HEALING THE SCARS

CHAPTER 21

PENELOPE

I wake up feeling tired and hungover. God, I had too many glasses of champagne last night. Why am I in my underwear? I only remember making a move on Dylan last night. Not once, not twice but thrice. He brushed me off, which made me feel even more awful. I'm not attractive enough anymore to him. I hope nothing happened between us while I was asleep. I checked my phone and found a text message from Dylan saying he had some business in town and wouldn't be back until late tonight. Part of me feels bad because I'll miss him. What's wrong with me? Part of me is happy because I don't have to face him in the morning and deal with the rejection he gave me last night. But why do I miss him?

How could I be so stupid? I need to stop wanting him. I need to let things be the way they should be. He doesn't want me, and that's it. I have to accept it and move on. I have to accept that he got what he wanted. Maybe I should eat less and get the body of the models he's always spotted with. Maybe I'll be slimmer and prettier. A lot of thoughts run through my mind.

I spend my morning doing nothing but watching TV because Mabel isn't answering her phone, and I don't want to barge into her room and wake her up. She had a long day traveling and then dinner last night. The celebrity gossip on E! keeps me glued to the screen. That's when I see him. He's been spotted here in Malibu this very morning entering a hotel with a model.

"The CEO of Campbell Industries, Dylan Campbell, has been spotted with a new lover today at the Bellevue Five-Star Hotel. He recently married a woman who nobody knows about and had never been in the spotlight until she married him. Oh well, you can never teach an old dog new tricks, right? He seems to be enjoying her company very much as he hasn't left the hotel. More on the gossip news, I'm Shivani Shah."

What? What is Dylan doing with another woman? I get that we're not in a real marriage, but we're supposed to pretend we're happy, right? I already know who it is anyway. It's Lindsey. I'm frustrated with him, but I didn't expect much from him. I knew he would never look at me twice. I know I'm just a pawn in his scheme for his dad's will. I know he will always cheat, and I know he doesn't owe me anything.

I pretend it doesn't bother me. No, I'm more than bothered. I want to cry. I want to throw things everywhere. But I know better than to do that. I switch off the TV and start packing some supplies I'll need at the beach. I've decided to get Mabel, and we'll spend the whole day having fun at the beach. I'm tired of sulking over a man who will never want me. I remove my ring and place it on the bedside table to avoid losing it. The ring is worth a million dollars, and I'd never be able to replace it, though I'm sure Dylan has some insurance on it. Today, I'm going to have fun.

I put on my two-piece bikini, a pair of shorts, and a shirt. I pack some towels and a bottle of wine from the mini-bar. I take the elevator and head to Mabel's room. As soon as I knock, Joey opens the door, looks surprised, and pushes past me with a quick "bye."

"Wait, wait! Stop right there, Joey. Did you sleep here?" I ask. He's still in last night's clothes, which makes me suspicious, plus he's in a hurry.

"Uh, no... I just came to get my watch, which I left here last night," he says. "Plus, I have a meeting in an hour, so I need to hurry. Bye." He kisses my cheek and leaves.

Isn't that suspicious? I walk into the room and shout, "Mabel, get your ass out here! Did Joey sleep here?"

A very tired Mabel, still in her nightgown, comes up to me and hugs me. "Morning to you too. And Joey slept here because his driver was late to pick him up, so I let him crash on the couch."

"So then, why is the couch perfectly fine? Or did he make it on his way out?"

"Yeah, so what? Maybe he did," she says defensively.