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~ Olivia Taylor
ChapterThirty-Eight
I stood there,paralyzed as the images of Grey and what he’d promised to do earlier haunted me.
Edith… was she really this sick? And if she was, would I be willing to push my needs aside to grant her Greyson, the man she had loved before I did?
I wasn’t sure where I stood with this—with everything. Amidst all this drama was Greyson. Before I came back here, he’d made a decision, a decision that he should stand back in, but he was willing to throw it away to be with me.
I love him, I thought as I curled my hand on the charm bracelet, feeling helpless as I thought of the repercussions if we did follow through with our plan.
Grey and Edith had a very close relationship—I mean, for him to agree, let aloneconsiderher wish, they must’ve been extremely familiar with one another. I knew they’d had a sexual relationship before, but thinking about him doing everything from sex, taking her on dates, laughing with her—little things that bonded two people together—brought a pang of sadness, weighing heavily on my chest.
Hearing about their impending wedding had immediately made me scuttle to come back home, needing to see it for myself.
Ithurt. Goddamn, it hurt beyond reason.
I had so many questions, and the only person who could answer them was Greyson, who was waiting for me in the church somewhere. The church where they were supposed to get married in anhour.
My legs felt heavy as I trudged along towards the little section behind the kitchen to get one of Brett’s car keys, the Porsche. Again, nostalgia took precedence when I remembered that time Grey handed me the keys for the car. He was so sweet, and even then, he had been crazy about me—so crazy, in fact, that he hadn’t pushed me further until I was ready to give him my all.
Sighing didn’t make the heaviness on my chest go away as I reminded myself to fetch my purse before getting into the car. The last thing I needed on top of everything else was a ticket.
Once inside the confines of the car, seated and buckled, I took a deep breath and kissed the bracelet before haphazardly tying it loosely on my left arm.
The church wasn’t far. It took about ten minutes to get there, and with bated breath, I slid out of the car, still not sure what to say.
I loved him—
But would I be able to go through with this? I needed reassurance that Edith was still the same woman he’d had sex with whenever he was bored, and not someone who became more than that, someone special—the girl who had taken my place in his life. His heart, as he’d declared earlier, was mine, but what about the rest? Did Edith have those?
With jittery legs, I joined the throng of people who were walking towards the church, dressed superbly, chatting happily as they talked about how lovely the weather was, and how compatible the pairing of Grey and Edith was. The couple who had a few of their friends around them seemed like they truly believed it, which only made me less sure.
I was a few feet away from the entrance steps of the sacred dwelling when I stopped short, feeling overwhelmed by it all. Grey had said he’d be somewhere out back, so I took a detour and went through a different pathway that led to the side of the church where the garden was located.
My palms were sweaty, so I rubbed them against my dress as I paced towards the corridor that led to the garden when voices stopped me short. More specifically, Edith’s irritating voice stopped me short.
Leaning closer against the cold, stone pillar, I eavesdropped while my head ever so gently shifted to the left, peeking at the scene that played out where anyone walking about could see. However, everyone was gathered inside the church until the ceremony started.
The first thing I noticed was her wedding gown. It was white and it remarkably looked fantastic on her, complementing a small tiara that sat atop her head, looking pretty as she clutched onto Greyson’s lapels, gazing at him with sadness and tears glistening on her cheeks.
“Baby, please, we’ve gone through so much. Don’t do this to me,” she sobbed, reaching for Grey’s face. “You made me a promise.”
“I’m sorry,” he wretchedly whispered just loud enough for me to hear a trace of his voice. “I care for you, Edith, and I always will. I’ll even be there with you for everything that you need, for emotional support and appointments—” he paused, catching his breath. “I’ll be here for you, but I want to be where she is. Olivia’s going to be here soon; I have to go. I’m sorry.”
He was trying to move away, but Edith was persistent, moving along with him to block his way.
“She’s what—here for a couple days?” she mocked, targeting where it hurt the most. “She’s going back to Sydney, and what? You’re moving there, too, so you can move in with her and Liam?” she threw the question out there, slightly echoing in the empty garden. “Who’s going to help you pick-up the pieces, Greyson?”
When I saw Grey’s throat bob, I pulled back and leaned against the pillar, fighting the need to interfere, and yet, I wanted to see how they were together. I needed to see, hear and know where she stood in his life. If eavesdropping were the solution to this, then I would painfully stand back, feeling my emotions ripped through me as they conversed.
“It’s going to be me—Edith. Not Olivia,” she finally managed to finish, letting her words hang heavily in the air.
For a while, Grey didn’t respond, so her barbed words kept hitting the sore spots.
When I peeked at them again, Grey had his hands in his pocket, frowning at her as she challenged him.
