Wrong move.
“Un-fucking-believable,” he muttered, pacing once before turning back to her, his expression twisting with something between disgust and disbelief.“And you were going to get up on that altar tomorrow, and, what?Carry on with this sick, twisted game?”
“Don't act like you're not using me to get back at her!”Lori screamed, pointing in my direction, tears streaming down her face.“Every chance you get, you're looking at her—wanting her!Well, what about me?This bitch takes everything for granted, including you, and you still want her!So don't go playing the faithful fiancé card.”
“Don't try to turn this around on me.This was a means to an end for me, and you fucking knew that.My image, my family, my name—everything was tied to this.And now you do this.Did you honestly think you’d get away with this?That no one would find out?”His voice dropped again, colder now.“You’ve got to be the dumbest person I’ve ever met.”
“Chase—”
He cut her off, seemingly unbothered by her tears.“No, don't talk.You just fucked everything up.”
Lori shook her head, tears spilling faster now, her composure completely gone.“Chase, please, just listen to me, it’s not—”
“I said don’t talk!”he barked, stepping toward her, his presence looming in a way that was meant to intimidate.“You don’t get to charm your way out of this.There is no version of this where you don't make me look like a complete embarrassment.”
Her face crumpled.“You’re humiliating me—”
“I’mhumiliatingyou?”he shot back incredulously, pointing at himself like the idea was offensive.“If anything, you should be thanking me for not dragging you out of here right now and letting everyone seeexactlywho you are.”
“Chase—”
“You had one fucking job,” he went on, completely ignoring her again.“One.Show up, look good, be worthy of standing next to me, and not screw anything up.”
His lip curled slightly.
“And somehow you still managed to fail at that.”
Her shoulders shook now, quiet sobs slipping through despite her attempts to hold them back.“I didn’t mean for this to happen—”
“Oh, please.”He scoffed, rolling his eyes.“You didn’t accidentally fall into bed with him.You knew what the fuck you were doing.And now I have to clean this up.Spin it.Fix it.Because you couldn’t keep your legs closed long enough to get through one wedding.”
Lori broke completely at that, a sob escaping her as she covered her face.Chase ran a hand down his face and turned away from her.I watched it all unfold, and you wouldn't believe how grateful I was not to be linked to that man anymore.
Lori turned to me in a fury, cheeks stained with tears and mascara.“You ruined everything!Why do you have to take everything from me?”
“Just be quiet,” Chase murmured, pinching his nose before he turned those hard eyes on me.“How much do you want for the photos?”
Seriously?
I stared at him in disbelief, and it was clear to me that he never really understood me.
“You know I was never interested in your money, Chase.I’m not releasing anything,” I said calmly.Lori’s eyes were wide and Chase’s were a bit harder to read.
“Out of respect for your parents,” I continued, meeting his gaze directly.“They were kind to me when we were together.They don’t deserve to be dragged into this… well, at least your mother doesn't.Whatever you do with the information is completely up to you.This entire situation showed me exactly who both of you are, and you know what?I've outgrown you.”
Saying those words, sensing the truth of them, was almost like lifting a weight off my shoulders.All the anger, the shame, the plotting revenge—none of it mattered anymore.
I was finally free.
A familiar warmth slid around my waist, and I smiled at the tingling sensation he brought me.When I glanced up at Jaxon, he pressed a kiss to my forehead then looked directly at Chase.
“You're going to think about this for a long time, and when you do, I want you to remember this as the moment you chose wrong.Because she”—his arm tightened just slightly around me—“will always be the best thing you ever lost.”
Chase’s jaw clenched as they held each other's gaze for a moment.Then Chase flared his nose and looked down at me.
“So he's your choice, then?He's—”
As if that was even a question.
