41. Hunter

When I woke up in the too-warm truck cab, Levi was asleep in the driver's seat, and it was already 5:20 pm. I was sticky with sweat, and my thighs were glued together with what I could only assume was blood.

I didn't have time to be embarrassed as I rushed through the house, frantically trying to pull myself together.

I failed.

I failed so incredibly badly, but the pain was devastating. Unbearable. Every time I looked in the mirror, the emotional turmoil raging inside me would rise up like bile. I couldn't even stop crying long enough to put on mascara.

As Levi weaves through row after row of fancy cars, searching for a parking spot at Lake Chapel Country Club, I flip down the visor to give myself a quick once-over… then immediately slap it back up in disgust.

My eyes are so puffy I don't even recognize myself.

My heart is shattered in a way I don't think can ever be repaired.

"Daisy. We don't have to—"

"Let's go," I say, opening my door and gingerly stepping out of the truck.

I'm wearing one of the pads from the hospital, plus two pairs of underwear and black cheer shorts under my dress. I swear fresh clots pass each time I stand, even if I've only been seated for a few minutes.

I trudge to the front doors of the country club, pushing back at the physical and emotional devastation rolling through me. I just want to get this over with.

Just as Levi catches up to me, Greedy emerges from the front doors, breathless. His eyes are full of so much heartache I worry he already knows.

How?

"Did you—"

"No." That one word from Levi is enough to clearly answer the question I didn't even fully articulate. "I would never."

Greedy strides toward me and opens his mouth to speak—but then my mother comes barreling out of the door behind him.

She charges toward me, a vision in a tight white body-con dress that hits just above the knee. Her hair is blown out in big waves, and she's wearing a gorgeous headband dotted with crystals that shimmer from the light pouring out from the entryway.

She looks stunning. I'd even say ethereal, if not for her livid expression and the vitriol oozing from her. Her scowl deepens, though not much, thanks to the Botox, as she assesses me up and down.

"Is this some sort of joke to you?" she hisses, grabbing my upper arm, her nails digging into my flesh.

On instinct, I pull back. "That hurts," I grit out, holding back tears.

"Excuse me," Levi tries to interject. "We're late because of me, ma'am. I was Hunter's ride, and I fell asleep. It's not her—"

"I don't have time to listen to your boyfriend make excuses for you," my mother hisses through her teeth without bothering to look at Levi.

Heart lurching, I look at Greedy over her shoulder. He takes another step forward, coming to my rescue.

Before he can close in on us, though, my mom is gripping my arm again, her acrylic talons digging into the already bruised skin where they drew blood at the hospital.

The reminder brings fresh tears to my eyes.

"Ow," I whimper so quietly the sound catches in my throat.

"You're hurting her," Levi grits out. He's closer. He can see the tears threatening to fall. He knows I'm barely holding it together.

"Wait—" Greedy calls out.

But I'm already being pulled through the doors.

I follow obediently. I don't have a choice. Going is easier than fighting.

"There." My mother marches me toward a well-appointed vanity. "Fix your face. Put on some mascara and blush, at the very least." She meets my gaze in the mirror, her emerald-green irises—the color so similar to mine—meticulously lined, her eyebrows arched to perfection.

She looks beautiful.

Too bad she's so ugly on the inside.

"Stop crying, dammit."

If she knew, would this woman even cry with me? Probably not.

A silent sob racks through me at the thought.

I'm disoriented and desperate to get back out there. I need to talk to Greedy. He'll wait for me. He'll hold me. I need to get back out there and—

"Hunter Annalee Charlotte St. Clair, get yourself together. This isn't how I raised you."

This isn't how she raised me?

She didn't raise me at all.

My dad did.

But he's gone now.

Everything I love leaves.

"I'm going to use the ladies' room, and by the time I'm finished, you'll have it together."

I doubt that.But I reach for my bag anyway.

I pull out my phone first. The screen is black. I try to turn it on, but I'm greeted by the flashing battery sign.

Flovely.

I can't even text Greedy or Levi to ask them to wait for me. Hopefully, we can meet up after the ridiculous event my mother feels compelled to drag me to.

