talking and drinking. She had a feeling they wouldn’t care if she just disappeared. They were here to socialize, gossip and seal business deals.
“You’ll have to give this dress back. Shove it down Henry’s throat—or Stacey’s.”
Burn it maybe. She didn’t care anymore. “I forgot I have blood on my fingers.”
“I wish it was Stacey’s and Henry’s blood. God, they couldn’t even wait until the wedding was over. I want to kill them both.”
“If you do, I’ll lose you. Can you imagine how miserable I’d be with just Craig to keep me company?”
“I feel responsible. And to think I vouched for him, always thinking the best about him.”
“We both made the decision, Vi. It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Didn’t we expect something like this?”
“Not like this, June. Not this soon.”
June shook her head. “This wedding is a sham. And remember, he told me that I shouldn’t expect anything from him.”
“Including his loyalty and faithfulness?”
“Yes. Including that.”
“Leave him. Now. Tell him you can’t be his wife with that whore hanging onto his pants.”
“I’m sure he’s already planned to file for a divorce. Maybe in a week or a month. However long he’s decided to stay, I’ll make those days good ones. At least I’ll have something to tell Jelly Bean—that I tried.”
“I don’t know how you do it. You always find something good about people and will come up with something as silly as ‘I tried’. I’m sorry you had to witness them making out, June.”
“Me too.”
She was sure they would be doing more than just making out later. Eventually, Henry would leave her for Stacey. She supposed divorce wouldn’t harm the Colchester name compared to having a grandchild out of wedlock.
“Your parents and Craig are watching us. Smile, June.”
Forcing a smile, she waved at her parents. They looked concerned so she gave them a thumbs up. Both visibly relaxed.
Henry appeared at her side. He wound his arm around her waist just as he’d been doing all day.
“There you are, asshole,” Vivienne snarled. “Done cheating with that whore? Oh, wait, of course not.”
“Vivienne, please. Stop.”
Vivienne’s face turned bright red, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “You’re the worst mistake I’ve ever made in my life, Henry Colchester. I was so wrong about you. Anyone would have been better for June. If I could change anything, it would be you. I regret knowing your name, suggesting your name. I hate you. I’d give my life ten times over if I could just change everything about the day I talked to you. Your presence makes me sick, a reminder that I only made June’s situation a living hell.”
“This is not the right place to talk about this, Vivienne.”
Henry’s tone was nothing but calm. However, judging by the way he gripped her waist, June could tell he was pissed.
“Oh? And this is the right place to make out with your bitch?”
“Don’t forget. You’re the one who approached me.”
“Believe me. I will
never
forget. I thought you were the right one who would help us solve June’s—”
“Vi, please.” June grabbed Vivienne’s arm. She shook her head at Vivienne.
“You want Stacey, but agreed to this wedding,” Vivienne continued. “What, so you could get even with June? So you could shred her heart into pieces? Are you that heartless, Colchester?”
“Vi, Craig is coming. Go to him. I’m sorry, Henry.”
“Don’t apologize to him. He’s a roach.” Vivienne wiped the tears off her face then intercepted Craig.
“Try to understand. She’s my friend,” June mumbled.
“She has the right to hate me. Let’s finish this damn ceremony and be done with it.”
She and Henry cut the cake, listened and clapped to Vivienne’s jokes and laughed at Trey’s story as if everything was fine. Deep inside, she felt sick. She could taste bile. Henry hated her for her deception, but not this much.
Their marriage meant nothing to Henry. He’d married her to appease their parents. Henry loved Stacey, not her. She knew that. But God it hurt too much.
She spotted Stacey laughing with John. Anger welled in her chest. She wanted to rip Stacey’s hair out, hurt her the way she was hurting right now. But she wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of showing what she truly felt. No, she wouldn’t be a vicious wife.
For all she knew, this would be her only time she’d be married. And she’d make sure to give Henry an ideal home whether he hated it or not. She would be a devoted wife. When the time came that they had to part, he wouldn’t have to look back and say, ‘glad I got out of that marriage’. No, she would make him think it was great knowing her.
Yeah, so what if he cared for Stacey? So what if they still shared the same bed? At the end of the day or night, she still held the ace—as Henry’s wife. And she carried his child. Oh, yes. She wouldn’t add more reasons for him to hate her. She’d show him she wasn’t a bad person, as he perceived her to be.
She ate her cake without tasting it, sipped the diet Coke Vivenne gave her, but it could have been water and she wouldn’t have known the difference.
The emcee announced that it was time for the new couple to take the floor and dance for the first time as husband and wife. Her whole body rebelled at the idea, her mind screaming no. She didn’t move. But Henry helped her up, kissed her temple then led her in the middle of the lawn.
The music played. She recognized it right away.
In Between Love.
She remembered telling Henry about it. That someday, when she got married, she wanted to dance to that tune.
