Beneath the table, Will places his hand on my thigh and rubs it softly. I can’t look at him, the overwhelming feeling of being a failure consumes me.
“Four months…” Ava murmurs, only to fall into a pensive silence.
Slowly, her gaze lifts and fixates on me. I watch her, thinking back to four months ago. December? January? Ava’s gaze doesn’t falter. Her emerald eyes are distressed as her chin quivers. So, what, she fucked someone around the holidays?
Christmas? Or New Year’s Eve?
Then, our video call flashes before my eyes like a bolt of lightning. My hand is resting on the table, yet it begins to shake unwillingly.
The phone call with Austin.
Austin.
Austin.
The name repeats like a broken record inside my head.
And the remorseful expression of my sister across the table confirms my suspicion. She’s not looking at Mom or my father.
She’s staring right at me.
My lips pull back, baring my teeth as my heart beats uncontrollably like the sound of a loud drum. The hand that rests on the table clenches into a tight fist as my entire core is consumed with animosity. Finally, I stand up, and the words I sputter are hurtful and the truth. She lied, hid everything from me, and to top it off, she slept with my ex-fiancé.
Throwing my napkin on the table in a fit of rage, I storm out to the yard for fresh air. Alone, with my anger intensifying as the minutes pass, I question how she could do such a thing? Okay, fine, Austin is a guy, though a dick for doing this to seek revenge on me. It’s been two fucking years. Surely, he has moved on and has better things to do with his life.
As for Ava, I wish she wasn’t born.
Behind me, the door makes a creaking sound. I don’t turn around, sensing Will beside me. He doesn’t say a word, assuming he is trying to process this. Over the years, he has never hidden the fact that my engagement to Austin tore him apart. And now what? Is Austin my brother-in-law?
“Did you know they had slept together?” Will questions in an arctic voice.
My head swivels slowly to glance at him. “You think this is m
y fault?”
“I never said that, Amelia.”
“No, I didn’t know they slept together, okay?” I declare with anger lacing my tone. “I knew they were together on New Year’s Eve. She lied and told me she ran into him.”
Will’s eyes blaze as the muscles on his face tighten. I’ve seen this expression many times before. Jealousy is something he has long battled with, and once again—his stubborn self can’t see the truth. “You never told me this.”
“I didn’t say anything because it wasn’t worth the argument, Will. Every time someone raises Austin’s name, you have a very strong opinion, and that somehow becomes all my fault.”
“Do you blame me?” he shouts, then drops his gaze. “You were going to fucking marry him!”
“Oh, so all of this is my fault? Ava sleeping with Austin is my fault? Her falling pregnant is my fault? And me not falling pregnant is my fault?” I sputter, the resentment running through my veins like deadly poison.
“Stop twisting my words,” Will demands with a hard edge to his voice. “I never said that.”
“You didn’t need to. Your body language said it all.” My glance shifts toward the evening sky. It’s pink and beautiful, but it might as well be pitch black. “I want to go home.”
I turn around to head back to the house. Inside the kitchen, Alexa is handing Ashton a piece of chocolate. My lips press together as I cross my arms in annoyance.
“Alexa, he didn’t finish his dinner,” I almost bark.
“Sorry.” She retreats with a shrug of the shoulders. “I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
I grab his hand, allowing him to have the chocolate and praying he doesn’t burst into a sugar rush later. Addy and Alexa quickly glance at each other, but I turn away, not wanting to converse with either of them.