Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“Are you kidding? My name isn’t actually on any bank accounts, Morgan. I had a credit card that Neil paid off. He gave me an allowance in cash.”
My best friend growled. “God, I hate him. And if I’d been a better friend through all this, I wouldn’t have let you say yes to him and move away.”
“It wasn’t your fault. You were busy getting married and being pregnant and happy.” My voice grew quieter. “And I’d made my mom a promise. I felt I owed it to her.”
“You didn’t owe her this.” Morgan’s voice was firm. “I know how much you loved your mom, Roni. I know how she got pregnant at eighteen. I know she was abandoned by the guy and disowned by her parents. I know how many jobs she worked to pay for your dance training. But you didn’t owe her this.”
“I don’t know when she slept,” I cut in, even though Morgan had heard all my stories early on in our friendship. “But she never once complained. She wanted my dream to come true.”
“And it did,” she said softly. “Don’t you think your mom would have wanted you to keep dancing? She loved watching you!”
“But she loved seeing me with Neil too. She was so dazzled by him and his promise that he would always take care of me. She was in awe of his money.”
“What about love? Don’t you think she wanted you to find love?”
I bit my tongue. My mother’s relationship with love was complicated. She’d fallen hard for someone who betrayed her, so she had made it very clear to me all my life that romantic love wasn’t something you could trust.
Your heart could mislead you. Better to use your head.
Guard your heart like it’s your home, she always said. Be careful who you let in.
“Because Neil was not capable of love,” Morgan continued. “He saw something he liked on stage one night—the brightest, shiniest, most beautiful object he could imagine possessing—and when you turned him down the first few times, he was even more driven to prove he could have you, because he’s used to getting what he wants. But that isn’t love, Roni. It’s just greed.”
“I know. But I didn’t love him either.”
“I hope you told him that.”
“I think it was implied when I refused to marry him.”
“God, I wish I’d have been there.” Morgan’s tone lightened up. “So how did old Cornelius take the news? I can’t imagine he was too happy to get dumped on his wedding day.”
“He was not. Especially not the way I did it.” I told her the full story, and she crowed with laughter.
“That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard,” she said. “He finally got what he deserved. So what will you do now?”
“Well, first I need to get out of this dress.” Reaching the inn, I headed up the walk to the front entrance. “Then charge my phone. Then get a good night’s sleep. After that, I’ll be able to think straight.”
“Wait, you’re still wearing the dress?”
“Yes. I even interviewed for a nanny job in it.”
“A what job?”
“A nanny job. But I didn’t get it.”
Morgan was laughing again. “You’ve had a hell of a day, Veronica Sutton. But if anyone can bounce back from this, you can.”
“Thanks.” I pulled open the door and entered the Cherry Blossom Inn’s lobby. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“I love you, and everything is going to be okay.”
“I love you too. And I hope you’re right.”
But she wasn’t.
I was stopped on my way through the lobby by a nervous-looking employee named Randall who delivered a bombshell—several of them, actually.
I’d been checked out. I had ten minutes to pack my bags and leave the premises. The credit card number that I’d given for incidentals was no longer valid.
“There must be some mistake,” I started—and then it hit me.
Neil had done this. It was his way of showing me he was still in control. He still held my fate in his hands. I needed him. I was nothing without him.
Well, fuck that.
Just in case this Randall guy was being paid to report back to Neil, I refused to beg or fall apart. Chin held high, I went up to my room and—under Randall’s watchful eye—threw all my things in a suitcase. “Can I have a minute alone to change my clothes please?” I asked.
He nodded and left the room. The second the door was closed, a sob tried to escape, but I choked it down. As quickly as I could, I ditched the wedding dress for a pair of denim shorts and a black T-shirt, knotting the tee at my waist the way I liked and Neil hated. In the bathroom, I scrubbed my face and yanked the pins from my chignon, leaving my hair loose around my shoulders. After putting my sneakers back on, I grabbed my bags and opened the door.