Chapter 8: Old Flame
Sarah
As the conversation shifts to more mundane topics, I find my attention drifting. I take a sip of my wine, hoping it will ease the tightness in my chest.
It's then that I notice Matthew looking at something. I follow his line of sight, and then I see her.
She's seated at a table near the far wall, a vision in a form-fitting emerald dress that highlights her curves in all the right places. Her hair, a vibrant shade of red, falls in loose waves around her shoulders.
But it's not her beauty that makes my breath catch in my throat. It's the way Matthew is looking at her, his gaze filled with longing and intensity I am much too familiar with.
Recognition slams into me like a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs.
Amanda. Matthew's ex-girlfriend. The one that got away because of me.
And now she's here, mere feet away.
I feel sick to my stomach, a wave of nausea that has nothing to do with the rich food or the wine. It's as if the ground beneath me has suddenly shifted.
My mother is saying something, her voice a distant buzz in my ears. I nod along, a plastic smile fixed on my face, but inside, I'm screaming. I want to grab Matthew by the shoulders and shake him until he looks at me, really looks at me.
But I can't do that.