Chapter 29 : Another Knife in the Back

**Cat POV "Oh, my God!" a shrill, feminine scream followed the clatters. "You're here. You're really here!" I recognized Fiona's voice. "I can't believe you're getting married!" Several other women's voices echoed from the lobby out to the beach. I winced when I heard Fiona's friends start to gush over the resort and the wedding plans. "I know it is short notice. I'm really sorry if this was an inconvenience," Fiona said. My stomach rumbled, and I looked down at my empty plate. The delicious breakfast felt like a sour stone weighing me down. "Look at my new ring! Aaron picked it out before we came down here. Isn't it just gorgeous?" Fiona asked. I imagined her holding her hand out with her sparkly diamond engagement ring as all her preppy friends "oohed" and "awwed" over it. "Albert, thank you for this meeting. We've got some last-minute details to take care of before we go to the site tomorrow. Will we see you there?" Luke asked. He stood up and shook Albert's hand again. "I'll make an appearance," Albert said. "Miss Walker, it was wonderful to meet you. I look forward to working together." In a slight daze, I nodded and stood up when Luke pulled my chair out. "You, too," I mumbled, managing a smile. I'd had plenty of time to get used to the fact that Aaron was marrying someone else. That they were pregnant and starting a life together. Why did listening to Fiona and her friends still bother me so much? "I'm going to go back to my cabin. We don't have to do anything else until tomorrow," I muttered as Luke and I headed back toward the resort. I paused when I reached the door that would bring me back inside. Fiona and her friends were still there. They were congratulating her and being giddy girls about an upcoming wedding. My stomach flipped, and I leaned against the doorframe, looping an arm around my stomach. Luke brushed by me. He stopped just inside the door and looked around. "I think they are gone," he said, motioning for me to follow him. A smile tugged at my lips. Apparently, Luke was picking up on my anxiety. I was grateful that he didn't point it out or make a big deal out of it. I stayed behind Luke as we went through the resort lobby. The gaggle of girls had moved outside to the gardens. I could hear them giggling and laughing. When we got to the resort entrance, Luke stayed at my side as I headed toward the car. "Are you coming with me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm going to head back to the villa, too. I'd rather not have my mom pull me into any wedding planning," he said, grinning. "She's your sister, Luke. Maybe you should help out," I offered, my voice stiff. I couldn't tell if he was trying to make me feel better by joking and not participating in the wedding. If he had issues with his family that was one thing, but I didn't want to be the person that got between him and his family. "I've got to review plans for the site and make a few business calls. I won't get anything done if I stick around here," Luke explained. He pulled the car door open and motioned for me to get in. I hesitated. Really, I just wanted to be alone. The reality of Aaron's new life was settling over me, and it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I felt like my insides were being pulled in a million different directions. A row of private limos came up the road to the resort. Each limo had a little white flag on the door. "Oh, those are more wedding guests," Luke said. "Fiona wanted all their cars marked." "I guess we should get out of here before they all get out of their cars," I suggested. I was about to slide into the open car door when the first limo came to a halt and the back door opened. My jaw dropped as I stared at the two people getting out. "Barbs!?" I asked, too stunned to move. Barbs looked around as her fiance got out of the limo behind her. I hadn't seen Simon in a while, but when he looked at me, I knew he recognized me. Just like Barbs did–obviously. They exchanged a nervous look. "C-Cat?" Barbs asked. She hurried over to me and took my hands in hers. "What are you doing here?" "Um… work…" I looked from her to Simon, then the car that dropped them off. Finally, I looked at Luke, waiting for someone to explain what was going on. "Luke! Good to see you, my man," Simon said, stepping around me and Barbs. He grabbed Luke's hand and clapped him on the shoulder. "Simon, I didn't know you were coming to the wedding," Luke said. "Oh, yeah. It was a bit last minute, but we thought we'd come down and check out the resort as well. I've heard nothing but good things about it," Simon said. He clapped Luke again on the shoulder. "Barbs, what are you doing here?" I asked. "We got a wedding invite," she said, giving me a sheepish look. "I didn't know you were coming down for work." "I didn't know you were coming for the