Net of Lies (21 page)

The
haunting music coming from the grand piano made her think of a professional performance. Whoever was playing knew what he or she was doing—the cascade of notes rose and fell in perfect unison.

But she didn’t really
have enough time to immerse herself in the music, because Rosa’s subtle, yet confident lead took her to meet most of the assembled guests. She did her best to memorize the names as the countless faces and smiles blended into one confusing picture that overwhelmed her.

She turned around to look at Raoul, only to be surprised that he had disappeared while she was busy following his aunt. She let her gaze travel over the crowd once again, only vaguely aware of
what the tall, dark-eyed man Rosa introduced as Juan Havier, a gallery owner, was saying. She smiled politely at his compliments on her Spanish while her eyes darted around, trying to locate Raoul. Instinct told her that something was wrong… something that had started the moment he’d spotted the red convertible, shiny and ostentatious in its crimson glory. Her anxiety rose as she nodded at Juan’s elaborate story without having understood as much as a word of what he was saying.

Thank God
, he isn’t very perceptive
. The motion of her eyes came to a halt as she finally spotted a tall, broad-shouldered silhouette at the far corner of the room. He was standing with his back to her, talking to someone hidden from her view by his powerful frame. But she knew it was Raoul. All her senses were attuned to his presence, pulling her to him. No one else could make the tiny hairs on the back of her neck rise with electric excitement the way he did… or make her heart pound painfully, each thud making it clearer what she really felt.

Standing in the middle of this crowded, cheerful room, Kate had never felt lonelier.
There’s no point in pretending any longer
, she thought miserably, her eyes glued to his broad back. She had loved him ever since meeting him on the beach, and nothing had ever changed. Raoul was the one and only person in the entire world who could make her whole, and her time with him had been the happiest and most fulfilling of her life. Everything about him invited her in; his physical beauty was only the tip of the iceberg. She loved his sense of humor, his warmth, and his righteousness that infiltrated everything that guided him through life.

He was her life
, and his betrayal and the pain that followed were still unable to erase her feelings for him. She had tried to reason with herself countless times, telling herself how futile and wrong she was to keep caring and that his actions deserved nothing more than disdain and contempt. But it hadn’t worked—even when she knew how hopeless her infatuation really was. She would have to do better, she decided, forcing herself to avert her eyes from burning holes in his back. The time had come to move on and make the best of the opportunity Rosa was offering her with her invitation. Kate had a chance to mingle with people who could reinvigorate her limping career. She knew she shouldn’t look down upon those new contacts and acquaintances. She braced herself against the feeling of desolation and took a deep breath, ready to start her new plan for the evening. She let her eyes take one last brush against Raoul’s silhouette as nothing more than a final good-bye, after which she would concentrate on other things.

But
as he stepped to the side, to reach for a glass on the refreshment table, Kate saw exactly who he had been talking to the whole time. Their eyes met, establishing a connection. For a second, she stood staring, frozen in disbelief.

She gasped
in shock, feeling all the blood leave her face. Cold descended upon her skin, merciless and all encompassing, and a shiver ran across its tight surface. She required all her strength to compose herself. Juan’s concerned voice reminded her that she wasn’t alone. Luckily, he believed the first excuse that came to her mind, her faked headache prompting him to chivalrously fetch her a glass of mineral water.

She was so grateful
for his absence that she could have cried with relief. Her eyes were drawn magnetically to the corner, where Raoul’s broad shoulders obstructed her view once more. She didn’t need him to move, though. She knew exactly who was standing there, obviously capturing his whole attention. She remembered those somber eyes and the heart-shaped face, and the elegant sweep of dark hair was just as beautiful as it was in her memories. Her smile and willowy gracefulness hadn’t changed, either. Kate’s heart banged painfully against her ribcage as she realized that she had no choice but to confront her again—the woman who had become what Kate had hoped to be, only to throw it away and move on.

She couldn’t hide from her, not after their eyes
had met for a brief moment. Sonia’s gaze left no space for second-guessing or trying to run away.

She had to talk to Raoul’s ex
-wife. All her previous jitters about playing a part in Operation Marc suddenly seemed childish and ridiculous. Her performance for Josh was nothing compared to the one she would have to put on when Juan returned, two glasses of mineral water in his hands. She accepted hers with a grateful smile, and her stiff lips welcomed the cool sparkling liquid. She thanked him in a cheerful voice, which she thought was a good start to fooling him and the whole world into thinking that everything was absolutely fine.

And she knew that the person she wanted to convince most was standing
only feet away, her burgundy dress barely visible behind Raoul’s back. Sonia wouldn’t disappear, no matter how much Kate hoped for divine intervention. Like some demon summoned from the depths of Kate’s personal hell, Sonia was real and close, leaving her no other option than to meet the challenge that fate had cruelly thrown her way once again. She took a deep breath, readying herself for the unavoidable confrontation as she saw Raoul shaking his head and stepping away again. He seemed agitated, his tall frame disappearing into the crowd. Did he still care for his ex-wife, or were they fighting? As painful as it was to find out more, she needed to know, so she looked toward Sonia, hoping to read something in her face.

To her unease though, she
saw that Sonia wasn’t there anymore. The empty wall stared back at her challengingly. The other woman must have slipped away when her gaze had followed Raoul for the shortest of seconds.

‘I think we should talk
, Kate.’ A gentle voice behind her startled her suddenly. Her shaking hand spilling some of the water she was holding, she turned around, knowing what would await her.

