The dent in our vows

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Dawn's Pov

A jolt of nervousness whisked through me the moment David's town car sighed to a stop after rounding another curve in the drive. "Do I look okay?"

He took my hand in his. "You're as beautiful as ever, my love." He brought it to his lips and kissed my fingers softly one by one.

I smiled. "Your mother is going to be furious."

"I'm sure she'll understand."

The driver, Oscar, opened the door for me and I slid out, giving him a warm smile.

David came around the car to take my hand. "Shall we?"

I heaved out a breath, prepping myself for the mental and physical bullocking that was going to come the moment we stepped through those doors. "We shall."

Blinding lights blazed into our eyes as we walked up the red carpet together. David released my hand and touched the small of my back, directing me toward the large double doors that looked like they could house a herd of giraffes.

It was warm and rowdy inside.

"Are you okay, my love?" He asked me, pushing the escaped tendrils of my hair back behind my ear.

I nodded with a smile, just about when a petite beautiful woman, save for that nasty scowl on her aging face, approached us.

"You're late." She scolded, her elegant cocktail dress and flamboyant accessories glittering in the light.

David let me go as he stepped forward with a smile on his face. "We ran into some little difficulties, mother." He explained, kissing her cheek and then pulling her into a hug.

"If I didn't miss you so much, I would've scolded you more." She muttered, basking in his warmth while I stood there, arms knotted, feeling invincible.

"I've missed you too, mother." He purred into her neck, the same way he did mine. I clutched my purse tighter. Maybe I would've appreciated this scene better if Amanda was someone I fancied.

"You don't call, you don't visit, I believe to think that I raised you better than this." She admonished, pulling away lightly and brushing the invisible lint from the shoulder of his belted single-breasted Dolce & Gabbana blazer.

"I've been busy, mother." He told her, and he was; most times at work, other times with the boys, and then at home, inside me.

"Surely not busy enough to get a haircut." She swiped her hand into his hair and pulled it out of his face. "Fix it. It's starting to get messy and some people might think you're not being properly taken care of."

"I'll take care of it." He smiled warily.

God, I'd had enough. Since she had chosen to ignore me, I cleared my throat and stepped forward, a tight smile stamped on my face. "Hi, Mrs. Amanda, it's so nice to see you again."

Her expression went carefully blank as she craned her head to regard me shrewdly. "You came," her words flew out dryly as her sharp eyes accessed my tiny dress and naked limbs. And then her gaze returned to David. "Your father has been expecting you, I advise you don't waste any more of his time."