She didn't like her husband's sudden change of reaction when he saw her. And she was not sure if she should be happy that he recovered fast for he was all beaming widely now as he walked toward them purposefully, leaving behind Beth who stood stupefied staring at her.

"Ladies," he said in acknowledgement, but his eyes never left her. In fact, they were hovering over her as if he was ready to take her home and do something else. But she didn't care because she was so pissed. All she did was clench her teeth to refrain from saying something snappy. "You look great, babe," he added.

"I know," she raised her brow and looked over his shoulder. "I didn't know you were that close to her."

"We're associates," he explained.

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes and looked at Angelica and Chanty. Their faces alarmed her because they were not listening to her exchange with her husband—they were glaring at Beth like witches doing some silent curses in their minds.

Much to her disappointment, the subject of her ire and resentment trotted toward them like a cougar. "Here she comes," she whispered.

Philip turned around to face his so-called associate, the smile on his face not wavering. "Beth, I would like you to meet my wife."

If one had a good picture of Dennis, then he would simply try to give him longer hair, a healthier hue, and a smaller jaw. That would be the perfect picture of his twin sister.

"Cassandra," she said in that airy voice of a woman. "How fantastic," she added sarcastically, her eyes looking her up and down.

"Yeah, I know," Cassandra said calmly. "What a small world," she purposefully looked around and asked, "Where's the tea? I thought this is a tea party?"

Angelica snorted beside her and Chanty—well, she giggled. Philip was oblivious of the ongoing battle of estrogen-driven felines because he was still standing there, relaxed and smiling. Or maybe he just plainly didn't care.

She saw Beth's face colored with anger.

"I'll get you one if you want," Philip said almost instantly.

Was he stupid? He was going to leave her alone with this bitch who was ready to pull her hair off?

"Get three cups of tea, Philip," Angelica said with amusement, her hand on her hip. It was then that she remembered she had two comrades at her back. Philip was not entirely necessary after all.

Philip nodded and went away.

"I don't remember inviting you," Beth looked at Chanty and Angelica, her jaw clenching.

"We invited ourselves," Chanty answered, flipping her dark brown tresses behind her shoulders.

Angelica spoke up in that menacing voice of hers, "We haven't been to a tea party since we were..." she looked at Chanty, then at Cassandra inquiringly and then back at Beth, "five?"

"Six for me," Chanty nodded, "Yes, I remembered I had a tea party with my little girl neighbor because Philip wouldn't play it with me. That neighbor was my long-time imaginary friend, if you must know," she snorted as she said that.

"I've never had a tea party," Cassandra added, smiling now. "Seems like a poor and desperate attempt to be English."

"And can I suggest that you three go home?" Beth stonily uttered. "If you are here to criticize my party, you can turn around and walk out the door."

"We can endure it for an hour, I guess," Angelica answered dryly, looking around the room uninterestingly. "But nothing more than that."

Beth's eyes flickered toward Cassandra. "I heard you went to see Dennis. Don't ever do that again."

"What? You'll cut my throat? Please," Cassandra scoffed.

"And you even went there with Philip? Were you trying to make a point?"

"No, I wasn't. He was there because he wanted to."

"I can't believe he even married you. I didn't even know about it until I read the paper. He tells me everything."

"That only proves how unimportant you are, Beth. Did not get an invite, did you?"

Beth's eyebrows raised, her lips twitching, "Are you sure?"

"What do you mean?"

"I can't help but notice that he's been a little bit worrisome lately," Beth uttered with suspense. "I wonder if he's having second thoughts about marrying someone like you."

Oh, you have no idea why he married me, you bitch. "It's probably because of my cooking," she decided to take on a lighter approach.

Beth laughed evilly. Like Ursula and Morgana in the Little Mermaid evil laugh. Cassandra had the sudden urge to cover her mouth with her silver sandals, but they were new so she decided against it.

"I heard you've been after him," Cassandra interrupted her laughter. "You better give up because you're wasting your time."

"Oh," Beth purred, "You don't know what I'm capable of, Cassandra," she said her name like it was trash.

