When I slipped away to the restroom for a moment of quiet, I stood in front of the mirror and whispered softly to my reflection, “Do not ruin this night.” I thought I was speaking to my own nerves, although a small part of me knew I was really thinking about Victor and the way he always found a way to shift attention back to himself.
When I returned to the table, someone was already pouring champagne into tall glasses. My coworker Renee raised hers with a bright smile and said, “To Julia, who finally gets what she deserves after all those years of hard work.”
Victor’s hand slid slowly to the small of my back while he spoke in a smooth voice. “She deserves many things.”
Renee laughed lightly and said, “You must be incredibly proud of her.”
Victor kept his eyes on me while answering. “I am managing.”
A quiet warning moved through my stomach, that familiar sensation that appeared whenever his polite mask began to slip. I tried to ignore it, because tonight was supposed to belong to me.