Mindlessly, I reapply my lip gloss. I unscrew a tube of mascara and use a magnifying mirror to run the wand over the tips of my lashes. Maybe if I don't let it get too close, maybe if I keep the makeup right on the edge, it won't streak down my face along with the tears that won't stop falling.

The toilet flushes.

I blot concealer under my eyes, which only makes them look worse.

The sink turns on.

I sweep a sparkling pink blush along the apples of my cheeks.

My mother appears in the mirror, a wide smile stretched across her face.

"Ready?" she asks, emanating pure joy. She's a completely different person from the one berating me moments ago. She's transformed or renewed somehow. A fresh wave of numbness washes over me as I struggle to understand how a person can be so cruel one minute, then so saccharine the next.

She approaches my seat at the vanity from behind, standing close enough she can probably see herself in the magnifying mirror.

I avert my attention in hopes that she won't assess me too closely.

"How do I look?" she asks.

When I lift my head, I force myself to look at her, bracing for more criticism.

A small breath of relief escapes me as I zero in on her. She's staring at herself, solely and completely focused on her own reflection.

"Hunter," she snaps.

"You look good," I reply automatically. Mechanically. "Y-you look gorgeous," I correct.

She claps and smiles coyly, clearly pleased with my response.

I exhale in relief, knowing I've passed the test.

"Let's go," she instructs.

Worried she'll grab me again if I don't get a move on, I rise quickly.

Too quickly.

A small gush leaves my body, and my heart lurches. I squeeze my thighs together, panicked that the pad and all the extra layers won't be enough.

Should I duck into the bathroom to clean myself up and risk pissing my mother off more, or should I just follow her out the door?

Her exasperated use of my name—again—reminds me that the choice isn't mine to make.

I take small steps toward the door and meet her in the marble hall that leads back to the grand foyer of the country club.

Her heels click-clack on the tiles with purpose. She's two steps ahead of me the entire time.

"Come along," she encourages. Her voice is nearly an octave higher than normal. "There's someone I've been dying for you to meet."

In the foyer, a glittering chandelier throws beams of light so bright against the white and cream walls it makes my eyes burn.

Still holding back tears, I keep my head low, my gaze fixed on the red soles of my mother's shoes. When she stops and I finally look up, relief washes through me.

Levi and Greedy are here, waiting for me. Just like I hoped. They're standing in the grand foyer next to a well-dressed man.

I beeline for the boys, desperate to talk to Greedy, aching to be in his arms. Miraculously, I hold myself together. I can't fall apart. Not yet. I have to get through the event my mother insists I attend. For now, though, I can hold out. I can do this, knowing that the boys will be waiting for me when it's all over.

"Tem," Greedy whispers when I'm still a few feet away.

My mother steps in front of me, effectively cutting me off, and approaches the man next to Greedy, slinging her arms around his torso.

"Here she is. Finally." The man smiles warmly at my mother, then extends a hand to me. "Hunter, I take it?"

My mom will kill me if I'm rude to her friend, so I offer him my hand and fake a smile.

"Hello." I look from the man to Greedy. Then back again, confused. The man's eyes catch my attention, the softness around them when he smiles, and then the shape of his nose…

"It's truly a pleasure." He shakes my hand eagerly. "Now that we're all together, we can finally share the big news."

"We?" I ask.

Greedy takes a single step forward. "What news?"

I focus on him again. He and Levi should probably wait outside. The last thing I want is for my mom to sink her claws into my boys, literally or figuratively.

Levi is already on her shit list since he tried to take responsibility for my late arrival. He's also dressed way too casually for a country club, and I can't let her pick on him, too. If I can borrow a phone charger, I can get them out of here and text them when we're done—

"Surprise!" My mother claps giddily and practically bounces in her heels.

The staccato smacks of her palms against one another echo throughout the foyer and ricochet through my brain, sending a sharp pain through my temple.

"We're engaged!" she squeals.

The man is still grasping my hand, which is the only reason I don't collapse on the spot.

"I'm Dr. Gary Ferguson," he tells me. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Hunter."