All eyes were on me.
Some smirked, some sneered, some pitied.
I calmly greeted the people I knew and was about to sit down with Paige when I heard Genevieve’s voice.
“Carvel”
12:19 PM
“Carys!”
She came over to take my hand. “Let’s sit over there.”
I pulled my hand back, my face a blank mask. “I’m fine sitting with Paige.”
Genevieve froze. “Carys, are you still angry with me?”
For some reason, a bad feeling crept over me.
Sure enough, her eyes reddened in the next second.
“Forcing you to sacrifice your reputation and marry Donovan was my fault. I know that. But I’ve been trying so hard to make it up to you. What more do you want before you can forgive me?”
“I know you and Donovan had a marriage in name only for three years, and that was unfair to you. But ask yourself, has he ever mistreated you during that time?”
Hah.
In name only.
All those years, he claimed to love Genevieve, yet under the guise of trying for a child, he demanded my body night after night.
Seeing the flicker of guilt in Donovan’s eyes, I suddenly laughed.
Genevieve momentarily forgot to cry. “What… what are you laughing at?”
“The two of you… you really are with
I stood up. “Since none of your
match
in heaven.”
me here, there’s no reason for me to stay.”
Paige quickly grabbed my arm. “Don’t go! Ronan told you to wait for him here.”
The moment she said it, someone else chimed in.
“What? Why would Ronan Finch ask Carys to wait for him?”
Mo Paige declared proudly, “Because Ronan Finch is Carys’s boyfriend!”
第二章
The room erupted in laughter.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Who is Ronan Finch, and who is Carys Merrick? Boyfriend? Seriously?”
“Exactly! Besides, they weren’t even in the same year at college. If you’re
going to lie, at least make it believable.” “A divorcée and one of the hottest musicians in the country? You guys have some imagination!” Paige rolled her eyes. “This is why people only believe what fits their narrow worldview. Believe it or Genevieve had stopped crying.
She approached me, her voice laced with false concern.
“Carys, stop this nonsense. Ronan isn’t someone you should be fantasizing about. Just apologize move past this.”
Donovan’s voice cut through the noise, low and firm.
“Ronan has been in love with a girl for ten years. He came back this time for her.”
not, I don’t care.
to
everyone so we can
Genevieve added, “That’s right, Carys. You weren’t in our year, so you wouldn’t know. He was crazy about her back then. Don’t be foolish.”
“I know,” I said, cutting her off.
Not only did I know about it, I also knew exactly who that girl was.
To be honest, I hadn’t known at first.
Ronan had hidden it too well.
When we met in that small town, I didn’t recognize him, and he treated me like a complete stranger.
It wasn’t until after he left without a word.
I spent my days in the room he’d stayed in, just staring into space.
He’d left a lot of things behind, and I told myself that meant he had to come back.
I gathered his belongings and moved them into my own room.
Among them, I found a journal.
It chronicled his entire adolescence, a long, secret love story.
That’s when I learned that during all those years I felt trapped and alone, someone had been watching over me from afar. Genevieve tried to take my hand again.
“Since you know everything, you should stay away from Ronan.”
“The reason we asked you back was because the family has arranged a match for you. His family is well–off, he’s an only son, never been married, and he’s a decent guy. When the time comes, you can…
Paige couldn’t take it anymore. “If he’s as great as you say, why don’t you marry him?”
Genevieve’s face flushed. “Donovan and I are already engaged. Besides, I’ve never forgotten Donovan all these years.”
I nodded with dawning understanding. “So for all these years, you’ve been pining for your own brother–in–law, and only wanted to marry your own brother–in–law. Am I understanding that correctly?”
Instantly, the way everyone looked at Genevieve changed.
She stammered, trying to explain. “No, that’s not it. Donovan and I… we…”
Just as the tears were about to fall, Donovan’s sharp voice cut in. “That’s enough!”
He stared at me, his jaw tight, his eyes dark and intense.
“I’m the one who wronged you. Don’t take it out on her.”
Paige was furious. “Donovan, are you blind and deaf? From the moment we walked in here, Genevieve has been the one stirring up trouble!”
Genevieve buried her face in Donovan’s chest, her shoulders shaking. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”
She was always so good at playing the innocent little flower. Then and now.
The crowd rushed to her defense,”
12:19 PM
♥………Iy up “www.
Genevieve buried her face in Donovan’s chest, her shoulders shaking. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault:”
She was always so good at playing the innocent little flower. Then and now.
The crowd rushed to her defense.
