The Affair

She’d seen them together, Emma realized, feeling a little nauseated. She’d seen them together at a very private moment. And they had looked amazing.

That only increased the roiling sensation in her belly. Va

Astrid entered the box, her gaze skimming over Emma and clearly finding her insignificant. She stepped right past her to embrace Estelle. Emma stood, all too glad to move over into Va

She was uncomfortably aware of the two women chattering away in rapid French next to her, especially when she specifically recognized Va

“Just ignore her,” Michelle said quietly. Their heads were close together as they leaned in to watch the same screen. Emma looked up with just her eyes and saw the older woman was regarding her with a small, knowing smile. “I noticed how you tensed up when you saw her just now. She’s about as important to him as what’s on the di

Emma gave her a grateful smile. She appreciated the show of support. But it wasn’t that she was worried about Va

She hadn’t forgotten the practical reason for her and Va

Something she was infamous for doing, Emma realized with a sinking feeling.

Now she’d allowed things to progress to the point where she’d told Va

But he’d never returned the words. Why had it been so easy while in his addictive presence to not focus on that glaring fact?

She blinked when Michelle touched her arm. “I meant to make you feel better,” Michelle said in a hushed tone. “But from that look on your face, I’ve made things worse.”

“No. No you haven’t. Thank you for saying what you did.”

Michelle didn’t look convinced, but at that point a roar went up in the distance. The a

“Niki just took the lead on the mountain turn,” Dean yelled as the crowd in the main arena began to cheer.

She and Michelle turned their total focus back to the race. By the time the fortieth lap was complete, one of the NASCAR champions had spun out in a frightening, fiery crash at the harrowing harbor turn, and the caution flag had gone up, slowing down the race considerably. Miraculously, the driver escaped from the crash unscathed. Meanwhile, Joe Hill had come back fighting strong for the Americans, nudging out Mario Acarde and gaining on Niki. She, Michelle, and Dean went to get a plate of food, but Emma could barely eat it, the danger level of the competition was growing so fierce. The a

“Can I ask you something?” Emma asked Michelle during one of the more relatively placid moments in the race. Michelle nodded. “Did Vera leave the French Riviera because I was coming?”

Michelle’s friendly face collapsed slightly. “Did someone tell you that?”

“No,” Emma said. “But she did, didn’t she? Leave as a sort of protest to my coming?” Emma saw her answer on Michelle’s honest face.

“Vera can be very idiosyncratic at times, especially when it comes to Va

Emma nodded in agreement. “I just don’t understand why Vera hates me so much.”

Michelle shrugged. “Isn’t it obvious? She sees you as a potential threat to her comfortable little world. I’m afraid Vera’s feelings for Va

Emma wasn’t sure she agreed, but she didn’t think it was worth pursuing at the moment. The end of the race was fast approaching, and just like every spectator for miles, it captured her full attention. The fierce competition escalated to a barely controlled desperation as the drivers took the final lap. A communal gasp went up to the heavens as Niki, Mario, and Joe Hill seemed to fall straight down a steep mountain pass, and Joe maneuvered around Mario on the bottom turn in a breathtaking feat of pure skill and daring. Now he was gaining on Niki as the cars plunged toward the main arena and the finish line.

Emma stood like everyone in the arena, the roar of the engines growing louder by the second making her skin tingle with mounting excitement. The sound was deafening as the frontru

One thing was for certain, Emma thought later as she watched Niki do his victory lap. She could understand why Va

Chapter 36

Emma had been flushed with excitement and beaming when Va

They’d stayed to drink champagne with Niki, the Montand crew, and friends and family at a private room on the arena grounds. After taking one look at Emma, whose expression appeared strained and her face pale, he’d bowed out for the celebratory di