“But apparently stealing my
husband wasn’t enough. You slept with his brother too.”
Sloane’s eyes filled with tears.
Real ones this time.
“I was trying to survive.”
“In a mansion?”
Her expression hardened.
“You think you’re better than me?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“I simply stopped believing you were better than me.”
That hurt her.
I could see it.
Grant suddenly turned toward Elliot.
“How long?”
Elliot answered quietly.
“About three months.”
“Did you love her?”
Elliot glanced at Sloane.
“Yes.”
Grant laughed again.
“Unbelievable.”
Sloane grabbed Grant’s sleeve.
“Please. We can fix this.”
He stared at her hand.
“You were going to let me raise my brother’s son.”
“You wanted a family.”
“You wanted the Whitmore name.”
Her eyes flashed.
“Your entire family wanted an heir! Your father talked about it constantly. Your mother bought heirloom baby furniture before the first ultrasound. You wanted a boy carrying your name so badly that
none of you asked questions!”
Richard’s face darkened.
Sloane laughed bitterly.
“Don’t look at me like I’m the only liar in this room.”
For once, she wasn’t entirely wrong.
That was the ugly thing about families like the Whitmores.
Their scandals rarely belonged to one person.
They were built collectively.
Protected collectively.
Until someone finally stopped cooperating.
Richard pointed toward Grant.
“My office. Monday morning.”
Then toward Tessa.
“You and I need to talk.”
Tessa smiled politely.
“My office would be more appropriate.”
He didn’t like that.
Which made me like it very much.
Sloane suddenly turned to me.
“You planned this.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“Of course you did!”
“I didn’t make Grant lie in our divorce.”
She opened her mouth.
“I didn’t make you sleep with two brothers.”
Her face twisted.
“I didn’t make Richard move money.”
Richard glared.
“And I definitely didn’t mail myself that baby
shower invitation.”
A few people looked down, trying not to smile.
I picked up my purse.
Sloane stared at me with hatred.
“You came here to destroy everything.”
I looked around the ballroom.
The blue balloons.
The silver gifts.
The giant WELCOME, BABY GRANT JR. sign.
Grant standing ten feet away from the pregnant woman he had left me for.
Elliot watching the floor.
Richard calculating the financial damage.
Eleanor crying into a napkin.
Then I looked at Sloane.
“No.”
My voice was calm.
