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Friday morning. In my inbox, I discover an unread email.
From: Maximilian Finn
To: Alma Lancaster
I imagine you’ve heard the news.
I’m here if you need me, Alma.
Max.
At the very bottom of the email, there’s a link. I take a deep breath and click on it. My eyes fill with tears before my brain can even process the information.
“Vadim King and May Sim say, ‘I do’!”
There’s even a photo to really rub salt into my wounds.
On their left hands are matching silver wedding bands.
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Alma
“Breathe, Alma. Stop sobbing, you’re going to choke.”
“…”
“Calm down. Try to step back and assess the situation,” Clémentine encourages me in her gentlest voice. “For all we know, none of this is true!”
“And if it is?” I sniffle on the other end of the line. “What if he really did do this?”
I’ve been holed up in the restrooms at King Productions for the last twenty minutes. Ever since Maximilian’s email blew up in my face and left me seeing stars. But not the kind of stars that make you smile foolishly and give you butterflies in your stomach. The kind that knock you out, suffocate you, tear you apart from the inside.
“Vadim King and May Sim say, ‘I do’!”
Alma Lancaster replies, “No, please, no…”
“Breathe, darling…” Clem says, a little louder.
“How do you expect me to calm down? I just found out he got married! To that—”
“Alright, well, there’s still no need to insult her. Go see him, Alma!”
As if I hadn’t already thought of doing that, a thousand times.
“I don’t know where he is. He hasn’t set foot in the office since my birthday, and he isn’t answering any of my messages!”
“But he’s in Paris?”
“Yes, according to what Kate told me this morning.”
“Okay. Try his hotel!”
“I have three really important meetings today, so I’m stuck here until eight o’clock tonight! This nightmare of a day is only just beginning!”
“It’s not such a bad thing. It’ll force you to focus on something other than him.”
“Are you kidding? It’s going to be the worst day of my life!”