Sonia was there, her serious eyes pleading as she shook her dark head and prompted more forcefully
, ‘Can we talk, Kate? I think our conversation is long overdue…’

Kate
could only nod, watching the other woman with wide eyes. From up close, she saw that Sonia had changed. They were subtle changes, though—as if an artist had taken a fine-tipped pen and refinished her face, adding a few touches that weren’t there before. Her eyes didn’t seem so sad anymore, and a light hidden in the chocolaty depth of her gaze burst forward, making her features much more radiant. Her lips were turned up in a light smile. The somberness Kate so well remembered was totally gone.

She look
s happy,
Kate realized, wondering instantly what could have caused it. Was it her conversation with Raoul, just a moment ago? Was he the reason for her new, radiant persona? Had his words given her hope to look toward to a brighter future? Eager to set things right, she had to know, even if it would destroy her again. Living in a state of suspended reality wasn’t really an option.

So she stretched
her lips into a grimace she hoped would pass as a grin. ‘Sure, Sonia, let’s talk.’

A
s if she were in some kind of a trance, she followed the other woman. She felt as though she were watching herself follow Sonia, assessing her calm stride as if she were a spectator in this circus of life. And she held her breath, waiting…

She didn’t have to wait long. Sonia seemed as impatient as she was to get th
e conversation started. She led her out of the salon to a much smaller, more intimate room. For a second, Kate wondered where Raoul was and if he had noticed what was going on. But instantly, another much more sinister and difficult thought followed. Maybe he not only knew it, but had also helped to make it happen. Maybe he had sent Sonia to talk to her to make sure she wouldn’t read too much into what had happened between them recently. Was it possible that he hoped to convince her of the futility of harboring any hope for the future? She wasn’t such a great actress, after all. He knew her well enough to be able to read her like an open book, and she guessed he didn’t like what he was seeing.

Humiliation burnt her like acid, and she turned to Sonia
, eager to have it over with as soon as possible. ‘What did you want to talk about, then?’ She knew she sounded rude and aggressive, but she was past caring how she came across. If it would make the talk shorter, then it was well worth it.

Sonia was
suddenly tongue-tied.

Am I
intimidating her?
A fleeting shame for being so tough washed over Kate, but her sheer self-preservation instinct prompted her to continue, so she took a few more steps into the room, then waited.

‘Well, I figured there are a few things that need straightening out
.’ She was obviously over her moment of weakness, her chin lifted in defiance.

‘Such as?’
The question hung in the air for a moment, tense and foreboding, before Sonia sighed and sat down in one of the armchairs, her slim frame barely filling the seat. She looked fragile and beautiful; Raoul must have thought the same and probably regretted ever letting her go in the first place. Kate remained standing, knowing how impossibly ridiculous she must look, hovering over Sonia like a hawk, ready to strike at any moment.

‘I talked to Rosa last night
,’ she finally started, her large dark eyes clinging to Kate’s face as if searching for some reassurance.

She won’t find any
,
Kate thought angrily, her brain working frantically to make sense of the mess she’d found herself in. Was it Rosa’s doing then? Was she the one who had noticed Kate’s destructive obsession with her beloved nephew and wanted to put an end to it the best way possible? Somehow, she couldn’t really imagine the warm, loving woman acting with such premeditation. Listening to Sonia, Kate pulled herself together, even as she felt her unease grow with each word that seeped through her defenses.

‘She… mentioned to me that she had invited you and Raoul for the dinner tonight
.’ His name didn’t seem to cause her any difficulty, Kate noticed, letting an absurd jealousy eat away at her heart.

‘So she has
.’ She had to say something, if only to convince Sonia that she hadn’t turned into a statue with stiff lips, barely able to form words. ‘What does it have to do with anything? I was told I would help her evaluate her art after dinner. That’s why I’m here.’

‘I know
.’ Sonia smiled slightly, as if she were talking to a stubborn child and needed to be cautious. ‘But she also told me about how unhappy Raoul was and how she wanted to do something to help him.’

‘I still don’t see what
that has to do with me.’
If confronted, lie.
Kate didn’t particularly enjoy it, but she was in a fight for survival.

‘Don’t you, really?’ Sonia was watching her with her large, dark eyes
. Her gentle reproach told Kate that her lie hadn’t convinced her.

‘No, I don’t
.’ She had to keep going, whatever the cost. If she allowed herself to be pulled any deeper into the discussion, she would be destroyed, right in front of the woman who had been Raoul’s wife.

‘All right, then
.’ Sonia nodded, rising to her feet, as if unable to remain in her chair with Kate standing firmly next to the door. ‘I will be clear, Kate.’ She came closer, her smile suddenly gone. ‘He is miserable because you left him. You ran away before he had a chance to tell you what was going on and has been heartbroken ever since. So it has a lot to do with you, everything, really.’

‘What was there to explain?’
Her chest tightened as she felt the ground being pulled from under her feet once again. Why did she have to explain herself to this woman, while it was Raoul who had lied to both of them? She couldn’t believe that Sonia had known about her fiancé’s trespasses, allowing him to have an affair with a British woman while getting ready for the wedding.

‘Plenty
.’ Sonia came close enough for Kate to see the porcelain-perfect skin of her cheeks. It was flushed red, making her agitation visible. ‘You should have waited for him to tell you everything. It would have made things so much easier.’

‘Like hell it would
.’ She’d had enough, and she finally exploded.

Sonia stepp
ed back, surprised by her outburst.

‘
What do you think he would have told me? Oh, honey, I’m so sorry that I forgot to tell you I’m getting married to someone else? Since we’re on the topic, it was fun to have sex with you, so you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself, dear.’ She was so mad that she was shaking. The whole idea of coming was wrong. She regretted not following the instincts that had warned her against it. She should have listened to the little voice, even though she would have felt guilty about not living up to her promise to Rosa. At least she wouldn’t be in an interrogation by Raoul’s ex-wife, while he was probably waiting for her to finish.