Chapter N
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My thigh brushed against something hot and in an instant, realization dawned.”
My mind went blank and when I finally found my voice, it came out soft, laced with nervousness and a hint of plea.
“I… I’ve never done this before. Please… be gentle.”
Darren’s gaze darkened with desire he could no longer hide. After a kiss that left me breathless, he whispered, panting slightly, “Let’s go home first.”
10:30 AM
Meanwhile, Gerry’s face was ashen as he left the mall, empty–handed, Niana clinging to his arm.
Every bridal shop they’d entered had turned them away.”
As the president of the Stall Group, he couldn’t fathom such humiliation–being refused at every turn, as if he were nothing.”
And it was all because of Darren. That damned man had returned and turned everything upside down.”
The image of me wrapped in Darren’s arms burned into his memory, igniting a surge of rage in his chest. When we returned to the bridal chamber, Gerry immediately noticed a faint trace of dried blood on the floor.” He froze.}
This… this was from last night, wasn’t it?!
Memories flooded back.
It had been late. He’d fallen asleep from exhaustion, but was startled awake by a scream.
When he rushed out of the bedroom, he saw both Niana and I collapsed on the floor.
His first instinct was to help me–but then he remembered Niana was pregnant. So he turned to her instead.
In those few seconds, Niana had clutched his arm, her face pale with fear and said that I had tried to harm her unborn child. The words echoed in his head, fueling a growing fury.”
He didn’t stop to ask me what had really happened.}]
I had been sitting there, stunned and injured, trying to speak–but he didn’t want to listen.
He grabbed me roughly and dragged me to the door.”
He hadn’t cared that I cried out in pain when I slammed against the wall. Hadn’t cared that my elbow was bleeding, my face pale and shaking.”
At that moment, all he could think was…why won’t I ever listen to him?” Hadn’t he told me that after Niana gave birth, he would still marry me?! Why couldn’t I just be patient?”
Why couldn’t I accept Niana, just for a while?}
He convinced himself that I was being unreasonably cruel. That I had changed–become jealous and aggressive.} So he threw me out.”
He told himself it was only for half an hour–enough time for me to calm down and realize my mistake.
He planned to open the door, apologize and tend to my wounds.
But when he opened the door, I was gone.
Panic overtook him. He ran downstairs without even putting on shoes.
Niana had followed him, talking urgently, trying to calm him, but he couldn’t hear a single word.
Only when I mentioned the wedding dress did he finally pause.”
Right. A new dress. That would cheer me up. She’d always been easy to please. She must have gone home in anger and this would be his peace offering.
Somewhere deep down, Gerry knew the truth-
He’d cared about me long before Niana came into the picture.
Before Niana, everything he said to me had been sincere.
But I was an orphan and the Stall Family would never allow me to marry into the family.”
So when Niana came along–a woman with status and acceptance–he convinced himself it was okay to move on.
He thought he could love someone else. That if he couldn’t have me, he’d settle for someone close enough.”
But in the end, he had neither. And he’d ruined them both.
Darren was right.
He was a coward–too weak to resist his family, too selfish to let go of either woman and too blind to see the damage he’d caused until it was too late.
Suddenly, a thought hit him.”
The surveillance camera.
Gerry and I had installed it together, back when we were planning for a shared future. It was meant to help watch over the dog we’d
10:31 AM
The surveillance camera.
Gerry and I had installed it together, back when we were planning for a shared future. It was meant to help watch over the dog we’d
promised to adopt once we got married.
But now, it would show him something else.
Hands trembling, he logged into the account and pulled up the footage.
And there it was–clear as day.
The front door slamming shut.
The living room falling still.
And then, him…. returning with Niana in his arms and walking into the bedroom.
He stared at the screen, numb. The pain in his chest was no longer anger. It was regret. Bitter, choking regret.
He had thrown away the one person who truly loved him.
And someone else had picked me up.
Someone who didn’t hesitate.
Someone who had never let go.
10:31 AM
