Accusations

Avery’s Pov

I checked my reflection one last time, smoothing down the navy blue dress.

His favorite color with my hair down the way he once mentioned he liked, back when he looked at me once. The diamond bracelet from christmas glinted under the light, probably picked by his assistant, but I wore it anyway.

Tonight had to be perfect. Richard, my father-in-law, was bringing fourteen important guests, and I was going to be exactly what they expected, the graceful hostess, the perfect wife.

Maybe if I tried hard enough, he’d finally see me. Pathetic yes, I know that.

I’m Avery Monroe Sterling, twenty-four. Married fourteen months to a man who keeps me in a separate bedroom and barely speaks to me. We signed a contract, one year to save his company’s image and fulfill his father's wishes. The year ended two months ago and I’m still here.

Before Nate, my husband, I was engaged to someone else. I caught him cheating with someone I trusted. The betrayal sent me running into traffic, straight into Richard Sterling’s car. He saw opportunity in a broken girl.

So here I am, trying, still hoping.

I headed downstairs, heels clicking against marble. The dining room was filled with expensive conversation, men in suits, women dripping with jewelry.

Nate sat at the head of the table, laughing at something Richard said. He looked perfect, untouchable. My heart still did that stupid thing when I looked at him.

His eyes met mine for half a second. Then he looked away, dismissing me like furniture just like he always did.

I took my seat, smiled at guests, and played my part. The food was rich, heavy. Conversation danced around me like I wasn’t there.

Then the smell hit me.

Salmon in thick butter sauce, overwhelming me. My stomach turned violently. I gripped my fork, swallowing hard against the rising nausea.

Not now. Please, not now.

“Mrs. Sterling, you look pale,” Mrs. Waters said, her voice carrying across the table. “Are you feeling alright?”

Every head turned. Including Nate’s.

“I’m fine,” I managed, forcing a smile that felt like it might crack my face. “Just…”

Another wave hit harder. The room tilted. I stood too fast, chair scraping loudly against the floor.

“Excuse me…”

I took only three steps before my stomach betrayed me and I doubled over, vomiting onto the Persian rug.

Gasps erupted around the table. I heard someone’s wife squealed in disgust.

I couldn’t stop, body heaving while humiliation burned through every nerve.

Then Mrs. Waters’ voice, excited and warm. “Could it be? Richard, are we finally getting a grandchild?”

The room fell silent, too silent.

I looked up, wiping my mouth with trembling hands. Richard’s face had gone carefully blank. But Nate…

Nate was staring at me like I’d just confirmed his worst suspicion.

He walked to me, he clamped his hands around my arm, fingers digging in hard enough to bruise. He hauled me toward the stairs while I stumbled, trying to keep up.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, tears burning my eyes. “I didn’t mean…”

“Just shut it.” He shoved me into our bedroom and slammed the door behind us.

I stood there shaking, from sickness, from humiliation, from the cold in his gray eyes.

“Are you pregnant?” he demanded, his voice deadly calm.

“What? No, I…”

“Don’t lie to me, woman.” He stepped closer, towering over me. “Whose is it?”

The words didn’t make sense at first. I stared at him, trying to process.

“Whose is what?”

“The baby,” he said, each word sharp as a blade. “Whose baby are you carrying?”

“I’m not pregnant!” The words exploded out of me. “I’m just sick!”

“Everyone downstairs thinks you are,” he said coldly. “And since I’ve never touched you, we both know it can’t be mine.”

The implication hit like a slap. He thought…he actually thought…

“Wait, you think I’m cheating on you?” My voice came out small and broken.

“What else should I think?” He pulled out his phone, jaw tight. “You disappear during the day and you end conversations when I walk into the room.”

“Those conversations are with my mother!” Anger finally broke through shock. “And I ‘disappear’ to work at the hospital!”

“Where you work with how many male doctors?” His eyes were cold, accusing.

“You’re insane,” I whispered, my whole body trembling.

“Stay here.” He moved toward the door, not looking at me. “Don’t come downstairs. You’ve embarrassed me enough for one night.”

“Nate, please…”

“I said stay here.” He walked out without a backward glance.

The door closed. Not a slam, just a soft click that felt worse than this situation.

I sank into the bed, my whole body shaking. Not from sickness anymore. From anger, from the crushing weight of knowing this is what he thought of me.

The party continued downstairs. Laughter drifted up, sounds of glass clicking. Like nothing had happened.

I moved to the window, trying to catch my breath. Then I heard Nate’s voice from the hallway.

“Celeste.” Nate's voice sounded more like a surprise.

I moved to the door and leaned against it, straining to her clearly.

“…didn’t expect to see you here Celeste.” His voice was shocked and unbelieving.

“I had to see you, Nate.” A woman’s voice, sweet and confident.

Celeste.

My heart starts to hammer against at my ribs. The name felt like ice in my veins, his first love. The ghost that lived in this marriage. I heard she was back in New York a week ago.

Everything began to click, that’s why he has been different, distracted and checking his phone constantly.

But why is she here tonight?

“You shouldn’t have come,” Nate said but it was not convincing enough.

I heard them walking towards the stairs.

I slipped out of the bedroom quietly, moved down the hallway keeping to shadows. I followed their voices to the conservatory at the back of the house.

The door was cracked, just enough.

Nate stood with his back to me. I saw a moment and I saw her.

Celeste, blonde, beautiful, everything I wasn’t, standing close to Nate, too close.

“I know I hurt you,” she was saying, her voice was soft. “I know I shouldn’t be here, but I had to.”

“We are both married, Celeste. There is no point…”

“I am not,” she cut him off. “Not anymore, I ended it.”

“You what?”

“The marriage,” she said quietly. “I ended it. I wasn’t happy, Nate. I tried but I couldn’t forget you. When I heard you got married, I thought I’d lost you forever. I had to come back, to tell you I still love you.”

My chest tightened, making it hard to breathe.

“You left me,” Nate said, voice rough with emotion. “Three years ago, you left!”

“I am sorry Nate.” She said crying. “I was scared. Young and stupid and scared of how much I felt and that was the biggest mistake of my life.”

“Celeste…”

“Are you happy with her?” she asked, desperate now. “Do you love her?”

The silence was far stretched. I held my breath, waiting for his answer.

I shouldn’t be listening to this, I shouldn’t care what his answer would be. But I couldn’t move.

He still didn’t answer.

“We can fix this,” she whispered, looking up at him and wrapping his hands round his waist. “We can still have everything we should have had.”

Then she rose on her toes and kissed him.

The world around me stopped.

Nate stood frozen. I waited for him to pull away, push her back to remember he had a wife upstairs.

But instead, his hand came up to her waist and the other to the back of her neck and he kissed her back.