He remembered? Or it’s just a coincidence.
Closing her eyes, she tried to shut the world away, keep the pain at bay and pretend that everything was fine, even just for a minute. But tears found their way down her cheeks. She bit her lip again, felt the pain and tasted blood.
Henry pulled in her for a hug. She hesitated for a second before letting him cocoon her in his arms.
Pretend that everything is all right.
She did. Until the music ebbed and floated away.
* * * *
Leaving her parents made her cry even more. Her stomach flipped. She didn’t want to go anywhere but to her parents’ home. She could run, she supposed. Surely Henry wouldn’t go after her. With her belief that she could make a warm home for Henry becoming weaker, she spotted Stacey laughing.
Bitch. Henry must have promised her that he’ll go to her tonight. God, I can’t believe anyone could hate someone as much as I hate Stacey right now.
“June?”
“Yes, Dad?”
“Looks like you’re ready to strangle someone.”
Yeah. Stacey.
“Just thinking, Dad.”
“Looks like everything is taken care of, Junie. The mound of gifts is being loaded into a van. Everything will be at your new apartment before you even get there, Junie.”
“Mom, I want my own bed. Sleep in my own room.”
James hugged June. “Ah, my little sunshine. You’ll get used to sleeping in your new bed. You’re married now, sweets. As much as I hate for you to leave, we have to accept this change in our lives. Mom and I will come for a visit. Anytime. Just call. All right?”
She couldn’t let go of her dad. After witnessing Henry kissing Stacey, she wondered if keeping her sickness from her parents was the biggest mistake of her life. Oh, how she wished she could tell her parents how much she was hurting right now.
“Sweet, I’m wearing my new shirt. You’re smearing makeup all over it.”
June shook her head but didn’t let go of her dad.
“All right. Just use my tie to blow your nose.”
“Junie, don’t hesitate to call. I promise I won’t convert your room into my sewing room. It’ll be yours, forever.”
Oh, God. She missed her life already. “Can…can I come with you to Las Vegas?”
“June, that’s not the way to start your marriage. I promise, Mom and I will go to another seminar. Like you said, we might win a trip to Hawaii next time.”
“How about you just come live with me?”
“Live with you?”
“Yes, Mom. Live with me.”
“Oh, honey.” Rebecca held June’s hand. “It doesn’t matter now how you and Henry started, it’s the end that matters. Only you can chart your course. No matter what happens after today, remember we love you, and as soon as Jelly Bean comes out, you will never be alone. Dad and I will be here. The four of us will be together like before.” Rebecca looked at James.
“We will?” June asked.
“Yes, yes.” James cleared his throat.
“Is there something you’re not telling me, Dad?”
“Junie, what your mom is saying is that no matter what, you’ll never be alone. We promise you that.”
Her parents must have realized that her marriage would not last and felt guilty for forcing her to marry Henry. “Henry is…” She was so close to telling them about Henry and Stacey, but she wouldn’t let them go on their trip worrying. She wouldn’t share her pain with them now.
“What sweets?”
“Henry is nice. He wouldn’t mind if you come and stay for a day or a week. He’s not used to the idea of having a pregnant wife. He thinks I’m breakable.”
“Of course he’s not used to you, Junie. He’s new to this also. Over time, both of you will get used to seeing each other in one room. You, without your favorite mascara on and him without—”
“Mom!”
“What? I was just going to say his tie. I’ve never seen him without it.”
After what she had just witnessed? Henry had no use for her. He had Stacey to keep him company. June closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry. What a horrible situation she was in, and all because she’d wanted a child.
“Come, come now, Junie. Oh, here are your friends.”
June wiped her tears. Vivienne and Craig, each holding a glass of wine, joined them. Oh, she was so happy to have them here.
“June, you’ve started a trend.” Vivienne giggled.
“What trend?”
“Lots of women here are walking barefoot. They love walking on the grass. They stopped complaining about their heels sinking into the dirt.”
June looked around. Sure enough, most women were walking around holding their shoes. The photographer was having a blast taking pictures.
“I hope they won’t blame me if they step on something sharp.”
“What you should worry about is the number of invitations that you’ll get from now on,” Vivienne whispered.
“Why would they invite me to anything? I don’t even know most of them.”
“Why are they here? They don’t even know you,” Craig snapped. “They will invite you to have dinner or attend their parties not because of who you are, but who you represent. You’ll cut ribbons at some inauguration and plant trees. Fundraising. They’ll use you.”
“Well, hell, Craig. Thanks for the wonderful speech.” Vivienne pulled Craig’s ear.
“Stop it!” Craig nearly shouted.
June shook her head at Craig and Vivienne. Oh, how she loved her friends.
“God, can you believe it? We finally met the rest of the Blue-eyed Four. Sheez! They’re beyond handsome, aren’t they?” Vivienne elbowed Craig.