Did she realize she was up against three angry ladies who got nails like steel?

"Hey, listen here, you brat," Angelica uttered in a scary voice that even made Cassandra's hairs stand up. "I for one did all the things you did. And whatever you're going to do next would be a copycat of what I did years ago, so back off."

Beth's mouth opened in disbelief. "What did you say? Who the hell do you think you are, Angelica?"

Angelica laughed, looked at Chanty and Cassandra before she said, "I happen to be Philip's ex-stalker. And let me add that I have much talent on that field than you."

"And if you're smart, you'll back off. I already have an amazing sister-in-law, Bethany," Chanty added.

Cassandra's heart was suddenly filled with gratefulness and warmth, but it soon drained down when her husband returned with three cups of tea carried by a waiter.

"What's that?" She asked him.

"It's tea," he answered.

"I'm not drinking that," Cassandra said snidely and walked off to the direction of the buffet. The sight of him made the anger inside her flare up so she better get as far away as possible at the moment. He had been ignoring her since this morning and now he took her to the freaking tea party of the women who hated her!

"Can't drink that one as well," she heard Angelica utter behind her. "For all I know, that tea might have some love potions."

"Or poison," Chanty added in a stinging tone. Oh, oh, nobody liked Philip at the moment.

She knew she'd be in trouble when they got home, but he too would be in hell as well. How dare he take her at this horrid place and talk to that woman like they were best buds? He knew she hated that woman, and vice versa!

Cassandra spent the next few minutes with Angelica and Chanty. Once, she saw Philip looking at her from the corner of the room while he talked with some guys and his eyes were obviously a mixture of anger and concern. He didn't like what she did but he was also worried over—what? Worried she would cause a scene?

Tooth for a tooth, babe, she whispered in her mind.

"I have to go to the powder room," she declared around the table she shared with Angelica and Chanty. They had been eating some finger foods that didn't even reach her stomach.

She walked to the direction of the comfort room, making her way through a number of men wearing suit and tie and she realized her stupid husband did not even bother to introduce her to any of his associates. What a full-fledged moron!

The moment she entered the door, she saw Beth.

Great. Just freaking great.

But she couldn't possibly back out the door now, could she? So she entered with her chin raised, her shoulders squared. She looked great anyway, so no problem.

"Your face wouldn't change a bit whatever you do with it," she couldn't help but comment with ire.

Beth stopped what she was doing and turned away from the mirror to face her, baring her teeth.

Cassandra's urge to answer nature's call was long gone and she leaned one shoulder against the tiled wall of the comfort room, crossing her arms across her chest, raising her brow. Earlier, she didn't get the chance to say what she wanted because Angelica and Chanty took the floor. But now, she was finally alone with the bitch who had been her worst enemy since her time with Dennis began.

"Get out," Beth's voice shook with too much fierce emotion.

"Oh, so now you own the comfort room?" she looked around her to see if any of the cubicles were occupied—they were not. Good.

"You're the last person I want to see right now. And if it wasn't for Philip, I would have dragged you out an hour ago."

"Philip brought me here and..." she leaned away from the wall and walked slowly toward Beth who stepped back as she continued, "he took me here because he wanted to. Now, as for you," she shadowed her enemy, her lips twitched in a menacing smile, and her eyes glinted with ire and warning, "back off. You don't know what I'm capable of."

"Oh..." Beth said shakily, but her eyes were pretty much the same as hers—full of anger. "Like what you did to my brother?"

Cassandra almost flinched, but she stood still, holding Beth's gaze. God, it looked like she was staring down at Dennis's eyes. She shook that thought away as well and said, "Dennis is a topic you shouldn't tackle."

"Why? Feeling guilty?"

Beth jumped an inch when Cassandra suddenly slammed her palm on the sink counter. She smiled when she saw fear flash across her enemy's eyes. "You really want to go that far?"

Beth looked at her hand, then back at her. "You lay one finger on me, I'll sue you."

