Page 37 of Where the Wind Whispers

After all, Nicole was the good one.

She’d done what was wanted and needed of her. She’d followed the rules.

She was the true principessa of the family.

Violet couldn’t find it in herself to give a fuck.

She didn’t have the need or want to be in Nicole’s space for longer than she had to, so Violet decided to suck it up and leave the kitchen to go back to the crowd of guests instead. She didn’t even get beyond Nicole before her former friend had opened her mouth, readying something vile to say without prompting.

“It must be awful for you, isn’t it?” Nicole asked.

Violet almost kept going—almost. “What is?”

“The way they whisper and go on in there about you and what you did. Don’t act like you can’t hear what they’re saying—we can all hear it. I’m surprised your father hasn’t sent you up to your room just to get you out of their gossiping faces, but then again, it wouldn’t look good for you or your parents for you to be missing from yet another Gallucci event.”

Fucking hell.

Violet should have kept walking.

Instead, she turned on her heel to face Nicole. “And what event would that be?”

Nicole’s hand dropped to the fluttering material of her dress that hung loosely on her frame. As her palm cupped her midsection, it was only then that Violet realized two things. One, Nicole’s fashion sense had changed a great deal since Violet had gotten back from Chicago; she was sporting more loose dresses and blouses. And two, Nicole had a bump.

Not an overly large one, but it wasn’t small either.

Suddenly, the marriage made a hell of a lot more sense. Guessing by the size of Nicole’s pregnancy swell, she was at least five months along, but maybe four, if she was the kind of woman who carried more to her front than her back. Carmine had been talking about marriage, but Violet hadn’t thought he was serious for a minute, and their father certainly hadn’t been overly happy about the idea.

But if he got Nicole pregnant?

Carmine wouldn’t have a choice.

Marriage would save face.

And if they waited a few months after the wedding to announce the pregnancy, most would be unlikely to realize that was the entire reason for the rushed, last-minute marriage.

Violet struggled for a response—her pregnancy was being hidden, not that anyone in the house but her knew it was so. Nicole’s was about to be … celebrated.

That burned a little.

“Congrats,” was what Violet should have said.

She had something else in the back of her mind that wanted to be asked, though. Carmine was, and always had been, Nicole’s ultimate goal in her life ever since she started crushing on Violet’s older brother as a young teenager.

That didn’t mean Carmine was the only man Nicole liked to entertain.

Carmine wouldn’t give Nicole exclusivity, and she didn’t give it to him. What he didn’t know, however, wouldn’t hurt him. Or that was how Nicole always put it.

“Does Carmine know it might not be his kid?” Violet asked.

Nicole’s gaze narrowed instantly. “You shut your mouth.”

Well, that answered her question.

Violet shook her head, amused and sickened at the same time. “It’s no wonder you’re so concerned with pointing out all of my fuck ups, Nicole. I bet you figure as long as you keep my mistakes front row and center for everyone to see, they won’t pay attention to yours.”

Nicole’s teeth clenched and she grabbed the flute of sparkling water even tighter.

“But even with what I did,” Violet continued, “my family still welcomed me back. I think we both know they wouldn’t do the same for you.”