The way he said it, like he was granting me a favor. As if I really were the other woman, permitted to attend only because I happened to be carrying Dustin Delgado's baby, and even then, I had to sneak in through the back door.
It didn't matter. This would be the last time anyway.
Dustin fixed me with a hard stare. Something flickered in the depths of his eyes—a thread of unease he couldn't quite name.
I nodded.
"Alright. I'll be there on time."
He exhaled, the tension leaving his shoulders so subtly it was almost imperceptible.
### Chapter 6
Time slipped by, and before I knew it, the night of the Delgado family banquet had arrived.
I stepped into the grand hall on the hotel penthouse floor, and the room blazed with light. Crystal chandeliers dripped from the ceiling, casting a brilliant glow over every smiling face. A champagne tower rose impossibly high, and a string quartet played softly in the corner.
Dustin and Alice stood at the center of the crowd in matching silver evening wear, looking like a picture-perfect couple under the lights.
Alice clung to his arm, wearing a poised, gracious smile.