Page 112 of Alexander: Alexander's Story

I sense the presence of others, and I hope it’s who I want to see this.

Jess laughs harshly, insecurely, and says, “No, thank you to whateverthisis. You have a beautiful wife waiting for you. Go home, Alex.” I knowmy wifeis here now; I can feel it for sure.

So instead of waiting, I say, “Okay,” then move in, pushing my mouth to Jess’s. Feeling sick to my stomach the second we touch. Hating this. Hating her. Wishing she would be punished for fucking me and ruining Emma’s life.

The worst part is, she fucking returns the kiss. Her tongue slides into my mouth, and I want to push her away.

Then Damian is there pulling me back.Perfect.

He starts yelling, and I hope to god it’s at her, but I’m not paying them any attention. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of a golden silky gown as light bounces off of it.

I’m sorry, baby.

Damian goes for a swing, and I let him land it. I deserve it, and the pain of a single punch is nothing compared to the shredding my heart is undergoing, knowing what waits for me on the other side of this.

They argue for a minute, then finally leave. I run my hand down my bare chin, and turn to bite the bullet.

Emma’s complexion is blanched. Her hands tremble as she brings one up to her stomach, holding herself.

“Scorched by the sun,” she whispers.Yeah, baby, scorched by the sun.

She remembers.

Emma

Why would Britain do that to Alex?

I watch him walk out of the dining room, and I want to run after him. I want to hold him once again like a wounded animal.

Can’t she see he’s hurting?

I might be hurting, too, but Alex still needs love and support, and it pisses me off that his family would always fail him.

I don’t run after him, though, not wanting to draw more attention to him. I decide to let him cool off, or settle down, and then I’ll find him.

I’ll take his hand in mine, and we’ll leave. And I’ll let him break down, and I’ll help put him back together, and maybe after all that, he’ll want to keep me. But again, after tonight, seeing how obsessed he truly is with her, maybe he won’t.

I clean up as best I can, feeling guilty over the death of this $3500 dress. My dress and I were never really long forthisworld anyway.

As soon as the toast is over, the cake is served. I take a single bite, then push it aside and wait for Brit to finish hers, needing to talk to her. Well, needing to stand up for Alex because it seemed no one else ever would.

I miss my opening by seconds when Jess beats me to Brit first. So I hang back, then approach as soon as she’s free.

“Can I talk to you?” I ask Brit, pulling her to the side, then whisper, “What the fuck? Can’t you see he’s dying already? And you just put him on blast in front of all these people who probably mean the most to him?” She seems surprised.

“You’re really sticking up for him? Right now?” She double-checks, and I nod.

“He might be broken, and he might not always do the right thing, but he is so good. And he deserves to be loved and supported by his family. That means you, and me.” She stands there, shocked. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find him and take him home, so goodbye, Brit.”

I give her a formal half hug that she doesn’t return. So I grab my clutch and walk out of the dining room.

The hallway is empty, so I head towards the bathrooms, hearing shuffling feet coming from that direction.

My feet slow as I get closer, my stomach tenses, and a nervous chill sweeps over my body.

Something is wrong.

My hand hangs onto the paneled wall for support. And as I round the corner to where the restrooms are, I see him.