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“Verity, what are you doing here?”
I tried to suppress the annoyance in my voice.
“Rhett, I thought I’d surprise you. Your brother told me you came down here to collect your car yesterday, but you didn’t return due to the storm, and I wanted to come and see if you were okay. Plus, your mother is having a family dinner this evening and said it was important for you to attend.”
The woman was damn well overstepping her boundaries. She took no care nor interest in my apparent disregard for her and bypassed me and spoke to Serena.
“So, how do you know Rhett, or do you just work at the hotel?”
“No, I met him at my father’s garage. We repaired his car, and?—”
Verity interrupted her before she could continue.
“Oh, what a wonderful service. You repair and deliver. Rhett, make sure you give the nice girl a large tip.”
And with that, she turned her back to Serena, effectively shutting her out, then tucked her arm into mine and pulled me away.
“We must get going and make our way back. Luckily, I got my hair blow dried this morning, but I still need to get ready. After all, your mother said it was important for everyone to be there as there’s to be a big announcement. I believe she wishes to announce our engagement.”
“What?” I snapped.
I couldn’t believe what she had just said. My eyes flashed over to Serena, and the person I was looking at wasn’t the woman I had gotten to know deeply and intimately over the past twenty-four hours. All I could see was anger, hurt, and pain.
“Serena,” I began because all this had become a nightmare. “It’s not true. It’s…”
She looked at me as if I was a stranger and shook her head.
Clearing her throat, she turned to Verity.
“It was lovely to meet you, and congratulations on your engagement.”
Verity smiled and nodded at her.
“Mr Chambers, please call the garage for any further issues with your car. And congratulations on your engagement.”
She turned and started making her way toward the large glass doors. I could not believe what was happening.
“Wait, Serena, let me explain.”
Running after her, I grabbed her hand. Her skin felt like it was on fire, and I was not meant to touch it. She instantly pulled out of my grip, and her eyes were the darkest green I had ever seen.
“I don’t want to hear it. I can’t even bear to look at you. How dare you! I should have listened to my gut instincts about you. God, I can’t believe I was so stupid. I wish you and your fiancée all the best. I hope she knows what kind of man she is marrying.”
“Serena, I am not engaged to her. Listen. Let me talk.”
“Okay, so you’re planning to get engaged. That’s semantics. Please leave me alone, there’s nothing more to say.”
Steeling her spine, her gaze darted to the exit doors, and she turned to leave.
“No, I can’t let you go. This is a complete misunderstanding, if you give me a minute to explain things.”
“Rhett, no! I don’t want to hear what bullshit story you have concocted to justify lying to me. I didn’t ask anything of you. You were the one who wouldn’t drop it. You’re the one who kept pushing for me. All the while, your girlfriend—fiancée, whatever you want to call her, is sitting at home, thinking she has hit the jackpot with you. I cannot believe I let myself think you were a decent guy. My biggest regret is believing that Julian was the lesser brother. How wrong was I?”
Those words cut like a knife. I knew how and what she thought of my brother, it was exactly what I thought of him. And now she thought I was worse than him. I didn’t know how to come back from that.
I watched as she ran out the door, her head bowed and shoulders shaking. My body hummed and vibrated with anger as I tried to understand everything that happened in the last two minutes.
With balled-up fists, I started walking towards the main entrance. As I scanned the sidewalk, I couldn’t see her amongst the small crowds walking by. Verity was shouting my name and began following me.
