Chapter 7: Chapter 7

- I can't believe you came dressed like that!

Taken aback, Missy jumped a little in fright at her mother-in-law's furious exclamation, who lunged at her as soon as Missy walked through the door, appraising her clothes with obvious annoyance. Surprised, Missy noticed that Lauren Newton was wearing a long gown, similar to an evening dress, although it was easily identifiable that it was a rental dress, as some parts were quite worn, especially the hem and sleeves. The relief Missy had felt upon seeing her car parked in the driveway, and realizing that Liam had already arrived at his mother's house, dissipated somewhat when she wondered why her mother-in-law was dressed so formally, especially with the addition of that heavy makeup. , as if she was about to go to a wedding.

- But didn't I say a thousand times that this party would be classy? How could you come dressed like you were going to the park for ice cream? her mother-in-law snapped, stomping her feet hard on the ground as soon as she stopped in front of her, making Missy momentarily freeze; not because she was afraid of her mother-in-law, but because the way she was screaming reminded her immediately, in a disturbing way, of how Liam had screamed at her that night... almost as if she had been transported there again. "And you're late to boot!"

Mrs. Newton remained in front of her, clearly furious, as if he was waiting for her to say something, but Missy could only stare at her, her eyes wide and frightened, until Lauren's eyes widened as well, seeming to finally realize her overreacting to her daughter-in-law, especially considering that Missy had arrived literally seconds ago. Opening a wan smile, her mother-in-law placed her hands on her shoulders, speaking again, now her voice sounding high-pitched with so much sweetness, as if she was forcing her vocal cords to sound that way.

- Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I'm nervous, you know? Don't get me wrong, you're... - She looked at her again, her smile wavering. I mean, at least you're not wearing anything Batman today. – Lauren laughed, which just made that wound inside Missy hurt a little more – Sorry for my exaggeration. It's just that this is such a special night for you and my little Liam...! – Lauren squealed, as if the happiness she was feeling didn't fit inside her.

- Special? Missy asked, confused. What did that party have to do with her and Liam? Lauren had never mentioned anything about that – What do you mean…?

- What took you so long? – Lauren interrupted her, as if she hadn't heard her.

- Uh... I got some traffic and...

- Oh, great. – Lauren interrupted her quickly, again – So, when will your mother arrive? Her mother-in-law's dark eyes lit up when she asked that question, looking like she was about to jump with joy just at the prospect of seeing Victoria. Being so fond of the high society lifestyle, Lauren worshiped her mother as if she were a goddess, yet Victoria couldn't even name her daughter's mother-in-law, if asked. They had seen each other only once, when her mother made a surprise visit 6 months ago after a stay in Dubai and since then she was Lauren's favorite subject in every conversation she had with Missy.

- Hmmm... I don't know... - Missy started to stutter, when a figure appeared over Lauren's shoulder, speaking in a sharp voice.

- She is not coming. Megan announced coldly, pushing past Mrs. Newton with haughtiness and going to stand by his younger sister – She is busy.

- But... - Lauren's face became an almost frightening mix of anger and sadness - Missy promised...

- I'm sorry, Mrs. Newton, but I've been trying to warn you several times since you asked me to invite you two weeks ago. – she gently reminded her – Mom is a little unapproachable. I am really sorry. But I'm sure the party will still be fantastic despite that. Missy smiled shyly, trying to cheer her up.

For several seconds, Lauren's bloodshot eyes just watched the sisters silently, yet dangerously, as if she were about to explode, as her pale face tinged a vibrant red. Finally, when Missy was about to ask if she was okay, Mrs. Newton grunted through clenched teeth, as if she was trying to contain all the feelings that were obviously exploding inside her.

- Yeah, it's gonna be great. – She agreed with a hiss, while her eyes turned to Missy – Especially since she will have to show up at some point or another, since my son is with her daughter! – Her growl was getting louder, until it ceased, when she turned her back on the two – If you'll excuse me, I have a party to take care of.

- She talks like it’s a gala ball. Megan sighed as Mrs. Newton had already disappeared – I'm relieved Mom didn't show up. She would have killed us for calling her to a place like this.

- Maybe it's better this way. – Missy sighed – I'm not sure if promoting the meeting between the two of them would really be a good thing. Too strong geniuses. – she concluded, smiling a little at her sister, who was carefully evaluating her.

- Are you okay, Missy? – Megan questioned her, using that sly expression that was exactly the same as Jonathan used to use when he was trying to figure out what was wrong with them – You've been acting weird since the weekend. Did something happen?

