All Chapters of The Scandal In Room 214: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

CANDACEI left after overhearing my parents’ conversation, pretending I hadn’t heard enough to make me uncomfortable. By the time Jake and I returned to the hotel, I was exhausted, but my father’s words were still sitting somewhere in the back of my mind.I tried not to think about them.Jake walked with me toward my room while my parents disappeared into theirs. When we reached my door, neither of us immediately said goodnight.“You’re tired,” he said.“I am. We’ve been walking around all day.”“You’re the one who wanted to see everything.”I laughed and leaned against the door, watching him smile. Despite how tired I was, I didn’t want the night to end yet.Having him here still felt strange in the best possible way. I had gone to sleep in Los Angeles expecting to spend the trip with my parents, and somehow Jake had crossed an ocean because I had casually told him I wished he were here.“I’m glad I came,” he said.“I’m glad you came too.”He reached for my hand and squeezed it gentl

CANDACEBy the time we reached the market, I had mostly recovered from the disaster at breakfast, although my mother clearly had not. Every now and then, I caught her looking at me with the same amused expression she had worn after I nearly threw myself across the table to avoid Elijah. “You’re still embarrassed,” Jake said as we walked between the stalls.“I am not.”“You are.”“I said I’m not.”“You’ve been avoiding eye contact with my dad since breakfast.”I looked at him. “I’ve been avoiding eye contact with everyone.”He laughed. “That doesn’t make it better.”I shook my head and continued walking, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me react. The market was crowded, full of people moving between stalls selling clothes, jewelry, food, souvenirs, and all kinds of things I had no idea how to pronounce. My mother held up a pair of earrings. “Candace, what do you think?”I walked over and looked at them. “They’re pretty.”“Too much?”“No.”She turned to my father. “What

CANDACE“I feel like I’m not going to fit into most of my clothes when I get back.”I shoved another forkful of pasta into my mouth and looked down at the plate as if it were somehow responsible. There was still enough food left to feed another person, but after days of eating whatever caught my attention, I was beginning to understand why my clothes had started feeling a little less forgiving.Bridgette’s face filled the screen of my phone. She clicked her tongue dramatically and leaned closer to the camera. “I don’t think you will, but good thing I’m here to take you to the seamstress, my baby.”I laughed so hard I nearly choked.“Stop.”“I’m serious. You come back looking like you’ve been eating your way through Italy, and I’ll personally escort you to somebody who can fix the situation.”“You’re so stupid.”“You’re the one eating as you’ve never seen food before.”I glanced at my plate. “I haven’t eaten this much in my life.”“Clearly.”I shook my head, still smiling as I twirled

CANDACEI knew the second I saw Jake standing there that he had heard me. There was no mistaking the look on his face. One hand rested against the doorway, his shoulders slightly tense, his expression unreadable in a way that made my stomach drop harder than anger ever could.My mother went completely still.For a few seconds, none of us moved. Then she looked at Jake, and something passed between them that I couldn’t understand. The shame already burning through me suddenly became unbearable.“Jake,” I whispered.He didn’t answer.My mother lowered her gaze and wiped at the corner of her eye before looking at me again. Whatever anger had been there moments ago had faded into exhaustion.“I need some time to cool down,” she said quietly.“Mom, wait.”She shook her head. “No, Candace. Not right now.”“But…”“I said I need time.”Her voice wasn’t loud anymore somehow, that made it worse.She walked past Jake without another word. I watched her disappear down the hallway, every instinct

CANDACEOur last full night in Italy was supposed to be easy. That was what everyone kept saying. Dad had spent most of the afternoon talking about dinner, Mom had been going through the clothes she’d bought as though she needed to make sure she hadn’t somehow forgotten half the trip, and Jake had been beside me almost everywhere I went. Everything looked normal, but nothing felt normal anymore.I stood in front of the mirror, fixing the strap of my dress while staring at my own reflection. I looked fine, which almost made me laugh. My hair was done, my makeup was simple, and I had managed to cover the tiredness beneath my eyes well enough that nobody would notice unless they were looking closely. I wondered if Jake was looking closely now.After what had happened with my phone, I couldn’t stop thinking about the way his expression had changed when he saw the notification. He hadn’t asked me about it or accused me of anything, but I could feel the difference in the way he watched