Chapter 204 - 204: Perfect Match

Avery grabs the napkin and wipes her face, careful to avoid smearing her mascara. Suddenly the soft yellow lighting turns pink, and the background music shifts to sultry jazz. Avery looks at Evan and sees that he's staring at her with a complicated expression. The romantic atmosphere in the restaurant is stifling, and she wants to escape, but she's determined to take Evan with her.

She stands and glances between Evan and the door, but Evan remains seated. She wonders if he plans to enjoy the romantic atmosphere with Leonie. Feeling angry and betrayed, she stomps across the restaurant, but the lights go off. The restaurant sinks into darkness.  

A few women scream dramatically, but the sounds quickly turn into giggles. Then the giggles turn into the wet sounds of kissing. Avery stumbles through the darkness with her arms in front of her. She gropes her way through the room, trying to find Evan. Suddenly her hand touches warm, bare skin. She flinches and jumps away. She wants to get to Evan, but she's terrified of getting caught up in the s.e.x.u.a.l activities around her.

She wraps her arms around herself and feels anxiety rising in the pit of her stomach. Why would Evan invite Leonie here if he didn't want to take advantage of the s.e.x.u.a.lly charged atmosphere? I don't care what I told Leonie, Avery thinks. This isn't the type of restaurant a married man invites a friend too. The minutes seem to pass like hours as Avery imagines what Evan and Leonie are doing in the dark.

A couple near Avery begins to m.o.a.n, and she imagines it's Evan and Leonie. The same nightmare images from her bedroom flashed through her mind. Avery imagines Leonie's long legs wrapped around Evan's waist, her manicured fingers scratching his back. She pictures Evan's fingers tangling in Leonie's curly hair, the intensity, and desire in his eyes. She imagines his husky m.o.a.ns mixing with Leonie's high-pitched screams.

She digs her fingers into her palms and bites her tongue until she tastes blood. The thought of Evan and Leonie makes her sick to her stomach. But she can't deny that she wishes she could do those things with Evan.

When the lights come on, the brightness is dazzling. Avery raises her hand to shield her eyes and looks around the room for Evan. Her blood runs cold. Leonie has her arms firmly wrapped around him, and she's gazing lovingly into his face. Evan seems to realize that Leonie's arms are around him at the same time as Avery, and he quickly shakes her off.

Avery smiles coldly and stalks toward them, tossing her hair over her shoulders. She's not sure what she's going to do when she gets there, but she wants to hurt both of them as deeply as they've just hurt her.

"Avery, please, I can explain," Leonie says, pretending to be innocent and confused.

"There's nothing to explain," Avery says cooly. She grabs a glass from the table and raises it to Evan and Leonie. "Let me be the first to offer my congratulations. You're truly a perfect match: a conniving bitch and a heartless asshole."

With a flick of her wrist, she tosses the wine onto Evan and throws the crystal glass to the floor. She grinds the shards under her foot and smiles brutally. Then she turns and walks away, leaving Evan sputtering at the table.

She doesn't want to hear Evan's weak explanations. She doesn't want to stick around to watch him fume or to see Leonie tried to comfort him. She doesn't ever want to see his face again, but a loud crunching sound makes her glance back. Robert is doubled over and clutching his face, and Evan is shaking his clenched fist in pain.

She can't believe her eyes. It looks like Evan has just punched Robert in the face, but she can't possibly imagine why. She shakes her head. It doesn't matter, she thinks. Just get out of here. She rushes to the lobby and waits for the elevator. The fast clack of high heels forces her to turn around.

Leonie rushes toward the elevators. Avery steps onto the first elevator and jams her finger into the close door button, but Leonie runs across the lobby and sticks her hand between the closing doors.

"What do you want?" Avery asks.

"Are you disappointed?" Leonie asks gloatingly. "Did you really expect Evan to fight for you? Were you hoping he'd chase after you after your childish stunt in the restaurant? Well, I have news for you: he won't come. He didn't go for you in the restaurant, and he won't come now."

"You ran here just to tell me that?" Avery asks. 

"I also wanted to tell you that I gave you a fair chance," Leonie says. "I told Evan to go after you. I said it wouldn't do for him to leave you alone in that s.e.x.u.a.l atmosphere. I said another man might grab you. But he stayed by my side. I won fair and square."

"Get lost," Avery hisses.

"Oh Avery, you shouldn't get so emotional," Leonie said with mock concern. "It's not good for the baby. And we all know that if anything happens to the baby, you'll be out on your ass faster than you can blink. If you're gone, I won't be able to rub my victory in your face."

Avery leans against the elevator wall and regards Leonie with a cold stare. She asks, "What makes you think everything will be fine with your bastard?"

Leonie smiles a knowing smile. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see," she says. She winks at Avery and steps away from the elevator.

Evan runs into the lobby and slams his hand onto the elevator's metal doors. But it's too late—the doors are fully closed. "Damn it," he snarls. He turns and runs towards the emergency stairs.

"Evan, wait," Leonie screams, "She's gone!"

Evan ignores Leonie and sprints down the stairs. Avery's toast echoes in his mind, and the wine is still wet in his hair. He thinks of the way her eyes flashed, and the hurt hidden behind the anger. Of course, he's seen her angry before, but he's never seen her look so betrayed: not when he flirted with Lisa, not when he accused her of having an affair with Andrew, not even when she thought he slept with Leonie.