Never Again in This Life Chapter 07

Never Again in This Life Chapter 07

The living room went silent for a beat.

Then I heard Maddox laugh.

He didn’t even look at me. He just turned to the person next to him and said, “Way to ruin the mood.”

Sterling just frowned in my direction.

“Tessa, why are you so clumsy? It was just a game.”

No one moved to help me up.

Everyone’s attention was on Elara.

She stood there with wide, red-rimmed eyes, looking as if she were the one who had been frightened.

Maddox immediately pulled her to his side, comforting her softly.

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. She just lost her balance.”

Pain radiated from the back of my head.

I lay on the floor, soaked and disheveled, the center of a humiliating spectacle.

Bracing my hands on the floor, I pushed myself to my feet. Without saying a word, I walked out of that living room.

In that moment, all I felt was gratitude that the apartment was sold and my paperwork was filed.

There were only three days until I left.

The third day was my birthday.

Perhaps feeling guilty about how ugly the party had gotten, Sterling was the first to text me.

“Tessa, happy birthday. Seven tonight, top-floor restaurant at the Prudential Tower. I booked the best table. Don’t stand me up.”

Not long after, a message from Maddox came through.

“Happy birthday. Elara didn’t mean for what happened the other night. Don’t take it to heart. We’ll celebrate with you tonight.”

I looked at the two messages and felt nothing.

I might as well see them one last time.

I replied to each of them with a single word: “Okay.”