"You're not worth my touch, sorry," she said, pushing herself away before she could do anything worse. "And you lay one hand on my husband, you're dead, you understand? As you have been telling everyone, I did crash a car against another, right? Well, Beth, you should also know I can run you over." She saw Bethany's eyes widen with fear and horror before she whirled around and walked out the door.

She was shaking when as she made her way back to her table, her vision was unfocused, her tears welling in her eyes.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Chanty asked her.

"I'm fine. I think I need to go home. I feel tired and I don't like the food."

"We'll go with you."

"No," she said quickly. "I...I need to be alone."

"You're not getting soft, are you?" Angelica asked.

"No," she lied. "Actually, I just gave Beth a picture of hell in the comfort room. That's why I need to run. She will be furious as hell."

Angelica laughed. Chanty snorted and said, "Okay, go now. We'll take care of things. She goes after you, we'll be right behind to pull her pretty black hair back."

"And drag her down the street," Angelica added. "I'll do the honor."

"Thanks. That fits the picture. I actually told her I'll run her over with a car," Cassandra muttered. And then she realized something. "Uh, I left my bag in Philip's car. I need money for a cab."

Angelica rolled her eyes but opened her purse. "I only have a few ten bucks. You better pay me back. Doctors aren't rich, you know."

"You're a doctor?" she asked, shocked.

"Yes, I am. And I need money too. And I still can't believe you're walking off."

"Don't mind her," Chanty said dismissively. "She's got money you couldn't count. And go. You need a break."

Cassandra smiled at them gratefully and walked off with six ten-dollar bills from Angelica. She didn't bother finding her husband. He could be anywhere talking and smiling with his associates. What a moron! And how many times had she called him that today anyway?

The moment she stepped out the restaurant doors, she briskly walked away. She didn't know where she should go. And her high heels weren't helping at all.

Where? Where are we going, Cass? She asked herself.

She looked behind her, silently hopeful that Philip would appear and run after her to stop her from leaving. Too much for wishful thinking... she sighed when she saw nothing familiar.

"I need a drink," she muttered. Her first instinct told her to call Harrison and invite him, but she decided against it. He would think she was having trouble—which was true—and who could imagine what he'd do?

So she went alone. She needed time for herself without Philip, Beth, or Dennis to think about.

*****

"Where's Cassandra?" Philip asked his sister.

"She left," Chanty snapped. "And we're leaving as well." His sister roughly brushed against him as she walked off.

Angelica stood to follow his sister but paused. "You're a moron, Philip."

He frowned. "What?"

"You don't know a thing about women," Angelica said with a shake of her head. "Your wife was nearly in tears when she left. That should be enough to tell you how ignorant you are." Angelica rolled her eyes before she left.

Philip gaped after the woman. Didn't she hate Cassandra? What happened?

Bethany approached him with a smile on her face. "I'm sorry, Philip. Things are a bit complicated with your wife and—"

He snapped his head at Bethany. "What did you say to her?"

Bethany stopped cold. "I did not say anything to her."

He frowned. "I thought you said 'the past is in the past'?"

Bethany gulped and blinked. "It is. She provoked me. What did you expect me to do? Let her humiliate me at my own party?"

His jaw tightened. He stepped away and said, "I think it's time I leave. Send the papers I need to sign to my office by morning."

"Philip—" Bethany started but Philip held up his hand to stop her.

"And one more thing, Beth," he said, voice filled with warning. "Cass was driving when your brother decided to tell her they should cancel the wedding."

Bethany looked stunned.

"Just thought you should know that because apparently you don't," he said, stepping away. "She lost control the same way some of us drop a glass of water after some shocking news, Bethany." He started to leave. "My wife does not deserve anyone's ire. I believe she suffered enough from the guilt she does not even have to feel in the first place."

Without another glace back, Philip stormed out of the place to look for his wife.

*****

Drinking helped her clear her mind and calmed her down. She was not having drinking problems. She didn't crave for it. She just needed a drink that moment. She went to an old place she frequented before she was forced to live in a house by the woods.

Cassandra didn't know how long she'd been gone, or what time it was, but she didn't care. All she knew was that it was getting dark and her husband was probably searching for her—if the thought crossed his mind that his wife was missing, that is.

