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“You’re not angry. I mean you are. Of course you are, but you’re so much more than that. You’re alone. You’re isolated. You’re hurt. You’re misunderstood. People judge you so quickly. Your own brothers judge you so quickly. They make rules for you, try to bind you in a cage. They try to control you. What they don’t do is give you a chance. What they don’t do is give you the benefit of the doubt. They don’t listen to you; they don’t see what you need, what you want. And maybe that’s why you don’t see it either.
“Maybe that’s why you haven’t figured out that you’re not angry at your brothers, you’re hurt by them, their actions. That the night you came to my dorm room, to exact revenge on my brother, it was an act of loyalty. Yes, you made a mistake by trying to take your anger out on me, but you were doing it for your sister. And today,” I bark out a laugh, broken and harsh. “What you did today, staking your claim on me, deliberately sabotaging my wedding, my dignity, is because you were hurt. By me. Something that I never wanted to do, not to you. But I did anyway. I kept things from you. I deliberately used words to twist the truth. I ran away, broke my promise. So today was you reacting to that.”
I shrug, my eyes welling up with tears, blurring him out. “But none of that matters now. I didn’t come here to psychoanalyze you. I know how much you hate that. I came here to tell you that I’m leaving. And just for the record, I had every intention of always telling you before I left. But then things happened and…” I shake my head, a tear falling down my cheek. “I couldn’t. But I’m here now. And I’m telling you that I’m leaving. And no, I’m not going to him. He isn’t my fiancé anymore. They called off the wedding after what happened, which is understandable. And well, I told him what my father was planning, how he wanted to get his hands on their money, so yeah. That ship has sailed.”
It has.
After Ledger was taken away by the cops and the crowd had dispersed, I went to Ezra. While they were tending to his injuries, I told him everything. The whole truth — my dad’s plan and how he was forcing me to help him; my pregnancy, who Ledger is — and of course, he was angry. He had every right to be. And as much as I hate what happened today, I’m glad that I came clean to him.
I’m pretty sure that my father knows by now.
That I blew his cover.
Even though he was rushed to the hospital immediately and I’m sure his retaliation is coming. And I don’t know what I can do to stop him now. I don’t know if my brother’s shop can be saved. I don’t know if his career can be saved either.
“And the reason I was going along with it all was because he was threatening my brother, his shop. And you. Your career. I was trying to give you your dream like you gave me mine. Oh, and just for the record, he’s gay. Ezra. So what I told you, that nothing could happen between us, was a lie but also wasn’t. As for the babies, I promised that I wouldn’t take them away from you and I won’t. But I don’t want you at my doctor’s appointments anymore. They’re too… personal. Unless there’s a problem with the babies, I don’t want you anywhere near me. Once I give birth though, we can work out a schedule or something. But until then, there’s no reason that we should see each other.”
I shrug again and wipe my tears off.
Which is when I finally see him.
I finally see his face, his skin that’s usually tanned and flushed with color is stark white and his bruises look even more dramatic. More painful and bloody. Or maybe it’s just how strung tight his features are. How taut and carved from granite, pulled over his bones that makes him look as if he’s in pain.
In actual, physical pain.
I sigh and brace my own body for my next words. “I trust you’ll take care of the paperwork. Since you’re so good at it. So I’ll just expect my divorce papers in the mail soon and —”
My breath catches in my throat.
And I jerk, my hands coming up to cradle my belly.
Was that…
“What is it?” he asks, his voice urgent.
I would answer him but I feel it again. And this time I know what it is for sure.
A foot.
Kicking me. In the same place as before.
And then there’s another kick, in a different part of my belly and I think it’s from the other baby. Who like her sister, kicks me again at the same spot.
