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Rose blushed and glanced at Sean. Sean looked pale. It was clear he wanted to call his backup immediately.
Rose introduced him as her boyfriend, then realized it was the first time she’d ever said that aloud. Sean grinned and took Mrs. Walden’s hand. But he didn’t know what the wealthy did with other wealthy people’s hands because he wasn't wealthy. So he shook hers. Mrs. Walden made a face and took her hand back.
Looking around, Rose spotted Hogarth Walden. He wore a tuxedo and drank something dark brown—a whiskey or a scotch, not unlike something Oren might have drunk. He’d grown up in this world, which meant he was a product of these people.
“I really would like to see the art pieces,” Rose said.
“Of course. They’re just that way,” Mrs. Walden said, already growing bored. She moved on to someone else, and her voice echoed through the ballroom.
Sean and Rose cut through the throng of wealth,sensational perfumes, and laughter that didn’t sound terribly happy. Rose was careful to keep her eyes straight ahead. She wanted to confirm the sculpture was hers. She’d begun to grow frightened and wanted to get out of there. It felt as though her dress was too tight; she was struggling to breathe.
Sean and Rose entered the room where the artwork was held. Three guards stood on either side of the room, watching them with dull expressions. The auction was to be held later that night after everyone had gotten drunk enough to throw their money around, but the auctioneer was seated with a full glass of wine, clicking his jaw around.
That was when Rose spotted her sculpture. It was directly in the middle of the other artworks—sculptures, paintings, miniatures, busts, wooden carvings. Her heart leaped into her throat. She squeezed Sean’s hand and walked up to it. It was out of her reach and oh, so heavy. Tears sprang to her eyes. She couldn’t believe it was here. It was a piece of her heart and soul.
If Oren’s not here, how did the sculpture get here?She couldn’t get her head around it.
“We should call soon,” Sean warned. Sweat billowed on the back of his neck. It was going to ruin his tuxedo. “I can’t take this party for more than a few minutes.”
Rose squeezed his hand. It was going to be difficult to leave her sculpture behind now that she knew it was really hers. But she knew it was necessary to have professionals deal with this.
“The bidding doesn’t start till later,” one of the guards warned them.
Rose set her jaw. “Thanks.” She then twisted out of the room. Her breathing felt too rapid. She felt on theverge of a panic attack. She felt Sean hot on her heels and could see the phone in his hand he wanted to use to call in someone to help.
But that was when she spotted him.
That was when she saw Oren.
There he was. He stood in the middle of everything in an iconic tuxedo, his hair just as full and curly as ever, his shoulders just as broad. His smile was arrogant, sure, and he bowed forward to whisper a joke into the ear of the man he spoke to. Oren always liked to do that. He always wanted to make you feel “in on it.”
Rose’s knees quivered and threatened to give out.
This was the first time she’d seen him in years.
This was the man who’d ridiculed her, made her feel as though it were her fault that they couldn’t get pregnant—he’d made her feel stupid and small and ugly.
This was also the man who’d given her everything. Who’d changed her life when she’d had nothing.
Tears filled Rose’s eyes. She felt frozen.
Sean gave her a curious look, then followed Rose’s eyes through the crowd. “Oh,” he muttered because he recognized Oren.
It was no surprise that Mrs. Walden hadn’t recognized Rose. She hadn’t spent much time with her since Rose was twenty-one.
But the minute Oren looked in Rose’s direction, Oren knew who she was. She wasn’t Barbara Sparrow. She was his second wife.
Rose had come here to look in his eyes and see if he was guilty—for Natalie’s death, for the theft of her sculpture.
She saw guilt there.
She saw rage.
And more than anything, she saw his singular belief that he could do whatever he wanted and get away with it. He thought he was above the law.
Rose’s gut swirled with nausea. She thought she might throw up.
Sean was saying her name, but Rose couldn’t look away from Oren’s gaze. He downed his drink and set his jaw.
