Derrick provided the basic needs of food and shelter, but there was one other need she had that he couldn’t fulfill, the need for love, and he had no interest in fulfilling it, either. He wanted her sexually, but otherwise, he couldn’t summon enough of an interest to spend any time with her.
Their marriage was a joke. They barely spoke, they slept in separate bedrooms, and whenever their paths crossed, they spoke in monosyllables to each other.
“I’m exhausted, but I had a good time,” Eva said. “Thank you both so much for spending the day with me.”
“Our pleasure,” Cassidy said. She yawned again and closed her eyes. “Plus, we got some goodies. Thank you for the jewelry.”
“You’re welcome. It was the least I could do since you took the time to plan the day and spend it with me.”
Within a few minutes, Cassidy was dozing on the sofa, and Celeste and Eva talked quietly. Celeste shared her advice about pregnancy and told Eva what to expect in the coming months.
“I can’t wait until I start showing more,” Eva confessed. She patted her stomach.
“You’re so lucky. You know that show where they feature women who go into labor and didn’t even know they were pregnant? I was the complete opposite. I had a baby bump early on. At six months pregnant, everyone thought I was full term. By the time I was full term, I could barely get around, my hips and thighs were ten times this size”—she waved her hand in the general direction of her hips and thighs—“if you could believe that—and my face, oh, don’t get me started on my fat face and neck.” She smiled wistfully. “But I love my baby girl. I wouldn’t trade her for the world.”
“From what I understand, you and Roarke got married very quickly . . . ?”
“Mhmm. I’ll spare you the details. Here’s a quick summary. I met him the week before Cassidy’s wedding, but nothing came of it. I went to the wedding with Derrick, and we met again and realized we wanted to be together. It was crazy and spontaneous.”
“I didn’t know you went to Cassidy’s wedding . . . with Derrick?”
Celeste looked slightly embarrassed when she realized her slip. “Not with Derrick. I mean . . . well, he needed a date, and I agreed to go with him, but we’ve always only been friends.”
“Oh.”
“I’m sorry, Eva, I wasn’t thinking. Believe me, it was nothing. Derrick covered the costs of the trip as a favor because I couldn’t afford to miss work.” Then she added with a wince, “You and Derrick were together at the time, weren’t you?”
“Well . . .” Eva hedged. She didn’t want Celeste to feel bad. Derrick chose to go with her because he wanted to. Eva’s feelings on the matter were irrelevant, and Celeste’s disclosure proved once again that she had not been as important to him as he had been to her. “Actually, we stopped seeing each other around that time, so really, it’s not even an issue.”
“Oh, that’s why he said his plans fell through and he had to find another date.”
The words caused a sharp stab of pain in her chest. Even before Celeste, there had been someone else he planned to take?
“Good, because this conversation was about to get awkward. And I’m glad the two of you worked out your differences and found your way back to each other.”
“Thanks.”
Eva put on a brave front for Celeste, but inside, her heart seized up with pain. What reason could there be for him to share his life with other women in such an intimate way, but not with her?
Over an hour later, Celeste and Cassidy drove away in their respective cars. With Svana’s help, Eva trudged upstairs with all her purchases. Derrick wasn’t home yet, so she took a shower and donned a peach nightgown.
By now, her hurt had transformed into anger. The more she thought about the conversation with Celeste, the more upset she became. She walked over to the door leading into the sitting room of their suite and cracked it open so she could hear Derrick when he came in.
He would not ignore her tonight.