All That Glitters by Ilana Fox Read Free Book Online Page B

her, and was certain that as soon as his piece was published, Ella would be a star. Move over Victoria, there was a new girl in town.
    Ella sat back in her red leather seat and smiled contentedly. She’d just finished watching the first Sex and the City movie, and for the first time since she’d married Danny, she felt she identified with someone else. Her life was turning out to be just as impressive as Carrie Bradshaw’s: she had the perfect man, the perfect new job, and a wardrobe that could rival Carrie’s. Yes. Life was good.
    She was just missing three equally glamorous friends to share it with.
    Ella briefly thought about giving Stacey a ring to see what she was up to, but decided against it. What would she talk about if Stacey asked about her day? Saying she’d been interviewed for a profile piece in the Sunday Times , and that she’d watched a film in her home-cinema wouldn’t really do her any favours. Ella thought hard. It was a Tuesday – Stacey would have gone to work in the day, and probably would have ordered a Chinese takeaway for her and Jay in the evening. In comparison she’d eaten scallops for a starter, and then guinea fowl with apple gravy for a main. No, she wouldn’t phone Stacey. Ella still felt too awkward sharing her life with her, and Stacey still got jealous. God, it was hard.
    Ella wandered from room to room, taking in the beauty of each. It was such a lovely house, and she knew she was very lucky. She just wished she had some friends that she could hang out with. The house screamed out for laughter and fun. Okay, so she had Danny, and that was great, but when he was busy with training or matches she had nobody at all. Stacey had been left behind in Ella’s old life, and Aaron was against Ella spending too much time with Chastity because he thought she was a bad influence on her. So who did that leave her with?
    Nobody, Ella thought. Nobody at all.
    Ella sighed, and picked up the phone to give Chastity a ring. Okay, so Aaron might not like it, but what Aaron didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him . . . and Ella was sure that underneath her bitchy exterior, Chastity could become a true friend. She was sure of it.
    ‘I don’t know what to do,’ Chastity sobbed, as she reached for another tissue. Her nose was red and her mascara was running down her face and dripping onto her pushed-up cleavage, but there was something in Chastity’s eyes that made Ella wonder if she was enjoying the drama of it all.
    ‘Freddie said he wouldn’t cheat on me again, ever, but he got caught getting a blow job in a nightclub after the Liverpool match, and I can’t trust him. I just can’t.’
    Ella sat on the sofa next to her and felt uncomfortable. When she’d phoned her earlier she hadn’t expected Chastity to answer the phone in tears, and she had no idea how to help her. What could you say in a situation like this? Chastity would never leave Freddie – she loved her lifestyle too much – so Ella couldn’t wheel out the ‘all men are bastards’ line, but at the same time, Ella wasn’t sure what would comfort Chastity. Everyone in the industry knew Freddie played around. It was an open secret.
    ‘Last time he did it he told me it was a mistake, and that he was so drunk he could barely remember doing it. He told me he loved me, and that he’d never do anything to hurt me again, but he has! He’s gone and done it again.’
    ‘How did you find out?’ Ella asked softly. When Fin had been cheating on her, she’d had her suspicions: those nights when he came in at six in the morning saying he’d been drinking with the boys all night, the way he couldn’t remember his lies, and how he got over-the-top angry and said she was mental, crazy, paranoid and insecure if she commented on it. But she never had any hard evidence to prove he’d been doing the dirty, so she chose to believe him when he said his flirtations with other girls were innocent. She’d been wrong, though. And by the time she found