Cake & Consequences (Betray Me Once #2)

Prologue

TESSA

Iwasn’t a wine person and felt completely out of my depth as I stared up at the wall of unfamiliar bottles.

The only thing I knew for sure was that I was facing the right direction since the store had the cheap bottles on one side and the pricier brands with dark labels embossed in gold and names I couldn’t pronounce on the other.

My boyfriend wouldn’t consider fifty bucks expensive, but it was a lot to me.

If Gage were here, he would have known exactly which vineyard, year, and blend paired best with the salmon, couscous, and asparagus I had in my cart. Except that would spoil my surprise, so I needed to find a bottle that wouldn’t ruin the fancy dinner I had planned.

I bit my lip as I scanned the labels for one that looked impressive but didn’t cost more than twenty bucks. After putting in so much effort, I wanted this dinner to be perfect.

Not because Gage expected it. He always said he loved me exactly as I was, and that I didn’t need to change just because we were so different. Which only made me love him more.

A woman to my right let out a soft hum as she picked up a bottle with an elegant script across the label.

She had perfectly styled hair and makeup, was wearing a cashmere sweater, carried an expensive handbag, and had a giant wedding ring sparkling on her manicured hand.

She looked as though she’d stepped from the pages of a magazine…

or belonged on the arm of one of Gage’s fellow executives.

I wasn’t great with striking up a conversation, but this was too good an opportunity to pass up. So I took a deep breath before murmuring, “Sorry, do you mind if I ask for your opinion?”

She turned, her brows raised in polite curiosity. “Not at all.”

I pointed at the two bottles I was considering. “Which of these would you buy if you were cooking salmon for a guy who has great taste in wine?”

She inspected both bottles and shook her head. “Neither.”

“Really?” My brows drew together as I turned to check the labels again. “I thought chardonnay was a safe bet.”

“There’s an exception to that rule,” she explained, reaching up to gently tap one of the labels. “These are both heavily oaked and would overpower the fish's delicate flavors unless you’re cooking it in a cream sauce or with a ton of butter.”

“Unfortunately, no. My boyfriend is kind of a health nut, so I’m not using cream or butter tonight. I’m not even making dessert, and it’s my favorite part of every meal.” I gestured toward the shelf with a wince. “Is there something that won’t make it obvious I bought it at the grocery store?”

She flashed me an amused smile as she scanned the shelf. “Special celebration?”

“Nothing specific.” I shrugged. “My boyfriend has been working harder than ever, and I wanted to do something to acknowledge it, if that makes sense.”

She looked up, eyes softening. “It sounds very thoughtful to me. Your boyfriend is a lucky guy.”

“Thanks.”

“Get this one.” She handed me a bottle. “It’s dry, but it finishes beautifully. Strong, warm, a little surprising. Like a good man.”

I couldn’t stop my startled laugh from escaping. “I appreciate the help.”

“You’re welcome.”

I smiled and pulled out my phone to double-check that I hadn’t forgotten any ingredients. Once I knew I was good, I rolled my cart toward the checkout and sent a quick text to Gage.

Me

Let me know when you leave work so I can get dinner started. Love you!

Standing in line, I pulled up our thread again and saw that he’d read my message. Bubbles popped up to show that he was typing up a reply, but then they disappeared without anything coming through. I didn’t think much of it, since he usually didn’t text while in a meeting or on an important call.

Noticing the fancy chocolate bars that were one of the few treats Gage allowed himself every once in a while, since they were his favorite, I scooted around my cart to grab a couple from the end cap.

As I dropped them into the cart, the woman in front of me gasped and gripped her friend’s arm. “Oh my gosh, he’s really engaged?”

“There goes any hope for regular women like us,” her friend muttered.

My lips curved into a smirk. I was as normal as you could get, but I still caught Gage’s attention. The Langfords were a big deal in our city, and he had dated models, actresses, and socialites before me.

The first woman sighed. “I wish I could say I’m surprised that he picked a woman like Vanessa Carrington to be his wife, but it makes sense. They’ll keep all that money within their families.”

Her friend nodded. “They might not even need a prenup since their fathers opened the business together. Talk about building a family dynasty.”

That description hit way too close to home. My hands trembled as I checked my phone again. There still wasn’t a reply from Gage.

I opened my browser and typed in his name. The top result was a headline that stole my breath in the very worst way.

Langford Tech Announces Merger of a Personal Nature—New CEO Gage Langford Engaged to Carrington Heiress

My vision swam as I tried to convince myself this was a horrible mistake. But then I saw the photo of Gage and Vanessa. She had a diamond ring on her finger that was big enough to be seen from outer space, and his arm was around her waist.

Tears blurred the screen as I closed the article to call Gage. It was only then that I noticed I’d missed a call from him earlier, probably when I was at the fish counter because cell reception was awful there.

My hand shook as I lifted the phone to my ear to listen to his voicemail.

“I'm sorry you had to hear this way, Tessa. It's not what you think. Don't hate me. Please.”

After a year together, that was all he gave me. Nothing more than a five-second message only minutes before he announced his engagement to another woman.

Abandoning my cart, I tried calling back but was sent straight to voicemail. I fired off a quick text asking him to call me, but it still didn’t show that he’d read it by the time I made it to my car. Another call went to voicemail.

I checked his social media, but none of his accounts pulled up.

I hadn’t just been dumped by voicemail…I had been blocked on every conceivable method of communication.

Gage hadn’t just left me. He erased me, and I never saw his betrayal coming.

I bawled my eyes out for a good fifteen minutes before I was able to pull myself together enough to drive home, where the situation only got worse.

The first thing I saw when I stepped inside my apartment was a cardboard box sitting on the kitchen island. My chest tightened as I walked toward it, already knowing what I’d find.

The key I gave Gage months ago sat beside it. There was no note. No explanation beyond the few words he’d left in his voicemail.

After lifting the sweater I used to wear when I stayed at his place from the top of the pile, I found that my things were crammed in the box without care.

My toothbrush was tossed on top of a tangled phone charger.

A half-open bottle of hand lotion had leaked across the bottom of the box and soaked the edges of a folded photo strip we’d taken last fall.

I picked it up with trembling fingers, only to find the ink bleeding across our smiling faces like they were being wiped away.

This felt fitting, since Gage had erased me from his life without so much as a goodbye.

As I dug through the ruins of our past, I realized something was missing from the box.

And it was the only item I really cared about—my mom’s scarf.

It had been hanging on the hook behind the door of his entryway closet for months.

I didn’t know if he had thrown it away or just forgotten about it since the weather was too warm for scarves.

Either way, I couldn’t imagine showing up at Gage’s door to ask for it when he’d cut off all other forms of contact.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I searched the apartment for any trace of him, but his things were gone too. His toothbrush. The dress shirts and ties hanging in my closet. Boxers and socks in the drawers. Shaving cream and razor. All gone.

Only a faint trace of his cologne lingered in the bathroom, spicy and expensive. I loved his scent but couldn’t stand it any longer. I spritzed my body spray to cover it up, and when I couldn’t smell a trace of him anymore, I started to sob again.

Curling up on the floor, I stayed there all night, only moving to the couch when my muscles finally started to ache the following morning.

It took a week before I was ready to face the world beyond my living room, throwing myself into baking after barely eating for days.

I drowned my sorrows in cake, and it ended up saving me in an unexpected way.