Chapter 24
Austur quickly shot back. “Laurel, I’ve never stopped losing you. Rosemary already apologized. Can you just stop being so damn stubborn?”
I scofed. “Tine, if you won’t admit it, then I will. I don’t love you anymore. And keep your crazy–au sister away from me. Seriously, who the hell mendid believe anything a lunatic says?
I wanted everyone to know that no matter what bullshit Rosernary spouted in the future, it’d never be trusted.
Of course, Swain wasn’t about to tell anyone the muth about that night.
What guy could stomach knowing his girlfriend.
meone he’s been with for so long–ended up in another dude’s bed because he fucked up?
cept that secret all this time
If he even thought about exposing it, the fallout would bury him.
He actually left his drunk girlfriend in the middle of the night to go take care of his sister, and he’s kept
They probably never thought Fid stay so calm in the Lace of their threats.
I sighed looking at Austin with a mix of frustration and slisbelief. “You’ve been lying to me all this time, and you don’t feel even a little guilty!”
Austin froze for a second, his eyes reddening.
It looked like my cold breakup scared han more than I expected.
Maybe he was freaked out about losing someone he could easily control, or maybe he just realized he was losing a woman who’d been desperate to marry him for years.
After all, even a pet you’ve had for six years is tough to let go of. How much harder is it with a woman who’s been trying to lock you down?
Suddenly, a wine glass shattered at my feet, interrupting whatever Austin was about to say. Rosemary’s eyes were flashing with anger, sadness, and a
whole lot of drama
Angela quickly stepped in front of me, shoving Rosemary back when she tried to get closer.
Then just like that, Rosemary tripped and fell
She let out a sharp stream as I saw a shard of glass sink deep into her palm, blood starting to pour out.
In her eyes, I saw a flicker of shock, but it was gone in a second, replaced with full–blown tears.
Maybe she only wanted a little scratch, but it turned our way worse than she expected.
I had already figured out her little act, and without her noticing. I kicked a chunk of glass right
If she wanted to fake an injury, then so be it. I’d let her, it was all on her.
tinto her path.
Just as Austin was about to yell at Angela, I grabbed a bottle of wine from the table, smashed it against the ground, and laughed coldly. “Rosemary. seriously, you never get tired of playing the set someone up game?
“Typical. Always either breaking or falling like a damn vase.”
“Didn’t think someone would actually have my back today, huh? You wanna play dirty
“Fine. Let’s go all in. Let’s lose our minds together. Let’s see who’s really nuts and who’s just putting on a show”
“Laurel, your friend hurt Rosemary, and you think you’re still in the right!” Austin glared at me.
His eyes were filled with so much pity for Rosemary, who was bawling ber eyes out.
In his eyes, I probably looked like the crazy, unreasonable one. He even stepped in from of Rosemary, like he was shielding her from me
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Austin, are you seriously still fooling yourself into thinking you love me? Every time she loses it, it’s all m Now that I’m losing it, somehow it’s still my
*Every damn time she has a meltdown, it’s my fault. But it’s always her who starts it–no, scratch that, it’s you both lying and scheming together.
Tim done with this crazy bitch. You wanna do something about it Go ahead, knock yourself out!”
Austin’s eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly realized I was done with him–completely.
1/2
3:35 PM d
Chapter 21
This was all has fault. It wasn’t ju
just Austin. It was Rosemary, and it was the internal struggle I’d been dealing with. The choices I’d been making.
I never thought that one day my relationship with Austin would spiral into this mess, ending like this,
Six years had passed, and only now, at this exact moment, did I wake up and see the reality of the people I thought I loved all these years.
I raised an eyebrow, glancing at Austin’s shocked face, and smirked. “You need me to call a therapist for you?”
With that. I laughed bitterly, tossing the half–finished wine bottle in the trash, my voice steady but icy. “Trash belongs in the trash”
Austin snapped out of his daze, grabbing Rosemary, and both of them quickly stormed out of the hall,
My mind drified back to high school, to that day in gym class when I was knocked over by a bunch of athletes and fell hard on the floor.
Austin rushed over in a panic, helping me up with that worried look on his face, his gaze filled with care and tenderness.
But that tenderness, that care, it faded. It didn’t disappear–it just shifted to someone else.
Maybe, back in those naive high school days, I was just a placeholder. The girl Austin truly loved had always been Rosemary–the childhood friend he’d grown up with
Angela helped me back home, and once there, I broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. It was like all the walls I had built came crashing down.
“Laurel, are you still hung up on Austin!” Angela asked, clearly concerned.
“Of course not” 1 mumbled, grabbing the wine bottle and taking a long swig. The booze mixed with my tears. I was just too damn stupid, holding on to a love that wasn’t meant for me.
“I knew he was lying, but I kept telling myself I could fix it, that everything would get better in time.
“But now I see it–every step in the wrong relationship is a mistake. If you can’t even control your own damn heart, how the hell are you supposed to control someone else’s
“Laurel, it’s not your fault, Austin’s really good at pretending.” Angela said softly.
“What about Alex? Is he just like that too?” I frowned, rubbing my
temples.
The alcohol was starting to hit, making my head feel heavy, and my words came out slow. “Forget it. Honestly, marrying him! It’s just a business dealk
Angela watched me, half–sympathetic, half–amused, as I laughed through the tears and drank like a me
She finally let out a sarcastic snicker. “What do you think? Alex probably has a thing for you already. This is just his way of getting closer.”
slumped against Angela’s shoulder, letting out a bitter laugh. “Angela, stop trying to make me feel better. A guy way he’d be interested in me. He’s probably just doing this to shut his grandpa up.”
like him? He’s seen it all. There’s no
“His grandpa“” Angela suddenly sat up, staring at me with wide eyes. After a long pause, she spoke slowly, “I remember my uncle mentioning that he’d been hurt by love before, and now he keeps women at a distance.
“But if you two actually make it work, maybe it’s not such a bad deal. If you’ve pissed off the Herrera family, he’s the only one who can protect you.”
“I haven’t pissed off their family. They’ve just been bullying me, I slurred, collapsing on the couch. The room was spinning, my head was foggy and everything telt off–kilter.
I have no idea how much time passed, but suddenly, I felt someone lifting me up gently, I struggled to open my eyes, and there, standing in fron of me, was a handsome face.
Weakly, I murmured, “Rabe, you’re here?”
AD
