Chapter 8
“Bitch! This is all your fault! Gerard only left me because of you!”
“He loves me! Me! Why do you have to steal him from me?”
“My brother’s dead, and I’ve got nothing left. Can’t you just let me have Gerard?”
Gwyneth’s face twisted in madness- sobbing one second, laughing the next.
“Your brother died,” I said, “because he
deserved it.”
She froze, and then she began trembling as if something clicked in her mind.
“Your brother stole the flashdrive I was
supposed to give Gerard. Got into a car crash on his way to hand it over.”
And you? You knew all about it. But instead of coming clean, you soaked up Gerard‘ s guilt.”
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“Gwyneth, you’ve had your fun. It’s time you pay for it.”
The girl in front of her shook her head, refusing to accept it. “No… no…”
“What… what you‘ re saying… is it true?” A voice cut through her trembling.
A man’s voice.
Her whole body then stiffened like she‘ d
been struck.
I didn’t want to stick around to watch
their confrontation any longer–it was time
to leave.
Glenn‘ s car pulled up at the door, and I walked over in quick strides and opened
the door.
Gerard tried to grab my arm, but Gwyneth pulled him back.
“Get lost!” He shoved her hard, and she hit the ground.
For a second, I thought about that night outside the police department.
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But the thought passed as I rolled up the window, shutting out the noise.
Glenn glanced over. “You good?”
I smiled like it was no big deal.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Gerard banging on the window and shouting something. But I couldn’t hear a word.
The soundproofing was impeccable.
As Glenn‘ s car pulled away, I leaned against the window, catching glimpses of Gerard chasing after us like a man possessed.
Gradually, he got smaller and smaller in
the rearview mirror until
Finally, I closed my eyes.
e was o
That night, right before the wedding, I was getting ready for bed when the maid. knocked on my door to bring me some
milk, saying, “Miss, it seems someone’s outside…”
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She told me it was a man looking for me. Although Mom had told everyone to ignore him, the maid felt sorry for the man and decided to tell me anyway.
After she left, I walked over to the window.
By chance, my room had a clear view of the front yard.
Gerard stood leaning against his car, the ground littered with cigarette butts.
Almost like he felt my eyes on him, he
looked up, and our gazes met.
Those hollow eyes lit up with something desperate.
But I pulled the curtains shut and asked the butler to get rid of him.
Downstairs, I heard the commotion as Gerard started shouting my name.
It went on for about 10 minutes, right up until the thunder rolled in.
“Forget it. Leave him alone,” I said,
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calling the butler back.
The man returned drenched in sweat, his clothes a mess. “Miss, he insists on seeing you.”
“Then ignore him,” I instructed nonchalantly.
Later, it started pouring outside.
Gerard wasn’t an idiot. After being
treated like a stray dog, he’d probably left by now, I figured.
But some time past midnight, the sound of the thunder and storm woke me.
I glanced out the window, and under the streetlamp, Gerard was still there, soaked to the bone.
He stared stubbornly in the direction of my bedroom, swaying on his feet.
Unfortunately, belated affection is worthless.
I went back to bed and slept like a rock
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through the night.
By morning, fortunately, there was no longer any sign of him.
The makeup artist complimented my skin, saying it looked perfect like I could pull off any look.
The woman in the mirror was flawless, but she wasn‘ t smiling.
When I walked out in my wedding dress, Glenn was already waiting for me to help me into the car.
At the wedding venue, it was all flowers. and applause.
The weather couldn’t have been better- bright and cloudless.
In front of my parents, who looked so proud, Glenn took my hand.
The ring was just about to slide onto my finger when suddenly, someone shouted,
“Wait!”
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The room went dead silent, and everyone turned to look.
Gerard stood in the doorway in a sharp new suit, but his face was gaunt–dark circles under his eyes and cheeks hollow.
