“I’m not pretending,” Julian said.
I nearly looked at him.
Nearly.
Instead, I stayed perfectly still.
Mason’s expression sharpened.
“You knew who she was?”
Julian looked directly at him.
“No.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“Yes.”
Vanessa suddenly laughed.
Not happily.
“Of course.”
She shook her head.
“Of course this would happen.”
Mason reached for her.
“Vanessa—”
She stepped away.
“Don’t touch me.”
The room had become painfully quiet.
I watched them for another moment.
And then something unexpected happened.
I lost interest.
Not because the drama wasn’t spectacular.
It was.
But because I suddenly understood how small Mason looked.
This man had once seemed powerful enough to determine my worth.
Now he was standing in the middle of his own wedding reception trying to explain why humiliating his ex-wife had been important to him.
I didn’t need revenge anymore.
He had done a better job than I ever could.
