Chapter 3

"She's not coming!" Hendrick answered quickly, watching my expression like he was trying to read every shift.

"After what happened, I stopped hanging out with her. The guys did, too. Everyone else there's a guy. I swear. Not a single girl."

If that was the case, I didn't see a problem. I agreed to go without thinking much of it.

I wasn't close with his friends, and they didn't really talk to me either. They kept to themselves, drinking and joking around, and I was perfectly fine sitting off to the side in peace.

But just as things were getting loud and loose, the door to the private room swung open.

Linda leaned in, dressed in a tight black dress.

The same group that had barely acknowledged me suddenly lit up.

"Whoa, Linda? Since when do you dress like a real woman?"

She clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed, then dropped into a seat across from Hendrick, legs casually spread.

"Can you guys ever talk like normal people? I've always been a woman."

The room burst into laughter, the energy instantly shifting.

When Hendrick didn't react, Linda stood up under the noise and plopped herself straight onto his lap.

"Everyone else notices me, but you won't even look?" she teased. "What, are you shy now?"

Hendrick's face flushed. He forced out a weak smile, but his hands hovered awkwardly, making no move to push her away.

A flicker of satisfaction crossed Linda's eyes. Then, as if she had just remembered I existed, she hopped off his lap.

"Oh, right," she said lightly. "Madeline's still here. Guess I forgot to keep my distance again."

She tilted her head at me, smirking. "It's his bachelor party. You're not about to call his parents again, are you?"

I was about to fire back when Hendrick tugged lightly at my sleeve.

"All my friends are here. Don't embarrass me, okay?"

I didn't want to cause a scene, so I swallowed it for the moment.

But Linda took my silence as a win. She lifted her chin, looking at me like she was in charge.

"Hendrick's marrying you in a few days," she said. "So yeah, I should probably see what you're worth first."

She turned and waved at the others. "Hey, someone bring a bowl of warm water."

They didn't even question it. Laughing, they actually went and got one.

Linda shoved the bowl into my hands.

"Go on," she said casually. "Take care of him. Wash his feet, loosen him up a little."

She shrugged. "He's got money. He takes care of you, so you should take care of him. Seems fair."

My expression didn't change.

Then I lifted the bowl and dumped the water straight over her head.

"You keep talking like you own him," I said flatly. "What are you, his manager? Didn't his mom make enough of an impression last time?"

Linda clearly hadn't expected me to do that in front of everyone. She shrieked, stunned.

"Hendrick! Look at your girlfriend!" she snapped. "If she's already acting like this now, what's she going to be like after you're married?"

I slapped her again before she could finish.

"If you have feelings for him, just say so," I said sharply. "All this posturing, all these little games. You just want to prove you matter more, don't you? Let me make something clear. His family asked me to marry into theirs. Not the other way around."

The anger still hadn't burned off. I lifted my hand again, ready to strike, but Hendrick caught my wrist midair.

A vein pulsed at his temple, his gaze ice-cold.

"That's enough, Madeline," he said. "Do you need to drive away every single person in my life before you're satisfied?"

He grabbed a towel from someone nearby and draped it over Linda's soaked body.

"You're going to catch a cold," he said, his tone softening. "It's just washing feet, right? I'll do it."

Linda let out a small laugh. "Knew you still had my back."

Something twisted in my chest as I reached for him, but he didn't even look at me.

Instead, he brought over another bowl of warm water, kneeled down, and took off Linda's shoes himself. One hand held her ankle while the other tested the water temperature.

The room erupted.

"Damn, Hendrick, you've got guts! Doing that in front of your fiancée? Aren't you scared of what happens when you get home?"

"What are you talking about? He and Linda go way back. No one's replacing that!"

"Linda's right. Gotta put the new girl in her place early, or she'll think she runs things."

Their laughter and jeers filled the room.

I pulled out my phone, glanced at the screen, then lifted my shoulders slightly.

"Julie," I said calmly, "your son's out here acting like he's some kind of servant. You and Dave might want to keep an eye on him."