My Saving Grace

Chapter 41

As soon as I entered the house, I could hear several rowdy male voices coming from the living room. I quietly shut the front door then discreetly made my way to the stairs, hoping to avoid Antonio's guys' night at all costs. I just wasn't in the mood to converse with a bunch of drunk men.

"Sophia, is that you?", Antonio called out.

Damn it.

"Yeah, I just got home," I yelled back.

"Come here. The guys wanna see you."

With a groan, I dragged my feet to the living room and found Antonio and his friends all seated on the ground around the coffee table. They were playing poker, just like I expected. The pungent smell of cigars filled the air, and I took care to not step on the empty beer bottles lying all over the floor.

"Gentlemen, you remember my wife, Sophia," Antonio spoke before downing his shot of scotch.

"How's it going?", a guy I remembered meeting at our wedding asked. I was pretty sure he was also a colleague of Antonio's at USC.

"I'm doing good. I was just out with a friend. Daniel, right?"

"Wow, you remember my name." He grinned.

I smiled.

"Lucky guess."

He chuckled.

"Yeah, Antonio told us you were out with Chase Lincoln. That's mind-blowing."

"Damn, I don't know how I'd feel letting my wife hang out with a hot shot actor. Rules don't apply when you're in Hollywood," the guy to Antonio's right chimed in.

I rushed to Chase's defense.

"He's not like that. And I've known him since before he became an actor."

"Hmm, I see."

"Who's better, him or Antonio?", a new voice asked.

"Jesus, Nate," Antonio growled, shooting a death glare at the dirty-blonde guy sitting directly across from him.

Nate? As in Cuban cigar Nate?

"Come on, no sane woman wouldn't fuck that guy," he slurred.

"Fuck you," I spat.

"Watch your mouth, Sophia," Antonio reprimanded in a gruff voice.

I whipped my head around to face him, my eyes blazing with anger.

"Fuck you, Antonio."

I turned on my heel to storm out of the living room without so much as a backwards glance. I hated the things Nate said, even if he'd clearly been drunk. But, the audacity of Antonio to scold me when his friend had been the one acting like a total dick—that pissed me off even more.

In that moment, I regretted not taking Chase up on his offer to show me his house. If I'd come home later, this stupid guys' night might've already ended, and I wouldn't have to deal with this bullshit.

After brushing my teeth, I slipped on an oversized T-shirt then climbed into bed, shutting out the noise from the guys downstairs. I grabbed my phone and scrolled through the photos Melissa had taken for me and Chase. The funny ones provided a temporary reprieve from my current emotional state, and I even managed a few laughs. By the time I reached the end, though, my cheeks were damp with tears.

I felt so alone right now.

About an hour later, I heard Antonio enter the bedroom, and I turned on my side, facing my back to him.