My Darling Bride(65)

“We’ll have our own celebration soon. It’s a busy time at the store, and it’s a family business. Maybe we can all get together soon at Graham’s place.”

He gives me a quick look, seeming startled. “I’d love that. I don’t see Graham nearly enough.”

My throat tightens with apprehension. Did I just invite Graham’s estranged father to hang out?

“I don’t want to monopolize you. Let’s find everyone else,” he murmurs as he offers me his arm.

“I need a restroom first.”

He points me down a hallway and up the stairs, and I go that way, grabbing another glass of champagne on the way and taking a deep drink.

From behind a cracked door, low voices reach my ears, and I stop, recognizing Graham’s deep tone.

I peek inside the room, which appears to be some kind of office. What I see makes my breath catch. Graham stands with his back to me, arms crossed and feet planted firmly. In the corner of the room, a woman with beautiful auburn hair and a classical face sits in a chair in front of the fireplace. She stands and moves toward Graham, tilting her face up as if to search his gaze, longing in her expression.

“I thought the world might lose you, that you might die on that football field . . .” A lone tear spills down her face.

“Divina . . .”

“No, don’t tell me to stop,” she says. “Holden’s already having another affair, this time with Pia. Am I just supposed to ignore it? Why can’t I have you?”

“You get nothing if you divorce him, so your idea is for us to have an affair?” His tone sharpens. “I’m not here to be the revenge you get on Holden.”

“It’s not revenge. It’s love. We spent years together, longer than I’ve been married to Holden, and it took you nearly dying for me to realize what a mistake I made. I want you back.”

So this is Divina, the reason Graham has his heart locked away.

There’s silence from the room as I stand with my heart hammering. I touch my chest, checking to make sure the fast beats are normal.

“Remember the night you proposed in Paris?” Divina says. “You promised to love me forever. You held me in your arms and swore. Just say the word, just tell me you still care, and I’ll do anything.” Another tear slips down her face, and Graham hands her a tissue from a box on the desk.

“I’m married,” Graham says tonelessly as she moves closer to him and presses her body against his, her eyes searching his face. She runs her fingers through his hair, a gesture intimate and familiar to her.

“Which can be fixed, G,” she begs. “Get an annulment. Be with me. We can go to Paris again.”

Why isn’t he moving away from her?

He bends his head toward hers—

I yank myself away so I can’t see them kissing.

Should I really expect fidelity when we aren’t even real?

My hands fist. I don’t know. I really don’t.

Brody appears next to me and guides me away from the room. I barely notice. My brain is grappling with visions of them, young and in love, in Paris. I imagine Graham promising to love her forever.

“Best to leave them alone,” Brody says quietly as we go down the stairs. He stops at the bottom of the steps, searching my face. “Are you all right?”

I nod.

“Are you really?”

I blink away tears.

No.

And I can’t even put my finger on the why of it.

“Oh, Emmy.”

I stuff down my emotions, locking them away. I’ll unpack them later and figure out what it means that I’m hurt and jealous. I take a deep breath, centering myself. “I’m fine.”

He leads me into a giant open room, the walls hung with art, with a glittering chandelier in the center. About twenty or so people are here, all of them staring at me over their drinks. On one side of the room is a formal dining area with a wooden table surrounded by ornate chairs. On the other side is a formal parlor with cozy sitting areas and side tables. A harp player fills the air with gentle notes. I head to the bar in the back, where a server is making drinks. I grab another glass of champagne as Brody follows me.

“Please tell me there isn’t a wedding cake anywhere?” I ask.

“No. Graham was very specific about this being low-key.”

How can anything be low-key in this gorgeous setting?

Brody asks for a martini, and as the bartender is mixing it, he leans down to my ear. “I’m going to introduce you to a gaggle of cousins and the like, so just nod and smile.”

“Of course.”

He sweeps me around the room, and after a few minutes, I’m feeling the buzz of the alcohol, dampening the emotion from earlier. I smile and chat in all the right places, and when I see Mina, the only familiar face, I hug her. She asks me where Graham is, but before I can reply, he enters the room with Divina. There’s a hush in the air as everyone seems to hold a collective breath.

I couldn’t get a good look at her in the office, but there’s no doubt she’s an incredibly beautiful woman, almost fragile, with wide brown eyes and thick lashes. Her dress is red and tight, accentuating her petite figure. Her auburn hair is up in a high ponytail, with the ends curled delicately as it hangs over one shoulder. She gives the room a tremulous smile, then gazes up at Graham.