Lured into Love (Blossom in Winter #2) - Melanie Martins Page 0,104
I’m not ready to end.
Suddenly, two palms cover my eyes, and someone whispers in my ear, “I can’t believe you came here without me.”
A smile cracks my face, and turning around, I plunge Emma into a hug. A hug so tight that I hear her gasping.
“Oh, gosh,” she says. “What’s going on?”
“I’m so happy you are here,” I tell her in a low voice, my arms still wrapped around her neck.
She hugs me back and says, “Me too.”
We don’t talk, but as we look at each other, Emma reads me like no one else. She strokes my arm, giving me an empathetic smile, and remains speechless. After all, there are no words to be said. No sweet “it’s gonna be alright” kind of talk, because we both know it’d be bullshit. It is what it is, her face tells me. Wow. Emma, my best friend, my big sister, the most adventurous person I know, giving me an “it is what it is” look. Did I expect something different from her? The idealist in me thought so. But as Emma smiles at my dad and kisses his cheek, I know there will be no escape plan hatched in the bathroom. And I know that at the end of the day, “it is what it is” is the only way everyone feels about it.
Except me.
“Petra!” I hear calling from behind me.
I instantly turn around, recognizing the voice. “Mr. Marques, how good to see you.” Then I look at his wife, Anabela, standing beside him and greet her just as warmly. But as my eyes go to her dress, my heart tightens. “Oh, wow. Congratulations,” I tell her. “How many weeks?”
“Thirty-two,” she replies with a proud smile, putting a hand on her bump.
“I’m so happy for you.” Then, for the sake of politeness and small talk, I ask, “Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”
“It’s a boy. But we are still struggling to come up with a name.” And before I can ask anything further, my attention instantly shifts to the entrance, and everything stops.
And everything hurts, as I observe Alex greeting a few guests before walking toward us.
Yep, here he is. The man I hate and love the most in this world, looking sharp and elegant in his usual satin-lapel tux, a charming smile on his lips, with glowing skin and a perfect tan. While I have been undergoing therapy to survive my post-Alex breakup, this asshole seems to be perfectly fine.
“You don’t say hi to your godfather?” Emma whispers with the most annoying sarcasm.
Surprisingly—or not—Dad gives him the warmest greeting, shaking his hand intently and patting him on the back. He then greets Anabela, Paulo, Emma…
“Mr. Van Dieren,” I snap unsmilingly when his piercing blue eyes alight on me. I hate you, my glare says.
But my heart knows it’s all bullshit.
“Miss Van Gatt,” he replies, his voice irritably soft and mellow. His gaze goes up and down me, but his face doesn’t give anything away. Then he takes a step closer to me, a step that makes my heart beat faster than I’d like to admit, and leaning close to my ear, he whispers, “You look absolutely stunning… in that white dress.”
White dress.
Somehow those two words coming from his mouth bring back memories I shouldn’t even think of. “Thank you,” I reply with restrain. “It’s actually very appropriate for the occasion.” And to my surprise, I blurt, “It represents the end of a chapter in my life.”
Why did I even say that?
“Well, I hope the next one will be better.” He sounds polite and calculated.
“We share the same hope,” I snap back, matching his tone.
A cold silence arises between us, and we don’t smile or say anything else. We look like two strangers, with no past… and maybe no future.
He then glances over my shoulder, nodding at someone. “Excuse me, I’ve got some guests to talk to.”
Of course you do. And just like that, Alex leaves me. If he is as broken as I am inside, then he’s a fine actor.
“Petra, I’ve got someone to introduce you to.” Dad seems overly excited as he takes me by the arm and ushers me to the other side of the ballroom.
“Who?” I mumble as we get closer to the stage.
“You will see.”
There, I see musicians gathered around a female figure with blonde hair brushing her shoulders. I don’t recognize her from the back, but as soon as she turns around…