CHAPTER 6: Payback Time, Part Two

“Courtney!” Lilian called out, her voice cutting through the loud music. “What do you think you’re doing?”

I ignored her completely, leaning in to whisper something to Edward before letting out a soft giggle.

Lilian reached out, grabbed my bare shoulder, and yanked me backward.

“You should be ashamed of yourself!” she shouted, her face flushed with anger.

Having delivered her outburst, she turned on her heels and started walking back toward the bar.

I stood up immediately, adjusting the hem of my gown.

“Lilian!” I barked.

The authority in my voice made her stop in her tracks.

“Not too fast.”

She slowly turned to face me, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she tried to maintain an air of superiority.

I stepped closer, my heels clicking against the tiled floor.

“Who should be ashamed, you or me?”

“What are you talking about?” Lilian stammered.

Her eyes darted toward Elvis at the bar before returning to me. A flicker of panic crossed her face.

I didn’t give her a chance to ask another stupid question. My right hand swung through the air and landed hard across her face. The slap echoed through the room, and the DJ, catching the sudden drama, cut the music.

“Aargh!” she screamed, stumbling backward into a nearby table as she clutched her burning cheek.

The entire room fell silent.

Elvis sprinted from the bar, pushing through the stunned crowd before positioning himself between us to shield Lilian.

“That’s enough, Courtney!” he yelled, his eyes bloodshot and his chest rising and falling rapidly. “You can’t just come to my party and keep embarrassing me like this!”

A bitter, humorless laugh escaped my lips. I looked at the man I had loved for five long years, the same man who had been in bed with my best friend just hours earlier.

“Embarrassing you? What an irony!”

Before he could process my words, I slapped him across the face, channeling every ounce of betrayal into my right hand. Harder this time.

The impact snapped his head to the side.

“Aargh!” Elvis roared, his face twisted with rage. He lunged forward, raising his right hand to strike me.

He never got the chance.

Edward stepped forward swiftly, blocking Elvis from my view. He stood between us like a brick wall, facing Elvis squarely. He caught Elvis’s raised wrist with one hand and forced his arm down.

“Never make the mistake of hitting my woman,” Edward warned.

His voice was remarkably calm, but the authority behind his words made the atmosphere tense.

Elvis tried to wrench his arm free, his teeth bared, but Robert quickly stepped in from the side, grabbed Elvis by the shoulders, and pulled him back.

“Man, cool down. Don’t do it,” Robert muttered, holding him firmly.

Elvis glared over Edward’s broad shoulder at me, breathing heavily.

“Courtney, you’ll regret this,” he threatened through clenched teeth.

“I already have, Elvis,” I replied, stepping out from behind Edward just enough for him to see the cold satisfaction on my face. “But right now, you’re about to regret your miserable life.”

I pulled my phone from my gold purse and opened W******p. Then I tapped on the new group chat I had created earlier that evening. With one deliberate tap, I attached the video from Elvis’s bedroom and pressed send.

Suddenly, phones began pinging, vibrating, and ringing throughout the living room as dozens of screens lit up simultaneously.

The guests swiped through their notifications in confusion. Within seconds, the atmosphere shifted from shock to horror. The unmistakable sounds of Elvis and Lilian, along with their breathless voices, played through dozens of phone speakers, exposing their affair to everyone in the room.

“Happy birthday, Elvis,” I said, my voice cutting through the audio playback. “I hope you love my final birthday gift.”

The crowd didn’t stay quiet for long. Whispers spread, followed by suppressed laughter and disgusted murmurs that filled the room.

Julie glared at Elvis and Lilian with obvious revulsion. Robert stood there, looking deeply disappointed, shaking his head as he released Elvis’s shoulders.

Lilian remained motionless near the couch, staring blankly at her screen. She eventually lowered her head into her hands as if she wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

Elvis stared at his phone, then looked back at me, his face tightening. He lunged toward me again, his teeth clenched as he let out a low growl.

Edward stood firm, blocking his path and shielding me from his reach. Then Elvis stumbled backward, his balance failing, and sank onto the couch behind him.

I slipped my hand into Edward’s palm and interlocked our fingers. My pulse was still racing from the slap.

“Let’s go, Edward. Our job here is done.”

Edward nodded and held my hand firmly. We turned our backs on the wreckage and walked through the whispering crowd toward his parked car. The guests parted to let us pass, watching us in silence.

As soon as we climbed into the car and the doors clicked shut, blocking out the noise from the party, tears streamed down my cheeks, hot and uncontrollable, ruining the sharp eyeliner I had carefully applied.

Edward didn’t start the engine immediately. He turned toward me, the dashboard lights reflecting in his dark eyes.

“Courtney... are you okay?”

I managed a tight nod, staring through the windshield at the dark street.

“I can’t believe I gave him five years of my life, and he messed it up just like that.”

Edward reached into the center console, pulled out a box of tissues, and handed me one. He remained silent for a long moment before clearing his throat to speak.

"I can't tell you I know exactly how you feel right now," Edward said, his voice dropping and losing the sharp edge it had carried at the bar. "But Elvis really messed up. Doing that with your best friend? You just have to move on."

"It's hard," I whispered, dabbing the corners of my eyes with the tissue. "I really loved him to death. I don't know how to deal with this pain in my heart. Why does it have to hurt this much?"

"Because you loved him with all your heart."

"Is it a bad thing to love someone that much?" I asked, looking at him through blurred vision.

"No, Courtney. You didn't do anything wrong by loving him that much. He just didn't deserve it. Don't blame yourself for his flaws."

I took a shaky breath and wiped my face, trying to push the sorrow aside. "Thanks so much, Edward."

A slight smirk appeared at the corner of his lips. "You're really a good kisser, though," he confessed, leaning back against his seat.

I looked away, trying to hide my eyes. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"I'm damn serious, Courtney," he insisted, his voice steady and completely free of teasing. "You actually aroused me back there."

"But that wasn't part of the deal," I reminded him, my voice cracking despite my attempt to sound cold.

"I know," he said, glancing at my lips before meeting my eyes again, his breathing heavy. "But I couldn't help it when your chest brushed against me."