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“You know,” she said, tilting her head with an underlying smirk. “Money, status…expensive jewellery.”
“What about love?”
She shrugged. “That’s the sacrifice, I guess. You can’t have it all, especially when he’s in love with someone else.”
What? My heartbeat accelerated and I fumbled my camera. “How…how do you know that?”
“He told me,” she stated, matter-of-factly. “He’s using our engagement to distract his parents from whatever plan he’s devised to make it work with her.”
Her unexpected honesty rendered me speechless.
“It’s okay though, it won’t work out.” She twirled the giant diamond ring around her finger. “I’m just biding my time until he realises it.”
All the blood rushed from my face. “What makes you think it won’t work?”
“From what I can tell, she isn’t Harlow material. He wouldn’t be so secretive if she was,” she said, rubbing her arms. “I’ve known him my entire life, and he’s never gone against his parents wishes. He tried once, but we all knew he wouldn’t follow through. So as much as he thinks this girl is the one, he’s engaged to me. It maybe for the wrong reason right now, but it won’t be long before he realises it’s just easier this way.”
I nodded like I understood, but I was in shock. Melanie’s intentions were entirely different to what she’d led Grayson to believe.
“It’s not like he’s the only one who’s had to give up love for the greater good of the family,” she muttered, before tipping the flask into her mouth.
Say what? I brought the camera back to my face. “So, you had someone?”
“Oh, it doesn’t matter, not anymore. We were just stupid kids.” Snap. Her eyelids fluttered at the sound of my camera, but she kept on talking. “My parents didn’t approve of him, so it never would have worked out.” A single tear ran down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. Snap.
I wondered if he was like me. A nobody. “Why didn’t they approve?”
“He wasn’t Grayson,” she said, with a laugh to mask her obvious pain. “Our parents have been planning our wedding since we were kids. They weren’t going to let anyone get in the way of that.”
“What did they do?”
“They didn’t have to do anything. Some shit went down with Scott’s dad, and he spilt. No explanation. Not even a goodbye.” Her lower lip trembled. Snap. “The best part was finding out I was pregnant weeks later.”
My eyes bulged.
“Oh, don’t worry,” she uttered, watching my reaction. “I miscarried.”
“How old were you?” Surely I had the timeline wrong.
“Seventeen. I know, how stupid right? It all worked out for the best though. Grayson was there to pick up the pieces…” She smiled tightly. “And the rest is history.”
Breathe, Josie, breathe. My chest tightened over my hammering heart. “Did you…” I cleared my throat. “Did you ever find out what happened to him?”
She stared at the ground. “A few years ago, I heard rumours he’d moved here and become some hotshot lawyer. Apparently has his own firm in Midtown called Blackwood & Associates.”
“Have you seen him since?”
“God no. I won’t even venture to that side of town just in case.” Her jaw twitched. “There’s no point anyway. I almost have everything I want.”
Lines creased my forehead as I tried to fathom her logic. “Almost?”
Melanie gathered up her coat and wrapped it around her body before settling back on the park bench. “How important is love in the scheme of things anyway? My parents seem to do okay without it.”
I thought about my parents. Their love for each other, their love for me. “I think it’s the most important,” I replied, barely above a whisper. I sat down beside her.
Melanie chuckled. “Spoken like a person in love. Who’s the lucky guy?”
“Oh, no.” I flustered, packing away my camera. “It’s just…well, it’s my job to believe that.”
