Belle paced in her room. Had Peter ended the bet, and why hadn't she asked him for details? She should have. The more Jennifer's words swirled in her mind, the more her shoulders tensed.

As the sun set outside her balcony, a knock reverberated in the air. She inhaled and threw open the door. Peter wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

Her hands didn't curl around him, though her lips tingled from his taste. Her fingers ached to run through his hair, but she balled her hands together to stay at her sides.

He let her go and stared at her, "What's wrong?"

She used both of her hands and pushed him out of arms reach. Peter walked inside her room and closed the door. She stormed into the living room on the first floor. He followed, and then she turned and crossed her arms.

"Peter, that's the last kiss we should have."

He rubbed his chin as he widened his stance. His stare sent heat through her, and it mixed with the molten hot lava of betrayal.

She clenched her jaw as he asked, "Why?"

Her entire body stiffened as she widened her legs, much like he had. Then she lifted her chin to stare at him.

"I need you to tell me about the bet that you'd date me."

His lips parted, and his eyes grew larger. "What happened that you brought it up now?"

"Details. I should be able to ask for them." Her eyes were going to water, but she refused to cry in front of him. This wasn’t worth being the first time she let herself go. She cleared her throat and then stared at him like he was her enemy at war.

"Is what Jennifer said about the bet true?

"Jennifer..." He stepped closer, but Belle blocked and stood behind the sofa. He nodded his head. "At the party, before you walked in, Colt and John both bet me that I couldn't date any woman I set my mind too. I told you I believed everyone has their price."

No. A bet should not change her life. She stormed past him and headed to the door. As she crossed the living room, Peter brushed against her arm. She froze and then pointed to the door.

"Get out now."

His face was contorted, and he didn't move a muscle. "Just wait, one minute. I thought you knew?"

"At the hospital, Jennifer mentioned it. We had so much else going on that I left it on the back burner. I always wanted to know." If he wasn't going to leave, then she'd have to show him out. Her heart hammered in her chest as she yelled, "I hope you speak to your mom and grow close to your family, Peter. I want the best for you. But right now, I'm upset, and I want you to leave."

He came closer. She was close to tears, and no she'd not let him touch her. She stepped away so that the chair on the other side of the living room forced them to have space.

Peter didn't move, like he didn't want to scare an animal as he said, "Wait, Belle. I called off the bet, long before either of those conversations."

She rolled her eyes. Here came the explanation. Her jaw hurt from clenching it, but it didn't matter right now. He had to leave. She crossed her hands and tapped her foot.

"When? When did you call it off? Before we slept together?"

He nodded with those big, sexy eyes of his. "Yes, actually it was."

Another truth or another excuse? Belle's ears steamed. She covered them and refused to look at him. "I don't want to hear anymore."

He walked around the chair, but kept the distance between them. He was closer to the door. "I'd rather talk about this. Belle, I need you."

Her eyes misted. She'd not cry. She never cried in front of an audience. She kept her body tight, and she swallowed her unshed sobs. Her skin was electrified, and she clenched her hands.

"No, you'd rather convince me that I can overlook this. I was right the first time I met you and I said you should leave me alone."

He took a step toward the door. "I called it off, Belle, at my sister's wedding. It's what we talked about with the brother-sister dance."

His entire family knew. Colt was probably in on this. Everyone loved to ensure her life was miserable. She pointed to the door.

"Lovely. Peter, one day I want to fall in love and be with a guy who finds me attractive and has a heart that's available to me. That's not you. You still think everyone has a price."

His hands fell to his side as his voice cracked. "Belle."

She flew past him and opened the door. "Goodbye."

She refused to look at him as he went out the door. As their arms brushed against each other, the sting of sadness hit her hard. She held together and slammed the door shut the moment he walked outside.

Everything hit her at once. She stared into the room and no longer fought to stop the waterworks. Tears rushed down her cheeks, and she sunk to the floor and hugged her knees. One question swirled in her mind. Was it so hard for a guy to ever truly love her?

---

Night grew darker in the sky, and Belle could barely stand. She used the door to help her, and her limbs shivered from the cold marble floor. Her tears had dried, but she was so numb.

Her phone beeped that she had a message. Her heart hoped it was Peter as she stumbled across the room to the coffee table. She wiped her face and picked up the phone. She saw it was her friend, and her stomach fell.

She sniffled and asked, Are you back at the hotel?

Yeah, but aren’t you on a hot and heavy date with Mr. Monopoly?

No. He's gone forever.

Forever? I'm coming up.

Belle threw cold water on her face in the bathroom. A minute later, a light knock on the door reverberated in the air. She fixed her dress, and with every step to open it, she wished for Peter, though she didn't know what she'd say now. She flung open the door, and her best friend must have seen her wash away the tears.

“This is bad. You didn’t even cry over Colt.” Em hugged her and said, "Tell me what happened."

Belle stepped away from the door to let her in. She closed the door behind her and waited for the lock. Then she felt the flood of tears that threatened to reemerge. She rocked on her feet as she stepped closer.

"Em, today has been the worst day ever."

Her friend's open eyes just made Belle look away as Em asked, "Why? What happened?"

She folded her hands and slumped into the couch. This was too much. She kept seeing Peter's wide eyes as he stood in the living room with her and said he called it off.

