Ed’s head snapped up, at the exact same time a sharp gasp intruded on Annie’s drunken rambling. She didn’t even know what she was saying anymore. Everything was just tumbling from her lips. All the hurt, frustration, and anger she’d repressed for so many years was letting itself loose and there was no stopping it.

Her head spinning now, she followed his gaze to find Colette and Luca standing in the doorway. They hadn’t been there a moment ago, Annie was sure of it, but there they were now.

Oh God...

“What did you just say?” Colette demanded, breaking the silence.

Annie couldn’t look at her. She’d never meant for her to ever know the truth. She’d never wanted to hurt her, which was why she’d always explained away her pregnancy to Kim and Colette as just the result of a fling while she was here gone wrong, but she could see the pain and horror in her eyes now.

“What did you say?” she repeated more forcefully.

“Colette...” Luca cautioned, but she threw a hand up to silence him.

Her attention was wholly fixed on Annie and Ed.

“Someone better tell me what the hell is going on!” she shouted, looking at her husband, and Annie startled.

She’d never heard Colette raise her voice before. Not once.

“Darling...” Ed began but Colette cut him off.

“Don’t ‘darling’ me, just explain to me what I thought I just heard. Is Charlie your son? But how...?”

“Sweetheart, she’s drunk,” he deflected and Annie felt a fresh surge of anger rush through her. How dare he? How dare he deny Charlie now, after all these years?

Years of Annie keeping the truth a secret so as not to mess up his perfect life. Six years of her watching that life from afar: the happy photos of him and Colette together, their wedding pictures, holiday snaps, all the while thinking it could—should—have been her.

“I wasn’t drunk all those other nights, though,” Annie raged as she got to her feet. “The nights you took me back to your hotel and shagged me. When you romanced me on the beach and then dumped me on that same beach later.”

Colette gasped. “Oh my God...the guy you were seeing here then, you mean to tell me it was Ed? But... I don’t understand...”