Part 2By the Same Moonlight

Sean scooped up a small pebble from the walkway and hurled it against the steel door of Sophia’s apartment.

I huddled in the shadows of the stairwell, my nails digging so deep into my palms that beads of blood welled up. I couldn’t feel a thing.

The moment the door opened, all the blood in my body felt like it was rushing backward.

Landon Price was there. Of course, he was.

He was wearing loose gray sweats, his hair still damp. Tonight, after a single phone call, he’d just gestured at me and abandoned me at our own engagement party, leaving me to face a barrage of flashbulbs and the knowing stares of our guests all by myself.

Three hours later, a text finally came through: an urgent matter with the film crew.

And this “urgent matter” was him, in sweats, at his agent’s apartment, looking after her sick cat.

My heart clenched violently.

Landon saw no one at the door. He glanced down at the pebble on the ground, his brow furrowing.

“Landon, honey? Who is it?” Sophia’s voice drifted from inside, sticky sweet like melting caramel.

“No one. Probably just a neighborhood kid playing a prank.”

Sophia emerged, cradling a fluffy white Ragdoll cat. The neckline of her silk slip dress hung low, revealing the delicate black lace edge of her bra.

In that instant, my legs nearly gave out. A chill shot through me, cold and sharp.

I had seen that lingerie before.

On the couch in my own living room.

The exact same set.

Landon had told me it was a new gift from a designer brand. Now I knew the truth. Sophia must have left it behind during one of their trysts at my place.

He actually expected me to wear something Sophia had worn.

A wave of nausea washed over me. I doubled over, gagging, but nothing came up. Only tears, hot and uncontrollable, streamed down my face.

A window in the hallway was open, and the night wind whipped through, making my whole body tremble, my teeth chatter.

Sophia shivered theatrically.

Landon immediately wrapped his arms around her, his voice so gentle it could have been liquid. “It’s cold out here. Let’s go back inside.”

“Mmm,” Sophia purred, her voice soft and kittenish. “Mochi’s lost her appetite after the surgery. The only thing she wants is the special meal you make for her.”

A small smile touched Landon’s lips. “Alright. I’ll make it for her.”

I completely fell apart. My heart felt like it was being sawed through with a dull blade, over and over again.

So, he did know how to cook.

Last month, when my stomach ulcer flared up and I was curled in a ball of pain, I’d tugged on his sleeve, begging him to make me a simple bowl of soup. Just a plain broth with noodles.

He had yanked his hand away, his face a cold mask. “An Oscar-winning actor slaving away in a kitchen? What would that look like?”

Now I understood.

His cooking was good enough for a cat.

But not for me.

The door clicked shut, plunging the world into a dead silence.

I crumpled into a heap in the cold corner of the stairwell, tears blurring all the light into streaks and halos.

Sean wrapped his small arms around me, holding me tight.

“Don’t cry, Mommy. He’s not worth it.”