Chapter 25

Judy’s POV

“Matthew! What have you done??” I heard Irene shrieking from the back porch steps. I hadn’t even known she was there, and I wondered how long she had been watching us for.

I watched as Matt’s face turned pale and his eyes grew misty with unshed tears.

“I’m so sorry, Judy,” he said, his bottom lip trembling. “I didn’t mean to. I—” his voice trailed off as he hiccupped.

Sometimes I forget that he’s just a little boy until moments like these. My gaze softened and I gave him a small smile as I knelt down in front of him.

“It was an accident,” I told him, putting my hand on his shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. “I know you didn’t mean to and I’m not mad at you, Matt.”

“Dad is going to be so upset,” he said in a low whisper, his gaze shifting downward.

“Your father won’t have to know a thing,” I told him. “I won’t say a word to him. It’ll be our secret.”

“Really?” He asked, lifting his gaze to meet mine.

I smiled.

“Of course,” I told him. “How about you get cleaned up? I’m sure the maids will have dinner ready for you shortly.”

He wiped at his cheeks where a couple of tears had fallen and then he gave me a smile as he nodded.

“Okay,” he said gently.

He turned and walked back towards the villa. I sighed and stood up, brushing the dirt off my pants.

“You are really good with him,” Irene said as she walked towards me. “I’ve never seen anyone like that with him. It’s no wonder he likes you.”

“I guess I’m just good with kids,” I said, shrugging casually. I turned towards my bag that was resting against a tree nearby. I grabbed it and started to clean up my stuff, fully aware that Irene was watching my every move.

“I think it’s something more,” she said thoughtfully. “He sees something in you that he didn’t see in the others. It’s fascinating honestly.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that thought.

“He’s a special little boy and deserves the world,” I told her. I shouldered my bag and faced her. “I’m going to call an Uber and get going.”

Her eyes widened.

“You can’t leave with your shirt like that!” She said, staring down at the shirt that was barely hanging on my body. Thankfully, I was wearing a sports bra underneath, but still… I felt exposed and uncomfortable. “You are barely covered and the last thing you want is a stranger looking at you. Come with me.”

She didn’t give me a choice; she grabbed my arm and pulled me along with her towards the villa. I didn’t bother fighting her; I let her pull me into the house and up the large stairs. I knew Gavin would be pissed that I was upstairs on their personal floor, but Irene didn’t seem to care. She continued to pull me along with her down the hallway until we reached a door, I assumed was her bedroom.

She pushed the door open and tugged me along with her until I practically stumbled into the room. She then proceeded to shut the door behind me.

I wrapped my arms around my body, unsure of what to do or say. I felt a little uncomfortable in her room and the first scent that slapped me in the face as soon as I stepped foot in here was Ethans. I stared at the bed that I knew they’d shared numerous times in the past and my stomach twisted at the very thought.

On her nightstand was a picture of her and Ethan holding one another, looking into each other’s eyes like they meant the world to each other. I would have to give credit where it was due… Ethan was a great actor. I knew he didn’t care about Irene; he was only using her to solidify his role as Alpha.

It wasn’t fair to Irene and a part of me wanted to warn her about him, but it wasn’t my place. It would only hurt her and there was a big chance she wouldn’t even believe me.

I turned away from the picture and watched as she rummaged through her closet.

“You really don’t have to do this,” I told her; I was seconds away from backing out of this room, not sure how long I could handle being in here any longer.

“Nonsense,” she told me from over her shoulder. “It’s no big deal. Plus, you can’t walk around without a proper shirt.”

I knew she was right.

It took a few more minutes, but eventually, Irene found a blouse along with a skirt. I frowned at the skirt and raised my eyebrows at her.

“My pants are fine,” I told her, pointing to my pants.

“Yeah, but this blouse requires this skirt,” she told me. “Trust me, I know fashion. I bout them as a pair and they deserve to be worn as a pair.”

I sighed and shook my head at her.

“Don’t you have a singular shirt that doesn’t require any other attire?” I asked her.

“Yes, but this would look so cute on you,” she said, jetting out her bottom lip. “Humor me, Judy. Try it on and if you hate it, you can change it into something else. But I truly believe you’ll look gorgeous in this.”

“I’m only going home, Irene. I don’t need to look gorgeous in anything,” I reminded her.

She rolled her eyes and waved off my concern.

“Please,” she begged again.

I sighed and relented.

“Okay,” I finally said after a beat of silence.

She calmed her hands together and gave me the biggest smile as she handed me the blouse and skirt. I had to admit, they were a cute combo, and I hated that I actually liked her clothing. I hated that I liked her, but Irene made it difficult to hate her.

“I’ll give you some privacy to change and I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she told me, giving me a grateful and excited smile as she quickly hurried past me and out of the bedroom.

I sighed and stood in the middle of her room, feeling at a loss. Ethan’s scent was so potent that if my eyes were closed, I would have thought he was standing in front of me.

Irene’s bedroom reminded me of a teenage girl’s room; it was clear that this had been her room since childhood. She had pictures on her dresser from prom, her date cut out of them. She wore a tiara, indicating that she was in fact that prom queen. She had cheerleading trophies on her bookshelf and posters of various singers on her walls.

The floor was made from hardwood with a big pink rug that matched her pink bedspread and curtains.

Knowing that Ethan spent numerous nights in here made me sick to my stomach. I swallowed the bile that rose in my throat as I stripped off my remaining shirt. I walked over to the trash barrel and put my shirt inside; there was no saving it at this point.

I shimmied out of my pants, picking them up off the ground and folding them neatly, placing them on her bed as I took a look at the outfit, she insisted that I wore.

It was a cute outfit, but the way the blouse was cut on the tip, dipping into a V shape where my cleavage would be displayed, I knew my bra wouldn’t look good underneath it. I wished I had a better bra on, but I certainly wasn’t going to borrow Irene’s. I also wasn’t about to give her the chance to offer one of her bras to me.

I lifted the bra over my head and tossed it onto the bed, my breasts breaking free from their restraints. I walked over to the full-length mirror on the other side of the room and glanced at my body with a frown. My breasts were full, and my hips were curvy; my belly had small abs from all the core training I had done throughout the years, but for the most part, I had a feminine look too. I took pride in my body; I’ve worked hard for this figure, and I was proud of it.

Any man would be lucky to get his hands on my body; Ethan was an asshole for not seeing that. Then again, Irene was hot, and any man would be lucky to have her as well.

I sighed as I stepped into the skirt, sliding it over my hips. It was short and showed off my legs perfectly. Irene was a bit shorter and slimmer than me, so I wasn’t surprised that the skirt fit smaller than it would have fit her. But overall, it wasn’t a bad look.

I walked back to the bed where I left the shirt and as soon as I was about to pick it up, the bedroom door swung open and I gasped, whirling around only to face Gavin.