Page 22 of These White Lies

“Not movie buffs, huh?”

“You must wear a mask to enter.”

Okaaaay.

My fingers brush over the different textures before settling on a gold, satin-covered half-mask with delicate black filigree curling across the surface.

I can’t exactly tell my client I refused to come into her house because I didn’t want to wear a mask at her party—even if Idothink it is completely absurd.

Tying the ribbons tight, I step over the threshold.

The air inside is cool, and lightly perfumed with the scent of fresh flowers arranged in extravagant displays along every wall and table. Somewhere in the house, a string quartet plays. Theirmusic drifts through the murmurs of laughter and the clink of champagne flutes.

No overt debauchery in sight.

The crowd of guests is thick in the main room, and the masks on every face are more disconcerting than I’d expected. Easing into the flow of the crowd, I’m careful not to let my discomfort show.

So far, everything seems perfectly normal. The masks are a bit melodramatic, but the rest of the event looks like every other fancy cocktail party I’ve attended. Taking a flute from a passing server, I scan the room hoping for a glimpse of Natalya. The cold bubbles burn a little as I finish my glass and swap out my empty for a fresh one.

Ihatecoming to these parties alone. It’s even worse now that I can’t eventryto spot a familiar face.

I feel a slight pang when I think of the days Keith and I used to look forward to these kinds of events. We thought it meant we’d finally made it, that all our hard work was finally paying off. I didn’t realize until too late that being surrounded by the wealthy and fabulous only pushed the bar further out for him.

Compared to our clients, what we had would never be enough for him. I would never be enough…

Thankfully, I finally spy Natalya across the room, tearing me from my depressing thoughts. Even masked, she stands out. She’s radiant in a silver dress that clings to her curves, with her blonde hair piled high and a soft, silver mask covering only to the bridge of her nose. My jaw drops when I see the diamond necklace looped around her neck and falling between her breasts.

Holy shit, is that real?

Natalya’s low-throated laugh sounds throughout the room, making her instantly recognizable. She is laughing at somethinga woman beside her is saying, but it’s the way Natalya keeps glancing toward the grand staircase that pulls at me.

You’re making a mistake, I internally scream at her, then immediately remind myself it’s her decision to make. She isn’t my friend. I’m just her lawyer.

Perhaps attending an engagement party the same week my divorce is finalized, isn’t the greatest idea. My nerves are knit far too tight for small talk, and the thought of breaching the circle of people around my client makes my head hurt.

But… I can’t leave until I say hello.

The second she is almost alone, with only a pair of older women in masks edged with gold leaf next to her, I make my way over. Weaving through the crowd, champagne still in hand, is more difficult than I expect. There must be a few hundred people here if this massive space feels cramped.

Natalya’s smile brightens when I reach her. “Elizabeth.” She reaches for my free hand and gives it a squeeze. “I’m so glad you could come.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” I lie smoothly.

Carrow suddenly appears at her side, his silence and expression oddly heavy for the festive atmosphere.

His hand slides around Natalya’s arm in a possessive move, his fingers digging just a little too tightly into her bare skin. Natalya’s face remains the perfect portrait of calm, but I can see the divots he’s making in her skin.

Carrow follows my scowl, and strangely… He smiles.

“Admiring my jewel?”

Natalya laughs, her free hand coming up to skim over the necklace. “Isn’t it magnificent? Jonathan gave it to me for our engagement.”

“It’s stunning. Though not as stunning as you.” I give her as warm a smile as I can fake. My gaze meets Carrow’s, and the smug satisfaction I see there confirms what I already know.

The bastard wasn’t talking about the necklace, and Natalya knows it.

It’s a small thing, I try to tell myself. The white lies we all tell ourselves to get us through the vagaries of life. I won’t burst her bubble tonight, but I make a mental note to discuss this marriage the next time I see her.