Lucky Charm by Marie Astor Read Free Book Online

female companion belonged to none other than Jeremy’s book agent, Athena Christy , a statuesque blond whose credentials were as powerful as her looks. The two sat together at a small table - the kind that every New York café with sidewalk space puts out at the slightest sign of warm weather.
    Annabel told herself that there was nothing for her to be worried about . T here was nothing wrong with an author having a meal with his book agent. She was about to walk over and say hello, but the sight of Athena putting her arm on Jeremy’s shoulder stopped her dead.
    Her heart pounding like a sledgehammer, Annabel jay walked across the street and slipped into the grocery shop next to the café, quickly ducking beneath the row of flowers that stood in the shop’s window. From her cover - up , she peered at the table on the sidewalk, hoping that she had been mistaken, but the way Jeremy and Athena leaned into each other, like a couple, along with the sight of Jeremy’s hand on Athena’s thigh left no room for excuses.
    A waiter approached their table with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot. He uncorked the bottle and poured the golden, sparkling liquid into Athena and Jeremy’s glasses. The champagne fizzed, and Athena threw her head back in delight, clapping her hands.
    They are celebrating , Annabel thought bitterly . P erhaps Athena has finally cinch ed the deal on Jeremy’s book – the book that I waited for him to write all these years .
    Jeremy finished his champagne and moved his chair closer to Athena’s. He whispered something into her ear, and she smiled, turning her face toward his . T hen their lips met in a kiss that seemed to last an eternity.
    Watching Jeremy and Athena together made Annabel feel as though her heart was being pierced with a million of glass shards, and yet, she remained transfixed in her makeshift hideaway. Part of her yearned to confront them, to unleash the hurt and betrayal that was churning inside her, but she knew that she did not have the guts to walk up to them. She longed for Jeremy to see her, for him to cower in shame for his betrayal, but instead she was the one cowering in her ridiculous hideaway.
    “Can I help you?” An alarmed voice sounded behind her.
    She turned around and saw the store clerk eyeing her suspiciously.
    “No. I didn’t find what I was looking for.” Annabel stumbled onto the sidewalk, quickly turning in the opposite direction of the café where Jeremy obliviously swooned over Athena.
    Back in her apartment – that was how she was going to think of it from now on: her apartment, not their apartment, not anymore – Annabel collapsed on the couch.
    Did she really see Jeremy kiss Athena? How could she have been such a fool and not suspect ed a thing? Now, in hindsight, it all started to add up: Jeremy’s lukewarm response to her exotic get - up last night, his frequent trips to conferences, his growing evasiveness about the wedding . S upporting evidence was overwhelming. How long had this affair been going on , and how long did Jeremy plan to sneak behind her back? God, she felt like an idiot!
    Her emotions were a tangled wreck. She wanted Jeremy gone, out of her life, and yet, the thought of him leaving was devastating. She had loved Jeremy for so long that it seemed unthinkable that he would no longer be a part of her life. You could not stop loving a man on the spot just because he turned out to be a cheating, lying bastard . T hat was the thing about love . I t was not subject to reason. And yet, she knew that she could never forgive him. Despite it being extremely painful to accept, she could understand the simple fact that Jeremy had stopped loving her, but his decision to lie about it, to go on with such shameless deceit, hurt unbearably. What was it that Athena had that she lacked? Was it her model looks, her expensive clothes , or her powerful job? Perhaps it was Athena’s personality and the sophisticated way she conducted herself . Annabel supposed that