She sniffled and shook her head. "Peter used me to win a stupid bet."

Em's voice was loud, and it pierced through Belle. "He what?"

She couldn't say he called it off while being publicly videotaped for posterity. Every time Colt and Vicki watched their wedding video, the entire Morgan family would remember how Peter had made a bet to date her. Once again, another guy wasn't interested in her, and she had to forget him.

She hugged her stomach and avoided Em's stares. "He used me."

Em sat beside her with one leg on the couch next to her. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm so sorry. You deserved better than that."

She sniffled. Perhaps she was over reacting and should forgive Peter. Right now her entire body felt wretched and numb. Her eyes opened and she peeked at her friend.

"The thing is, though, he said he called it off."

Em shrugged her shoulders. "So?"

The casual shrug was not what she had hoped for. Em should have said 'forgive him because I would.'

Belle's shoulders quaked as she said, "So it means he's still in my heart and part of me wants to forgive him so I can see this through. Can you do something for me tonight?"

Em's gaze narrowed, and she stood up. "What do you need? Alcohol? We can hit the bar and drink away your tears?"

A bar might numb her mind tonight. She purposely took out her phone and charged it in the corner of the room. She'd not be tempted to drunk call Peter if she didn't have her phone. Her throat was sore from crying. She lifted her head.

"Yeah, that sounds good. You know me well."

Em headed to the door fast and smiled as she flung it open. "Let's stop in my room first. I want to change into a nice pair of jeans in case there is a hot guy for me. You're clearly off the market tonight."

This was a dress she had worn to be with Peter. Perhaps her friend was right that she should put on a pair of jeans and her tee shirt. She rushed upstairs and stared at her mother's picture on her bedside.

"I'll meet you there then in five minutes."

"We have a plan." Em walked to the door and let herself out.

---

The music blared as Belle made her way through throngs of people who sat around and drank. The dance floor under the moon played heavy samba music, and a few of the couples seemed deep into each other. She imagined how Peter might hold her as they made their way across the floor in this dance where hands and bodies moved in fluid motion.

She swallowed and turned away. She saw Em sitting at one of the tables to the side where there were less people. Belle nodded, wiped her hands on her jeans and maneuvered through the crowd.

As she neared the table, someone spilled red wine on her white tee shirt. She wouldn't stay out now. The man apologized, and Belle walked away.

She stood and showed Em the shirt. Em pointed to sit anyhow. Belle sank into the metal seat, so she'd not ruin any white cushions. Em pushed a drink toward her.

Belle stared at it. "I should go change."

"You're not looking for a man," Em said. "I say beep it and you drink your drink while you blast off all the reasons you hate Peter, and yet you want to go back to him."

Belle didn't touch the drink and licked her lips. "I do want to talk about Peter."

Em again reached across the table and pushed the wine glass into her hand. "So ignore the world and tell me. I won't judge, though I did find myself actually approving of Mr. Monopoly for that microsecond we met."

"Don't call him that, though I shouldn't be defending him."

If Peter were here, she'd be tempted to tell him to forget everything she had said. But part of her still felt as if a knife was slicing into her heart, and the pain was intense. She gulped her drink and then winced.

"I don't know what I want to do."

Em clinked her glass with Belle's and then sipped hers. "You know exactly what you want, but the problem is you don't want to admit it to yourself yet."

Right now she didn't have to do anything but hope this wound inside her healed. She sipped and finished her glass. "Is it wrong of me to want a guy who is interested in me?"

"No." Em refilled the bottle without waiting for the staff. "How did this whole bet thing start? How did you find out?"

Belle held the glass in her hand, but then saw how everyone on the dance floor moved in every direction as the music blared in her eardrums.

"Jennifer told me."

"The ex-girlfriend?"

"The same."

Em scooted closer and sipped hers, "And you believe her?"

Belle shook her head no. She'd never forget Peter Morgan.

She clutched the drink and said, "I shouldn't, but I asked Peter, and he admitted that he made a bet to date me before I even walked in the door of the party."

"He admitted it?"

"Actually I knew before Jennifer told me, and didn't ask him about it the first time. It wasn't until Jennifer told me to my face and it felt like derision that I got this upset."

Em clinked her glass again, and Belle tried to block her thoughts of Peter as Em said, "So you are giving Mr. Monopoly to his ex-girlfriend practically wrapped with a bow on his forehead and a tag that reads ‘he’s yours’, without asking yourself if you can let this all go?"

"I can't let him go." Belle gulped her wine. "But Peter has so much on his plate already."

Em sat in her chair. She sipped her drink. "His mother returned. You stood at his side, and you both seemed happy earlier."

Belle massaged her temples. Everything started to slow down. "I was, but I don't like being used. Once I give in, then it's a lifetime of giving in and being ignored."

Em placed her hand on her back. "Why in the world would that happen?"

"It's how my stepmother and father's entire relationship works these days."

"First they are your parents, so they are old fashioned, and second, forgiveness is not about giving in. It's about accepting you're humans who make mistakes."

She was probably right. "I should go find Peter."

She stood. She should have asked for details sooner. She was throwing away her chance, and she refused to continue on this path. Hopefully, Peter would forgive her.