Chapter 4
The wedding never happened in the end.[]
After all, three high–profile families couldn’t just swap out brides at the last minute.[]
They blamed everything on me being a spoiled brat.[]
Even though everyone saw Arthur kiss Cynthia.[]
Even though Cynthia paraded around in my wedding dress.[]
I was still the bad guy who didn’t get any sympathy.[]
The wedding photographer I’d hired suddenly sent me a bunch of photos–all of them were intimate shots of Cynthia and Arthur together.
Everyone’d think they were the actual couple getting married today.
“Ms. Omelas, Ms. Valentine said to bill whoever hired me. Can you settle the final payment now?“]
“I shot over a hundred photos total. I can handle all the retouching too.”
My heart was pounding like crazy and my eyes got so blurry I couldn’t read the texts anymore.
They destroyed my wedding and now they were rubbing it in my face.
But nobody thought she did anything wrong.
I transferred the money, put my phone down and decided I was done with this whole shitstorm.[]
I kept having these messed up dreams where Arthur still had those bright eyes from when we first met, telling me he was crazy about me.
Just a fantasy. When I woke up, the only emotion in Arthur’s eyes was impatience.
“Get dressed. We’re going out to eat.“]
I shot up in bed–should’ve locked the damn door.[]
“I’m not going anywhere with you. We broke up, remember? You can’t just barge in here–that’s called harassment.“]
My words seemed to hit a nerve.
His knuckles went white where he was gripping the bed frame.[]
“Lorraine, use your brain for once. You think our relationship is some kind of joke? Do you have any idea how many people you’re screwing over?”
It was all about those messy business deals, using our marriage to secure their precious empire.[]
I stared at him and asked, “If there weren’t any business deals involved, you never would’ve agreed to marry me, would you?“[]
Chapter 4
He went completely still.[]
The tension in his face relaxed for just a second–total guilt written all over him.[]
I already knew he didn’t love me anymore.[]
But seeing that reaction still felt like a knife to the chest.
It was all about money keeping him from going after what he really wanted.]
I looked away, trying to seem like I didn’t care.[]
“Don’t worry, I’ll try to keep all the existing benefit partnerships intact. Whatever falls through, I’ll cover the losses with my shares.“]]
He stood up and blocked my path.
“I’m not here to talk business with you.“[]
“The families already gave Cynthia hell yesterday, and I’m apologizing too. I was a total ass, so I’m taking you to dinner to make up for it. We don’t need to blow this up into something bigger.“]]
A make–up dinner?
I started cracking up.[]
I’d heard that bullshit so many times before.[]
And every single time, it was just an excuse for them to mess with me.]]
Like when they left me stranded in some sketchy part of the Bronx when it was ten below zero for five hours.
I nearly froze to death.
If Arthur hadn’t felt guilty about that, he probably never would’ve agreed to marry me in the first place.
“Arthur, what’s the plan this time? How are you gonna screw me over now?“]
I was laughing but tears were streaming down my face.
He was about to yell at me but stopped himself.[]
Instead, he just shoved me toward the door, looking annoyed.[]
“Stop projecting your twisted thoughts onto Cynthia! She even bought you a gift today!“[]
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