Chapter 4

(Evelyn's POV)

The soft wind caressed my skin as I backed into a stone chair close to the garden.

Her hair came into view, blonde and wild, with perfect makeup and a daring red lipstick that I had never been able to pull. We'd spoken only a few days back, about a girls' night I had to pull out of quickly.

My excuse was simple. I had something to do with my husband over the weekend. But I knew Serena was aware that it was a lie.

Because Julian spent the weekend at her house.

The girls' night never happened. Serena would have called it off if I hadn't.

"Yeah," Serena was saying on her livestream on I*******m, and I angled her head, watching her perfect features. "Listen to me when I tell you that you can meet your prince on campus because that was what happened to me."

Leaning further into the seat, I stared harder at the screen. The seat bit my back, but I didn't mind.

"My man is everything I have ever wanted since I was a little girl running around in meadows," Serena continued, and I couldn't help the scoff that escaped my lips. I didn't even have it in me to be upset. I was just numb, and that scared me the most.

"He has been so present, putting me first before everything, including his business."

A comment popped up. Someone wanted to know why she never revealed his face on I*******m. Serena didn't stutter. She'd probably answered this question a million times already. She must have thought about it before uploading the pictures to her feed.

Even though I had seen them a dozen times, my fingers still hovered above her name, clicking her profile open. Serena's page was full of couple pictures, on beaches, having a cup of coffee at a popular café, in her kitchen, in Paris.

I recognized my husband's silhouette instantly. That soft grin on his face each time he was relaxed, the arch of his shoulders, the glow of his ring where he wrapped a hand around Serena's neck.

Returning to the livestream, I rolled my eyes at the comments. They called Serena's man a good man. They called my husband a good man.

Leaning impossibly forward as a thought occurred to me, I clicked record on her phone and screen-recorded the whole page, taking as many screenshots as I could afford.

Needing to go a notch further, just because I thought it was a great day, I hit the video-call icon on the app and smiled to myself as Serena's frozen face came into view.

It happened in one second, so fast that the eyes of her fans might not have caught it. But I did. I always did.

"Wow!" Serena's voice came up, and the smile on her face returned. "I didn't think you knew about this account. Hell, I didn't even know you were an I*******m person."

"I'm not." My lips barely moved, but my smile was still easy, soft, laidback. "The algorithm brought you to me, I guess. It's sweet, don't you think?"

"Yes," she screeched, clapping her hands in glee. "It probably recognized us as besties." And then, she turned to her audience. "You guys, this is my bestie, the Mrs. Hart. She is such a sweetheart."

The comments started pouring in again, but this time, I paid them no attention. "How have you been doing, Serena? It's been a minute."

Taking in a deep breath, I urged myself to remain calm. It was important for what I had planned. If it was going to work out for me. "You fell in love and you didn't tell me."

"I'm sorry," Serena laughed, her blonde hair thrown back and her eyes shining. "It just happened so fast. And you've been busy with your husband and the company. We haven't really had time to see."

"Yeah," I sighed, the expression on my face pristine. "The girls' night would have been the perfect opportunity."

"The girl's night," Serena snapped her fingers. "Sad that you couldn't make it. It was amazing. Did I send you pictures?"

If the situation had been any different, I would have burst out laughing.

"Do you remember when my husband was chasing me back in school?" I said suddenly, changing the topic. A shadow crossed Serena's face, but it wasn't a surprise. I already knew.

"You couldn't stand him, and you said you would be single forever," I continued, watching the different emotions flicker through her eyes. "Now, I'm just wondering what kind of man would have gotten you to change your mind. That's incredible. I'd love to meet him."

"Evelyn…"

"Wait! We could go on a double date. Tomorrow! You, me, him, and my husband. We will have so much fun, don't you think? And I'll get to know him too."

"Erm…" An awkward chuckle slipped out of Serena's lips. She looked behind her and then back to the screen.

"Tomorrow," she started in a painfully high pitch. "I have that thing I told you about, remember?"

"What thing?" I was having way too much fun with this.

"The thing with the…" Serena's voice trailed off, her eyes moving to the comments on the screen. It was the perfect distraction.

Until it wasn't.

I picked it too. The streamers had recognized me, and their attention had shifted from Serena.

"You are the wife of the CEO, Julian," most of the comments read. "Why don't you have an I*******m identity? We would love to attend your livestreams."

"Guys." Another awkward chuckle. The smile on Serena's face was long gone. "Guys, can we go back to what we were talking about? The prince charming on my page. I can tell you all about our trip to Paris…"

But the livestream chat was not having it. They'd moved past that, throwing me a million and one questions. I didn't answer. Not even for a second did I contemplate it.

"Shit!" Serena suddenly yelped. Her phone shook for a minute before her face came up again. "Guys, I have to leave now. He is here to see me. I totally forgot we had a date today, and I am nowhere near ready."

The livestream ended without a goodbye, leaving me torn between laughing and crying. I just stared at the blank screen instead, waiting for something I knew wasn't coming back.

"What are you watching?"

My head jerked up when I heard him. His face looked flushed, excitement laced in his eyes. I guessed I should be grateful that my best friend's excuse wasn't real. That my husband was still here with me.

But it didn't matter.

Nothing did.

"Nothing," I breathed. "Nothing at all."