-Hmmm… – she was about to deny it, when she realized that there was no reason to lie, since Megan certainly wouldn't believe her; they knew each other too well for that – Liam and I had a little…disagreement on Saturday. And the situation is still not resolved. Just that. – She tried to soften, not only because she didn't want to worry her sister, but also because she wanted to avoid Megan feeling that they should talk more about it; she was still too ashamed and fragile to open up about everything that had happened... Apart from the fact that she was sure she would start crying as soon as she needed to talk about how she had been feeling since Liam had said those words to her.

And the last thing she wanted was to cry in the middle of Mrs. Newton.

- What happened? – Megan took her hands, worried – Why did you fight?

- Hmmm... - Missy looked to the floor, praying her sister didn't notice her nervousness. - It was just... A difference of opinion. Liam took it a little hard that I… I didn't want us to do something. – trying not to lie and at the same time not to speak directly about what had happened, Missy remained with shrugged shoulders, looking at the floor – I'm just a little nervous because I want to talk to him and solve this situation. That is all.

- And what was that thing you didn't want to do? – Her sister asked, suspiciously.

- Uh... Can we talk after the party? – Missy gave a crooked smile – Who knows, by then, he and I have already resolved this.

- Why don't you want to tell me what happened? - Megan gasped - It was something serious, wasn't it?

- I... Please sis. – Missy implored in a low voice, awkwardly – I swear I'll tell you everything today, okay? I just... I'm still absorbing some things. You know I don't have experience with relationships. And, who knows, maybe when I tell you, you'll tell me it's a normal thing to happen between a couple... - She pondered, although a part of her knew she was probably wrong. Couples didn't have problems with sex... Or did they? It wasn't normal for a girlfriend not to feel desire for her boyfriend... Or was it?

She had always known that relationships weren't easy, but she had never imagined that she would feel so... lost.

Megan stared at her sternly for several minutes, however, to Missy's immense relief, finally, she simply sighed, mumbling in annoyance.

- As soon as this party is over, we'll talk. – Her sister demanded, determined – And don't you dare try to run away from me, got it?

- Thank you, Megan. Missy sighed, leaning down to hug her by the shoulders.

- We will. – Her sister encouraged her, clearly still quite suspicious, but still putting her arms around her shoulders too – We have a party to try to survive.

"Oh, I'm sure it's not that bad…" Missy's sentence was cut short as they walked down the hall and turned towards the living room.

Everything was... A little cartoony. It was as if Lauren was trying to imitate the decor of a gala ball in the small living room, only with low quality materials, which made everything a little... strange. There were little Grecian columns, clearly plaster, scattered haphazardly around, and several new candlesticks that Missy prayed hadn't cost Mrs. Newton, as they were clearly not real silver. The only thing that remained in the living room was the large television on the wall, as the coffee tables and couches were all gone. The decor as a whole was really…wrong. Megan had been right that Victoria had been right not to attend, or she might have had a heart attack listening to Mrs. Newton to say that she had based it all on the parties her mother threw – or, at least, what she imagined they were like, since Victoria had never invited Lauren to any, and Missy doubted that she would ever invite her.

- Missy! - Still speechless, she turned in the direction of the call, spotting Simon, Lucy, Emily, Angela and Paul in a small circle near the food table, which was considerably smaller than Missy imagined it would be, especially with the amount of people that Mrs. Newton had invited.

Moving among the diverse party guests, the vast majority of whom were completely unfamiliar to her, Missy and Megan approached the five, who were almost hidden by one of the curtains. Smiling, she greeted them, relieved to see them all there.

- Thanks for coming.

- After seeing what a good decorator your mother-in-law is, I'm glad she invited us. – Paul laughed, taking a sip of his drink – I feel like watching a live sitcom. And look at this. – he pointed to the glass he was holding – The woman wanted to convince me that that scratched glass is crystal and served me the worst champagne I've ever had in my life, saying it had cost millions. If that's not quality entertainment, then I don't know what is. - Her laugh made Missy let out a heavy sigh, knowing that behavior was really typical of her mother-in-law.

- And where are Diana and Devon? – she asked, wondering why Megan and Paul were there alone. After all, if there was one thing she had learned about the Knights, it was that once they fell in love, they stayed by their loved one's side for as long as possible.

- Paying some sins. - Paul joked, pointing to a place behind her.