The Boy Who Has No Belief - Victoria Quinn Page 0,108

no longer on my mind because I was more stressed out by my current situation.

Once dinner was finished, the evening would conclude—and then I could get the fuck out of here.

The champagne had been depleted and the plates were clean, so the waiters started to clean everything up. People rose from their chairs and started to mingle before they filed out. Emerson and I waited to say goodbye to Ryan and Camille, but people kept bombarding them before we got a chance.

“I’m going to use the restroom. I’ll be back.” She left my side then walked into the building.

Now I was alone, and I felt vulnerable. I almost asked her to wait until we got home, but then she would ask why I would make such a ridiculous request, and that would segue into a conversation I didn’t want to have.

So, I said nothing and stood alone.

Just as I feared, Tabitha moved in.

I didn’t look at her.

She stopped in front of me and waited until I actually looked at her face.

I shifted my gaze to hers, feeling the hate burn inside my chest, the memory of that night playing back in my head. If I’d never overheard their conversation, she and I might be married right now…and I’d look like an idiot who had no idea she let my best friend fuck her. Before anything could happen and I could lose my temper, I made a preemptive strike. “We’re here for Ryan and Camille. So let’s just be quiet and ignore each other, alright?”

She continued to stare at me like she had no idea what I said. There was no ring on her finger, so she hadn’t married someone. Or maybe she had and she was divorced…because she couldn’t keep her legs closed. “I just… I wanted to apologize—”

“Why? It was ten years ago. I’m over it.”

“Well, I never really had a chance. You wouldn’t take my calls—”

“I didn’t realize I was obligated to do so. You were obligated to be faithful to me, and you weren’t, so…do I really owe you anything?” I hadn’t talked to her once since that night. I ran out of there and blocked her number. She tried to see me in person a few times, but I didn’t let that happen either. Now I had the chance to say everything I never got to say, but I’d rather not say anything at all.

She flinched at the insult. “Kevin told me you were still pretty angry—”

“I’m not angry about that. I’m angry that you both continue to try to talk to me when I have no interest in speaking to either one of you. We aren’t friends, Tabitha. Now, walk away before I raise my voice and do something I regret.” I kept my hands in my pockets and scanned the area, seeing more and more people file out so we didn’t have as much of an audience. Ryan and Camille were busy talking to a family member, so they didn’t notice what was happening.

“I understand,” she said quietly. “I just want you to know that I’ve regretted my actions for the last decade. You were the best guy ever, and I see everything you’ve done in the past ten years, and I know I really missed out on something special. I threw away the best thing that ever happened to me, and I hate myself for it.”

“So, you don’t regret what you did because it made you a shitty person, but you regret that you missed out on a guy who ended up a billionaire—got it.”

“No, that’s not what I meant—”

“I don’t care what you meant. Walk away. Now.”

She stayed rooted to the spot.

“You’re going to make me storm out of here like last time?” I couldn’t stop myself from raising my voice. She was making me angrier and angrier, and I was afraid Emerson would walk in here and see this at any moment. “Get the fuck away from me.”

Ryan and Camille turned to look at us.

Now I was really pissed. “Great, now everyone is looking at us.”

Kevin walked over, probably to de-escalate the situation, but he was the worst person for the job. “Tabs, come on.” He grabbed her by the arm.

“Tabs?” I turned my ferocity on him. “Seriously? You guys chummy enough for nicknames?” My ex-best friend and ex-fiancée had kept in touch all these years? They were close? I lost my best friend and fiancée the same night, and they continued a long relationship that had lasted ten years? And