Rhian stood in the living room with her fists clenched, glaring at me. "They're all gone. Why are you still here?"
Since the wedding was officially set, Evelyn had dismissed the other mistresses to preserve the family's reputation.
"Leslie, you're a damn walking disaster!" Rhian snapped, storming toward me with her hand raised high.
For a second, I honestly thought she planned to hit me before leaving, as if we had not fought enough already.
She was half a head taller than me, and there was no way I could win.
"You—"
But before she could finish the sentence, she lunged forward and wrapped me in a tight hug. Her arms were shaking, and then the tears came, sudden and raw.
"You little potato," she cried into my shoulder. "You're good at everything. So why are you completely romance-brained?"
She pulled back just enough to meet my eyes, her face flushed and streaked with tears. Her breath hitched, but her voice was steady.
"After everything you've been through, you still haven't learned? I swear, I want to smash you with a hammer."
She gripped my arms, her eyes burning into mine. "Listen to me. While Evelyn is busy planning that wedding... run away with me."