Descent (Black Heart Romance)

I’m grateful as we begin chatting casually about the wedding. “Did you enjoy the ceremony?” I ask.

“Oh, yes, it was beautiful. You seemed a little… uncomfortable?”

My gaze shoots to her, eyes wide. “You could tell?”

She nods sympathetically.

My shoulders sag with disappointment.

She’s quick to add, “Maybe I could only tell because we’re sisters, you know? Maybe nobody else noticed.”

We’re sisters, but only half-sisters. Georgia and I didn’t grow up living together, so we don’t have that close-knit bond some siblings have. She’s only being nice telling me that. If she noticed, there’s a good chance it was plain for anyone to see.

“Great,” I murmur.

I’m not doing a good enough job at this. I’ve gotta get it together. The last thing I want to do is tarnish Charity’s wedding day. Even if eventually I do end up telling her, I have to keep it together right now.

We make our way back to the ballroom without really talking about anything. She comments on how pretty the centerpieces are, I tell her I helped out designing the place cards, and it’s almost like this is an ordinary wedding reception where my world hasn’t been turned upside down.

I walk Georgia back to her seat and thank her. She knows I’m thanking her for more than I let on, so she offers a supportive smile and gives me a hug before I make my way back to the table where I’ll be sitting beside Charity.

___

I lose sight of Calvin for a while, but I can feel him watching me, so it’s impossible to relax.

I finally find the bastard when dinner is being served. There are a lot of people at Charity’s wedding so it took some time, but now that I’ve found him, I don’t want to let him out of my sight.

My appetite is suffering in the presence of Calvin Cutler, so Charity and her new hubby finish eating before I do. As soon as they hit the dance floor, the rest of the bridal party goes to join them.

I go to take a sip of my water and realize the glass is empty, so I put it back down. Before I can decide whether it’s worth going to grab another one and risk encountering Calvin, Steve pauses by my chair and startles me with a hand on my shoulder.

“You want to dance?” he asks.

I shrug off his touch without thinking how it might look and offer up a fake-as-hell smile as I spear a piece of salad on my fork and hold it up as my excuse. “Still eating. Sorry.”

“Right.” He shoots me a funny look, but walks away to find someone else to dance with.

I feel a little better once I’m sitting here alone. The bridal party sits at a long table in front of all the other tables set up around the room, so my back is to a wall and I can keep an eye on—

Where did he go?

Calvin was in his seat beside the girl in the purple dress just a moment ago, but now the chair is empty.

I tense immediately, knowing he’s out there but unsure where. I try to find him, searching the dance floor and the edges of the room, but I don’t see him anywhere.

I try to finish eating, but I’m hopelessly distracted. He should show up at his table again, but a few minutes pass, and he still hasn’t returned.

I can’t leave the safety of my seat unless I know where he is. My back is to a wall and I’m in front of everyone up here, but the moment I head out on the dance floor to dance with Charity or grab myself something to drink, I’ll have no idea where the bastard is. He could easily sneak up on me.

Dammit.

I wish there was some way I could get Charity to kick him out without telling her why. There isn’t, but that would make my life much easier.

As I’m pondering ways to get Calvin ousted and picking at my salad, I register movement from my peripherals. My stomach plummets as I look to see who is moving toward me and I see him in his expensive suit with navy pinstripes, tailored to perfectly fit his toned, muscular body.

Fuck.

I guess I found him.

Chapter Eight

Hallie

Anyone watching would think Calvin looks damn good as he approaches, might even feel jealous of the attention he’s giving me as he pulls up a chair and takes a seat beside me.

Obviously, that is not how I feel.

My lungs feel paralyzed having him so close. Tension gathers in my shoulders and I try to formulate words, but I’m too stunned by his audacity.

He made it clear he wasn’t afraid of me last night when I threatened to tell on him. Since it’s clear I didn’t, perhaps he feels emboldened to approach me in front of everyone like this here, but I can’t fathom that. I can’t imagine being so indifferent to the comfort of someone I hurt so maliciously. I just can’t wrap my head around it.