CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“You didn’t think tomention you didn’t love me—before our fucking wedding?”
Bethany flinched at Doug’s harsh words.When she’d agreed to meet him at Molly’s Diner, naively, she didn’t realize it would be so hard.
Unable to keep staring at the pain she was responsible for; her gaze dropped to the coffee she had yet to touch.
“I don’t know when it happened,” she confessed.“Between the wedding and the move, everything...I don’t know.I didn’t have a chance to breathe let alone think.”
“That’s seriously your excuse—you didn’t have time to tell me you stopped loving me?”Doug barked, making her flinch again, this time her eyes squeezed shut.
There was no excuse.No good explanation.She knew that.He did, too.She wished she could go back and do things differently; she really did.
“When did you start fucking him?”That had her eyes and mouth opening as her head snapped up.“Was it before or after we moved here?”
She felt her eyes bug out.“Nothing happened with Benny until after we broke up, Doug.I swear.I wouldn’t do that to you.”
A humorless laugh left his lips.“Right.‘Cause you’re all about respect, aren’t you, Beth?It’s not like you’d spend our wedding night at your ex-boyfriend’s house, is it...oh wait!”
Asshole.
Bethany looked at the man before her.Really looked.Back when they’d met, she thought he was handsome.Sophisticated.And out of her league.He always dressed well, kept himself cleanly shaved, while his short brown hair maintained a neat and tidy style with weekly visits to the barber.He was tall, in good shape and had all the charm you’d expect from a private wealth manager who regularly wooed new clients.
He was everything she thought she wanted.But sitting before him now, she wondered if she ever really knew him.Let alone loved him.She certainly hadn’t seen this side of him before.It made her wonder if all the feelings she had were even real.Or was she just doing and saying what she thought she should be doing and saying.She wasn’t about to tell him that though, she was already on her way to hell, she didn’t need an express ticket.
“Nothing happened that night,” she reiterated.
“So, when did it happen then?”His thick brow lifted in challenge.
Okay.So the truth wasn’t exactly going to make her look much better.Or feel it.But anything was better than the day of the wedding, right?
Yeah, tell Lucifer that when he’s warming up those pokers, sister.
“We kissed about a week after the wedding.Just kissed.”Her eyes went back to the brown liquid below her.
Another sharp, not very funny laugh escaped Doug.“You’re a piece of work, Beth.I guess I should be happy I didn’t fucking marry you.”
I mean,I am.
Shush.Hell, remember!
She felt bad.Guilty.But that didn’t mean she wasn’t also relieved.Happy even, that they were over.Thiswas over.