wedding," I pointed out. Barbs bit her lower lip and dropped my hands. I crossed my arms and fixed her with a hard stare. We had been on shaky terms since she'd told Aaron where I was staying. I'd wanted to talk to her and clear the air, but things with work had occupied most of my time. Seeing her at Aaron and Fiona's wedding was the last place I thought I'd see her! I knew Simon was in business with Luke, and thus connected to the resort that way. Plus, they both knew Aaron through me. But I would think, as my best friend, Barbs wouldn't show up at Aaron's wedding to another woman, the woman he cheated on me with. "Oh, my God! Barbs, Simon? You made it!" Fiona's voice interrupted our moment. I stepped back just as Fiona ran down the resort steps and wrapped her arms around my best friend's neck. I gasped and staggered back, right into Luke. He grabbed my shoulders and steadied me. "I'm so glad you could make it. You're going to love the resort," Fiona said. She shot me a glare, then went back to Barbs. "Honestly, we didn't know if we would make it, with our own wedding plans, but we've never been here before," Barbs said. My mind felt like it was about to collapse into mush. What was going on? I shook my head at Barbs and Simon. How could they do this to me? When did Barbs and Fiona become such good friends? The ground felt like quicksand beneath me, threatening to suck me under. My legs shook and tears blurred my eyes. Barbs and Simon hugging Fiona became a mass of watery colors. They couldn't see me cry! I didn't want them to see my tears and look at me with pity. Or for Fiona to look at me like she's just won a prize. Barbs had to know what she did was wrong. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been surprised to see me. I blinked the tears back and pulled away from Luke. Instead of getting in the car, I hurried down the sidewalk, away from the resort. I shielded my face from all the workers moving around the grounds, keeping my head down as I headed toward the open road. My heart hammered in my chest like a herd of galloping horses, and I didn't even care where I was going, as long as it was far away from my so-called friends and this wedding. I thought that if I'd focused on work and kept myself busy, I wouldn't be bothered by Aaron and Fiona and the wedding. How could I not be bothered? My ex had ruined everything for me, including the job by having an affair with my boss's sister. Somehow, after everything he'd done, he got the girl, he got the family, and now he got my friends! I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but my mouth was dry. Clutching my chest, I speed-walked past the incoming cars. There was no way I could walk back to the villa on my own on foot. It was miles away, and it would take a long time to walk there, even as fast as I was moving. I had no clear destination in mind. I just wanted to get away from there. "Cat! Cat, where are you going?" I heard Luke call out to me. His voice sounded far away. Quickly, I looked over my shoulder. I saw Luke coming after me, dodging around the workers at the hotel. "Leave me alone," I muttered, bowing my head again and blinking back more tears. He was too far behind me to hear me. I couldn't raise my voice above a mutter. The shock had stolen my breath and my voice. When I got out onto the main road, I took a sharp left and took shelter under a large, leafy palm. The leaves were like giant fans with wide green fingers. Sighing, I pressed my forehead to the course trunk of the tree. "Cat!" Luke's voice called my name again. He was much closer this time. Turning my head, I opened one eye and saw him approaching me. "What do you want?" I grumbled as he came up to me. "I'm sorry. It wasn't fair of me to ask you to come on a business trip while all of this is going on," he said. He reached out and touched my shoulder. Hissing, I brushed him off and walked away from him toward the beach. The waves crashed as angrily as blood rushed through my veins. Luke followed behind me. "Where are you going?" "I don't know. I don't care!" I snapped. I just needed to get away from all of this. There was nowhere I could go to escape this mess. Fresh tears welled in my eyes, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stop them. I sniffled and wrapped my arms around myself, stopping dead. My tears leaked from the corners of my eyes, and I sniffled again. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back. "Talk to me, Cat. What's wrong?" Luke asked me. I shook my head and sighed, hot salty tears streaking my cheeks. I took in a sharp breath that nearly broke into a sob. Clamping my lips shut, I tried to hold in more sobs, my lips quivering with the force. Firm hands grabbed my arms. Luke spun me around to face him. He grabbed my upper arms so I couldn't pull away or turn around again. "Talk to me," he commanded me.