Chapter 5
Early the next morning, as soon as Averie opened her door, she saw Darren standing there with a hurt expression on his face.
He signed to ask, "Averie, why did you kick me out of the bedroom? Are you upset because I left you at the bridal shop yesterday? Something important came up. Can you please forgive me?"
'Urgent, huh? I guess rushing off to have sex with Lucy must be urgent for him,' Averie thought.
She didn't call him out on his lie. With eight days left before she left, he would soon realize that she knew everything.
She shook her head. "I'm not upset. Work is important. I understand."
But her calm tone made Darren feel uneasy. He quickly signed to argue, "No, Averie, you're what matters most to me. I promise I won't leave you alone again in the future."
After he finished speaking, he pulled her into a tight hug, holding her so close as if he wanted them to be inseparable.
But Averie didn't respond.
'In the future? There is no future for us anymore,' she thought.
*****
Maybe it was guilt, but for the next few days, Darren was always close to Averie, working from home and double-checking every wedding detail with her.
Then the day of an important business cocktail party came, and he was determined to bring Averie along. Before she could protest, he had already booked a stylist to come over.
When they arrived at the party, Averie was surprised to see Lucy there, too.
Lucy looked stunning in a tight V-neck dress that highlighted her curves. Walking over with a confident smile, she greeted them. "Hi, Mr. Harper, Ms. Levine."
Averie stole a glance at Lucy, who seemed poised and self-assured, completely different from the person who had tried to provoke her the night before.
'She could definitely give Darren a run for his money in acting,' Averie thought.
For a brief moment, she noticed Darren's expression harden when he saw Lucy. She could see his Adam's apple move, but he kept holding Averie's hand and nodded, sticking to his role as the calm CEO.
As soon as Darren arrived, people started gathering around him with drinks in hand, eager to chat.
Some of the other wives tried to engage Averie, but she pretended not to hear them, acting as if she were still deaf.
Darren smiled and explained why Averie wasn't responding, and worried she might be bored, he personally picked out her favorite pastries and set a glass of juice next to her. Everyone began praising him.
"Mr. Harper is such a perfect man," one person said excitedly.
"I've heard how much Mr. Harper cherishes his fiancée, and now I can see it's true," another added.
Averie kept her head down, her long lashes hiding sarcasm in her eyes.
While everyone was chatting, Darren's phone rang.
He looked at it, and his expression shifted slightly. With an apologetic smile, he said, "Sorry, everyone. I need to take care of something for work."
Before he left, he signed to Averie. "Averie, I need to handle something. Wait for me here, okay? I'll be back soon."
Averie instinctively glanced around the venue and saw that Lucy was gone.
A moment later, her phone buzzed with a message from Lucy.
It was a screenshot of a conversation.
In the picture, Lucy had sent a revealing photo of her bare back with the zipper all the way down, leaving little to the imagination.
Lucy sent Darren a message. [Mr. Harper, my zipper won't go up. Could you come help me out?]
Darren replied to her curtly. [Where are you?]
Averie's phone buzzed with more messages.
The first one read: [He couldn't even wait until we got to the bathroom. People were passing by outside. It was such a thrill. He took me twice right there, and I was so weak that I could barely stand. That's something you could never give him.]
The second one read: [We didn't even bother with protection. Honestly, I've lost count of how many times we've done it without. He said if I get pregnant, I should keep it. I might already be carrying his baby.]
Averie squeezed her eyes shut and pressed against her chest, trying to calm the overwhelming pain.
'Was he really that desperate that he couldn't wait a few hours?' she thought.
Just then, her phone buzzed again.
She thought it would be another taunting message from Lucy, but when she opened it, it was a message from the death faking agency.
It read: [Ms. Levine, your new identity is ready. We've booked your flight for five days from now at 6 PM to Emdanlia. Please confirm that you still want to go.]
Averie opened her camera, aimed it at her face, and recorded a quick video. "I confirm I'm leaving," she said.
No sooner had she finished than a panicked voice called out from behind her, "Leaving? Averie, are you leaving?"