Baggage

{Chapter Two}

Violet Weaver’s cheeks were bright red. 

No, that was an understatement. Her cheeks were the color of sunburn, boiling red from the blistering heat of the sun. As the eye contact between she and Noah intensified, Violet’s cheeks continued to darken.

“Violet,” Shannon beckoned, wriggling her finger towards her only sister, “come here!”

Breaking the eye contact, Violet turned her head towards the ground and muttered another profanity under her breath. One of the old maids, Ms. Francesca, was cursing at Violet in French while maneuvering a hand vacuum across the glass pieces.

“Violet!” Shannon repeated in her high-pitched voice. The dazzling blonde then flashed her million-dollar ring towards another family member before gesturing her sibling to come once again.

“Chienne laide, pouvez-vous entendre?” the maid tittered to herself while emptying out the vacuum in a nearby trashcan. “Ugly bitch,” she had said. “Can you hear?”

Violet, who was fluent in French due to the fact that her mother coerced her into taking classes for fourteen years, understood the insult that the maid had vocalized. However, the insult hadn’t affected Violet, as it normally would have. She was way too occupied with the task of holding down her breakfast and lunch.

“Violet!”

How is he going to react?, Violet thought to herself, Is he going to tell Shannon about us? He seems like a nice guy. Maybe he will tell Shannon, and I won’t have to live life with this huge issue sitting on my conscience. 

Running a hand through her straightened hair, Violet gingerly maneuvered across the broken glass towards the model-esque couple in the front of the room. With each step, Violet’s stomach lurched and tumbled. It felt like a million bees were swarming around her body. 

This was painful for her.

“Violet, dear!” Shannon squealed, pecking Violet on the right cheek upon her arrival. From an outsider’s point of view, it would appear as if Shannon and Violet were as close as any siblings could be. However, it was exactly the opposite.

“Hi, Shannon.” Violet cringed, backing away from the tall blonde. She patted the girl’s shoulder. 

Violet’s eyes flickered to the man beside her. Noah’s eyes bore into hers; his lips were set in a firm line. The blonde stared at Noah’s face as she attempted to read his emotions. Was he angry? Was he mentally cursing himself for his stupid actions four months ago? 

“Vi, this is Noah Anderson, my fiancé.”

Violet gulped. Her fingers ached to hold another glass of champagne. This was too much for her. It felt as if Violet was stuck on a teeter-totter. If she told Shannon, Shannon would hate her, and the rest of her family would, too. If she kept this secret hidden, then Violet would have to go along the long path of life, knowing that her sister married a cheater.

It wasn’t like Violet particularly cared about her sister, but she wouldn’t want anyone to marry a liar like Noah. 

“Shannon,” Violet barely chocked out. It felt as if there was a boulder sitting on her voice box, “I need to—“

“Nice to meet you!” Noah instantly cut her off and grabbed her hand, shaking it rapidly back and forth. A fake smile was glued on his face. “Too bad we’ve never met before! I would’ve remembered you. But since we have never,” he paused, his eyes tightening, “never never never met before, I had no clue what you looked like!”