Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 93699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
She slowly stepped back. Then she rushed onto the balcony without another word.
I closed the drapes and headed into my bathroom.
It was only a matter of time before I broke the world record for the longest cold shower.
NINETEEN
FOUR DAYS AFTER SAYING “I DO”
TATIANA
The following night
Las Vegas, Nevada
Text from Wicked Biatch
Seriously, Tati? You got MARRIED and you didn’t tell your own family?
Text from Wicked Biatch
And since when are you dating Travis Carter?! You didn’t even want to go with me to his fights/parties years ago! WTF gives?
Text from Stepmother Dearest:
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but you should be ASHAMED of yourself, Tatiana. We had to find out about your marriage ON THE NEWS.
I stared at Harlow and Elaine’s text messages, torn between typing “Fuck off,” or “You don’t tell me anything about your lives either.”
My father called before I could choose, though.
“Hey, Dad,” I answered.
“Hey, Tati.” There was a smile in his voice. “I’m not imposing on your honeymoon, am I?”
“Dad, there isn’t really a—” I stopped myself. “No, you’re not imposing on anything.”
“Well, good,” he said. “Is there a reason why Mr. Carter didn’t ask for my approval to marry you?”
“I didn’t make that a requirement for our deal.” I shrugged. “It’s not in writing.”
“Come again?”
“He was too excited and got carried away by the moment.” I paused. “That’s why we eloped. We weren’t expecting it to get out.”
“Ah, I see. Well, everyone in Reno is buzzing about this news. Our church, my office, our neighbors, it’s crazy. I’m trusting that Travis will fly here and do the right thing before the wedding, so feel free to give him my phone number.”
Right…
“In the meantime, I hope you’ll find some time to make things right with Elaine.”
“Huh? What things exactly?”
“This entire situation. She’s terribly upset that her friends were the ones showing her the news about her beloved daughter.”
“Stepdaughter, Dad.”
“You know how obsessed she is with weddings and celebrity things.” He talked over me. “This could’ve been the perfect opportunity for you two to bond and become closer like I’ve always wanted. What do you think your mother would say about you behaving like this?”
I said nothing.
“Answer me, Tatiana,” he said. “Now.”
“I think Mom would be horribly disappointed.”
“I think so, too.”
“In you, not me.” I finished. “She wouldn’t understand how you fell for the first parasite who leeched onto you at her funeral.”
“I don’t know why I keep hoping that you’ll see the light someday and apologize for treating her so terribly—” His voice was terse—“But I won’t stand for this shit anymore. Regardless of your childish and warped emotions, Elaine has always wanted nothing but the best for you and gone far out of her way to help you.”
I set down my phone as he spoke. I couldn’t bear to listen to him rewrite a history that I knew all too well.
Grabbing my purse, I headed to the west wing and took the elevator to the casino.
I needed a drink.
TWENTY
FOUR DAYS AFTER SAYING “I DO”
TATIANA
Paris Casino & Resort
Las Vegas, Nevada
Travis’s name and likeness greeted me with every drunken step I took on the Strip. T-shirt vendors, gift shops, and almost every tour bus boasted about being “The Home of Travis Carter.”
At a frozen daiquiri bar, I’d jokingly asked the bartender why there were no drinks called “The Punisher” on the menu, and he provided me with a separate leather folder with a special selection dedicated to Travis.
So far, I’d finished “Humble Kid Beginnings,” “The Ultimate Punish,” and an entire pitcher of “Bitch, I’m a Champion.”
I was now convinced that my blood was part rum.
Looking up at the “Eiffel Tower,” I snapped a picture and followed a group of women into the attached casino.
I’d drunkenly trailed them at a distance all night, becoming an invisible tagalong as they darted in and out of almost every building.
Boarding the elevator, I squeezed between their fluffy feather, organza, and tulle dresses.
“Did anyone notice how hot that security guard at Fat Tuesday was?” Pink Organza squealed. “I really need to get laid, so would you judge me if I invited him to my room later?”
“No!” “Never!” “Do itttt!” Her friends goaded.
“Don’t do it.” I slurred my words. “He wasn’t that hot.”
They all looked at me, serving me an array of blank stares.
“Wait a minute.” Red Silk tilted her head to the side. “Don’t I know you from somewhere?”
“Yeah, I feel like I know her, too.” Purple Tulle smiled. “Where have we met?”
“No clue.” I shrugged, shocked they hadn’t noticed me stalking them all night.
The doors glided open, and a half-naked guy in a Tarzan fit stepped on, taking away their attention.
I squeezed past them and stepped onto the casino floor.
Row after row of slot machines buzzed and chimed in different keys, their discordant notes blending into an unsettling symphony.
The room swayed from left to right, and I couldn’t figure out what the bright and swirly carpet was trying to say to me.