I stumbled back, panicking; horrified and shocked.
Losing my footing, I bumped into the wall. Then, trying to avoid her, I knocked over a rack of wine with at least a dozen bottles on it. Shards of glass littered the floor while inky purple juice sprayed everywhere, including my pants, and Colleen’s tight white dress.
Her eyelids were heavy–from liquor or lust; I couldn’t tell–and her cheeks and neck were flushed red. She had been wearing heavy mascara at the dinner table, which was slightly smudged now, and her lipstick looked like it had recently been reapplied. Her pouty expression accentuated the metallic magenta sheen on her lips.
She looked startled for a moment, and stood with her hip jutting out, before sauntering in my direction again.
What the fuck is she doing?
Before I could think, she stepped into my space and cornered me, leaning in close, her breath laden with alcohol. Her fingers fumbled for the straps of her dress as I backed up into the wall. I tried to hold her away, but she was impossible, relentless, completely lacking in any self-awareness and throwing herself at me shamelessly.
I shook my head, fighting off her wandering hands. “What is this? Why are you–”
“You should have been mine all along,” she said, her speech slurring. “Come on, Nathaniel. Admit it. You want this.”
Not wanting to hurt her, I placed my hands around her upper arms, attempting to fend her off while keeping her steady on the wet tile floor. “Stop this, Colleen. It’s wrong and you know it. You’re a married woman, and I’m in love with your daughter, and you can’t just–”
“Shh.” She managed to bring a finger up to my mouth. I brushed it away, but she wouldn’t stop. “We both know this has been a long time coming. You should have taken me up on my offer to come up to Newport Beach, you know. I would’ve made your weekendglorious. But” she giggled, looking around the cellar, “we have plenty of privacy here.”
Was she out of her mind? Before I could open my mouth to speak, she lurched forward and grabbed my collar, smashing her mouth into mine.
Chapter 41
Amelia
Nathaniel had been gone for a while now to retrieve the wine. I wanted to let him know that I would need to call it a night soon.
I was exhausted.
All the stress of getting ready for tonight and not knowing what to expect had caught up with me, and after the talk with my dad, I was emotionally drained and more than ready to go home with my fiancé.
I headed downstairs to the wine cellar to see what was taking him so long. Stepping down the staircase, I made my way along the basement hallway past the gym and around the corner to the cellar.
Then, I froze in my tracks.
My mother was all over Nathaniel.
Touching him. Caressing him.
Kissinghim.
My hands flew to my mouth to cover my gasp of horror. My eyes welled up with tears. My heart fell to my stomach at the sight of two people I never expected to hurt me, doing exactly that.
Betraying me. Breaking my heart.
Nathaniel’s eyes locked with mine, and he shoved my mother away.
My mother turned around and smiled cruelly, shooting me a prideful, lusty look.
“I see why you let him knock you up.” She ran her fingers suggestively over her lips. “This can be our little secret.” She giggled. I was horrified, shaking my head. “Oh, come on, Amelia. You know how to share your playthings, don’t you?” She smiled and winked. “I just wanted a taste.”
I had never felt so devastated in my entire life. There were no words for how deeply my mother and Nathaniel had wounded me. I would never recover from this.
So I ran.
Hurrying up the staircase while tears flowed down my cheeks, I heard Nathaniel on my heels, shouting my name.
It was too late. There was no excuse for this. No way to explain it away.