It was a good thing she knew the bartender on shift that day. Carlos had been successful in shoving away every man who tried to hit on her for the last couple of hours since she arrived. She gave him a grateful smile as the last man walked off with a cuss. Carlos just winked and continued with his work, his big muscled hands expertly working on some bottles.

She gulped down the rest of her beer and closed her eyes. She was not drunk, but she was tired. Tired of everything. "I really need to pull myself together. I'm in a freaking chaos," she said to herself.

She wanted to blame everything to her dad, but she was through that. All had been said and done and she had to move on. She had to handle things on her own and she had to stand firm.

"Why did I do that?" she asked, remembering her encounter with Beth. "I shouldn't have cared. Sure, he's my husband, but he's not really my husband, right?"

"Hey, Cass, you okay?" Carlos asked with concern. She didn't notice that he was standing across her in the bar, wiping his hands with a towel.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine."

"You're talking to yourself."

"I know."

"What's wrong? You don't talk to yourself when you drink."

"It's nothing. Give me a beer," she ordered.

"I don't think so. You're alarming me right now."

"I'm fine, Carlos. Give me a freaking beer."

Her friend shook his head.

She glared at him. "Fine. Here," she handed him her phone, the only thing she had on her aside from the money Angelica gave her.

"What's this?" Karl asked, taking her phone.

"It's my phone. You can call my husband when something goes wrong with me. He's on my speed dial."

"You have about ten missed calls from..." Carlos worked on her phone and continued, "Chanty and some guy Philip—" her statement must have already reached his brain because he stopped and snapped his head toward her. "Wait. You're married?"

She held up her hand to show him her ring. "Yeah, yeah, I am. Now, give me that beer."

"Hey, it's ringing. It's Philip."

"Don't answer that. Now, the beer?"

Carlos scratched his bald head, his face crunching up. "Fine. But I'm calling your husband if you as much as throw up."

"Whatever," she muttered.

*****

She was halfway through her beer when Carlos walked back to her, his face frowning. "Your phone's been ringing like crazy and I can't work with it buzzing against my ass."

"Then give it back," she reached out blindly.

Being a bartender made him an expert in assessing those who were able to walk alone and those who would need a ride home. "I think I'll give your husband a call now."

"No, give me my phone back," she exclaimed and almost fell off the high stool, the alcohol climbing up her brain.

"I already did," her friend said apologetically, sliding her phone across the bar and walked off with a chuckle.

"I hate you!" she shouted at his back.

"And I love you, Cass. Just don't get too drunk next time!" he said over his shoulder with a laugh.

Her first instinct was to walk out before her husband came, but it was too late. She already saw his familiar frame outside the door.

Without thinking, she jumped off to the floor and walked to the entrance of the bar where Carlos was working.

"Hey, Cass, you can't enter beyond that point!" Carlos shouted, but she was already past the point and was striding toward the big bartender. "What's wrong with you? Did you take something?"

"No," she hissed as she hid behind him, peering through the gap between his arm and his side. Carlos was a big man and a great shield.

"What the hell are you doing?" Carlos asked, looking over his shoulder. "I'm working and I'll be dead if my boss finds out about this." Some customers at the bar were already staring curiously at them.

"It's your fault," she hissed, slapping his back. "Just stand still."

"Are you hiding from that man?" he pointed his head toward his right. She peered through his armpit.

"Cassandra," Philip's voice said not far away. "What the hell are you doing?"

She pretended not to hear and pressed closer against Carlos' broad back.

Carlos tried to shrug her away. "Cass, someone's talking to you," he said.

"Tell him to go away," she said loudly. "Tell him I don't want to see him."

"You're acting like a kid," Philip said, but his voice was already beside her. She grabbed Carlos' shirt and pulled him so he was between her and her angry husband.

"Really, people, you should get out. This bar is off limits to customers," Karl was trying to explain.

"I'm not leaving with you," she said, addressing her husband.

"And why is that?"

"Because I might kill you, you moron!"

"What?"

"You heard me right. I might kill you!"