Old Flame, New Love

“You’re overthinking it.” Lydia Moore swirled the wine in her glass and paused for a couple of seconds before continuing. “Adrian’s not that kind of person. It was… me who wanted to break up back then.”

Monica Hayes blinked in surprise. “Why? The way you reacted last time you saw him—it didn’t look like you were over him. And that was, what, three or four years ago?”

Lydia lifted one slender shoulder in a shrug. “Adrian was going through something at the time. I knew we had no future, so I ended it. Which means I dumped him when he was at his lowest. Besides, Vanessa liked him long before that. When Adrian ran into trouble, I’m sure she helped him out a lot. It’s natural they ended up together.”

Monica frowned. “Are you being serious right now? Because it sounds like you’re making that up to make yourself feel better.”

Lydia looked at her and smiled faintly. “Why would I lie? Do I get paid for it?”

Monica pressed her lips together, eyeing her for a moment. “Who knows? You’re not exactly known for being straightforward. You hid your whole relationship with Adrian from me for years. Makes me wonder if you ever saw me as a real friend.”

Just as Monica finished her complaint, a loud clatter came from not far away.

“I—I’m sorry!”

Sophie Reed stood there, one hand holding a tray, the other frantically trying to wipe spilled wine off the woman’s dress.

The woman looked down at the large, blue stain soaking into her white silk gown and immediately exploded. “What the hell is wrong with you? Are you blind? You can’t even carry a drink without screwing it up—useless!”

Sophie’s hand hovered awkwardly in the air as she tried to help, but that only enraged the woman more. With a sharp crack, the woman slapped Sophie across the face. “Don’t touch me with your filthy hands! You couldn’t afford this dress if you sold your kidneys!”

Monica froze. “Wait, that’s her?”

Lydia followed her gaze toward Sophie.

“You’ve met?” Monica asked.

Lydia nodded. “At dinner the other night.”

Monica put two and two together. “So that ‘urgent matter’ Julian mentioned… was going to see her?”

Lydia took a slow sip of her drink. “She ran into some trouble and ended up at the University District Police Department. Julian went to get her out.”

Monica let out a sharp laugh but said nothing more.

Across the room, Sophie bowed repeatedly, her eyes glistening though she tried not to cry. “I’m so sorry. I really didn’t mean to—”

But the woman’s anger only grew, her insults sharper, crueler.

Lydia’s brow furrowed. She turned toward the bartender and said calmly, “Call your manager. Now.”

The bartender startled, then nodded quickly and reached for his phone.

Monica crossed her arms. “You do realize she’s the woman who supposedly ruined your marriage, right?”

Lydia gave a soft, ironic laugh. “My marriage doesn’t need her to ruin it.”

Monica: “…”

Before Monica could retort, the manager arrived—along with someone else.

Monica took one look at the man walking in behind him and whistled. “Well, isn’t this a coincidence?”

Lydia said nothing.

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to!” Sophie clutched the side of her face, her voice trembling as she tried to calm the furious woman down.

“I don’t believe that for a second!” the woman snapped, her voice rising again. “I’ve met women like you before—pretending to be all innocent, when really, you’re just trying to seduce men! Fake little saint on the outside, but filthy to the core!”

“Caroline, what’s going on here?”

The manager’s voice cut through the noise.

The woman turned sharply, her expression still twisted with anger—until she noticed the man behind him. For a brief moment, her face froze, and then she forced tears into her eyes, lips quivering as she looked up at him pitifully.

The manager glanced from her to Sophie. “Sophie?”

Sophie kept her gaze down, not once looking toward Julian Marks standing behind the manager. “I accidentally spilled some wine on this lady’s dress,” she said quietly, her voice taut as a wire.

“‘Accidentally?’” Caroline West shot back, her voice shrill. “You did it on purpose, you little—” Her words cut off as her eyes flicked once more toward Julian.