Chapter 3The Billionaires Dead Fiancée Is Back

Before I could answer, Blair pulled me toward the dining table.

She pushed a can of pickles toward me.

“I got those pickles you love from that place downtown. Eat up.”

I stared at the meal.

It wasn't my favorite. It was hers.

The one I had lost. Since her accident, this dish had become my self-deceiving comfort food.

I picked up a piece with my forks. It tasted exactly the way I remembered.

Seeing me eat, Blair’s expression softened slightly.

Finn, jealousy flashing in his eyes, quickly scooped a piece of roasted pork filet into my plate.

He immediately gasped and stammered, “Oh, I’m so sorry, Locke! I forgot your father… because of his heart condition…”

“I’m always so clumsy. Don’t be mad.” He gave a desperate, pleading look to Blair.

Blair patted Finn’s head, her expression sickeningly indulgent.

“It’s okay, baby, I’ve got you.”

She looked at me, her voice flat. “Finn is young. Let it go.”

She then rolled up her sleeves and began deftly peeling a shrimp for him.

Faced with their sickeningly intimate dynamic, I lost all appetite.

I put down my forks. Seeing I was done, Blair seized the opportunity.

“Finn’s lease on his apartment is up soon. You should give him one of your properties to tide him over.”

“Your downtown penthouse is perfect. The decor is gorgeous, and it’s right near where he needs to look for work.”

The penthouse she was referring to was the apartment I had purchased to be my wedding home. Every detail of the interior design was personally chosen by her.

I felt a sudden, hollow laugh bubble up inside me.

My complete lack of boundaries had truly warped her perception of reality. She believed I would never stop making concessions for her.

But when it came to the one I loved, I had a line.

“Blair,” I said, my voice eerily calm. “Are you asking me to finance your mistress?”

Finn shot up, his face crimson with indignation. “Locke, I know you resent my closeness with Blair, but we are innocent! Our relationship is completely pure.”

He turned tearfully to Blair. “I’m interrupting. I’m so sorry, Blair, I’ll leave right now.”

Blair quickly grabbed his hand, her gaze turning frigid as she faced me. “Apologize to him.”

I scoffed. “Did I say anything untrue?”

“Or was that pair of soiled boxers in my passenger seat not yours?”

Finn began to hyperventilate, his face swelling with blood.

He shook his head wildly. “You’ve completely misunderstood! I was just really upset that day, and Blair… she just used her hand to help me. We’ve been close since childhood. It’s nothing!”

Blair pulled him into a hug, stroking his back reassuringly.

“You don’t need to explain yourself. He’s been paranoid all week.”

She looked at me with cold contempt.

“Do you actually believe being this irrational is going to make me look at you differently?”

“You need to find a limit for your tantrums. I’ll spend more time with you later, okay?”

“But Finn cannot be stressed right now.”

“If you keep this up, I’ll just take Finn and we’ll both move out.”

I recognized the threat.

In the past, that sentence alone was enough to make me cave immediately. I would apologize profusely, meet her demand, and she would then “graciously” forgive me.

But my attention was suddenly elsewhere. It was fixed on the phone in my hand.

A text message.

It was from a number I knew intimately, a number I was convinced would never contact me again.

Locke, wait for me.

Four simple words. I gripped the phone, tears suddenly blurring my vision.