Cruel Legacy (Cruel 3)

“I’m glad that you could make it. Is Damon with you?” I asked Trihn as if I knew him.

“He’s busy, but I wanted to be here for my sister,” Trihn said. “Me and my girls”—she gestured to two Hollywood-esque blondes behind her—“we wanted to make sure that you stayed in your place.”

My eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?”

Trihn just winked at me. “Have a good time.”

Lydia patted my elbow. “Enjoy the trip down memory lane.”

They sauntered off, and I felt like my world was spinning. There were too many of them. My eyes traveled the room, and I saw more. Harmony, who I’d always competed with Penn for. Maria, who I’d ostracized at Harvard. Patricia, whose boyfriend I’d slept with. Kendra, Kaitlin, Haley, Autumn, Misty…on and on. Every girl that I’d ever known. Every girl that I’d ever…hurt. Tortured. Destroyed. Pushed aside in the name of my own popularity. In the name of what I stood for and who I was and what I fucking wanted. No, demanded.

They were all here. They were all looking at me.

My heart hammered in my chest. An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach. Something I’d never let myself experience. Dread. Fear. My hands sweat, and while I kept my head high, I couldn’t keep the slight waver in my breathing. The hitch that gave me away.

The only one who was missing was…Hanna.

I closed my eyes and turned away from that name. I didn’t think about her. Or what we’d done. Or how horrible we’d been.

No. I wouldn’t. Not here.

I swallowed back the fear and went in search of the one name I hadn’t mentioned. The bitch who had set this whole thing up. Who had orchestrated this entire event and then unleashed these people on me. As if I’d back down from that!

Then I found her. Natalie. Standing with Penn in an enormous green dress, looking like she had no cares in the world.

I took one step toward her, prepared give her a piece of my mind when I felt another hand on my arm. I whipped around, ready to unleash a torrent of vitriol on the unwitting person, but it was Lark.

I took a breath. “Hey.”

She looked worried. “Katherine, check your phone.”

“Why?”

“Uh…there are some…images circulating right now.”

“Images?” I asked, reaching into my clutch for my phone. I opened it to find a message from Fiona. I looked at the first and thought I would be sick. “Oh.”

Oh no. It was picture after picture of Fiona and Camden together. Fiona and Camden in missionary. Fiona and Camden doggy-style. Fiona giving Camden a blow job. Fiona and Camden. Fiona and Camden. Fiona and Camden.

My jaw clenched. I wanted to yell and scream at the world for this. But for some reason, I couldn’t grasp it. Instead, what came out was a whimper. A pathetic, stupid whimper. My phone slipped from my hands and fell to the ground. Lark gasped and then reached for it. People were still looking at us. Staring at me and the strange noise that had come out of my mouth.

“Lark,” I whispered. My throat tight.

“Come on. Let’s…let’s get out of here,” Lark said.

“I can’t,” I gasped out. “I can’t leave. They’ll know.”

“Katherine,” she pleaded.

Then we heard it. Snickers. Laughter. Gasps.

Others were looking at the message. Others were looking at me. They knew that this meant Camden had been cheating on me. Still was, for all I knew. That he was humiliating me like this in front of everyone.

My eyes finally landed on Camden. We never showed up to places together. It made it more fun to find him there, waiting for me. Except, this time, he was with Fiona. In deep conversation with Fiona. His hand on her arm.

I took a few steps toward them like I was going to say something, but what could I say? Something was breaking in my chest. What the hell was this sensation? It was fucking awful. How could people live with this?

“Camden, stop!” Fiona shrieked. Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard to me. He must have responded, but all she did was get louder. “I won’t be quiet. People deserve to know the truth! It’s just a fucking arranged marriage! It’s not like she loves you. She married you for your money!”

My cheeks heated the color of my dress. More eyes. All eyes.

Mortification hit me. And now, everyone knew the truth. Because why would I get embarrassed if it was just a lie? Oh god. Everything I’d worked to keep hidden. Everything that we’d worked for together.

Something wet landed on my cheek. Something foreign.

Lark was speaking to me. But I couldn’t hear her over the buzzing in my head.

I touched my hand to my cheek and found tears. Tears? Christ!

I couldn’t…

I couldn’t let them see.

They couldn’t know that I wasn’t strong.

That I was broken.

I couldn’t take it a second longer.