Don’t You Just Hate It When You’re Right?
Bree
I wait until I drop Jolene at her house before I allow any tears to slide down my face. “Idiot, Brianna,” I mutter as I drive home. I can’t believe I thought he might actually love me. I mean, honestly, how stupid am I to think the son of a lord and lady would be even interested in me, let alone have deeply meaningful I’ve-got-to-sacrifice-everything-for-the-woman-I-love feelings. His words snap through my brain like firecrackers.“I’m not even sorry.”“Rich fantasy life.” “I lie and a flatter and do whatever I have to do to get what I want…”
A sob escapes my chest, and I let it all out, needing to be done with my grief before I reach the house. How could I be such a colossal moron? I knew better, but somehow, I let him suck me in, just like Roderick.
The morning replays in my head—looking up Jolene’s address and rushing to her house to beg her to help me, then begging her to come with me to show me where Pierce lives, and begging Leo to admit the truth. Good God, all I’ve done today is beg. And it got me exactly nowhere. Well, that’s not true. It did get me humiliated in a way I’ve never been before. Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I take a slow, shaky breath. It was all a lie. Every bloody word.
I have a fleeting thought of driving to my parents’ house to cry on Amber’s shoulder, but then I remember she’s not talking to me.
The next few minutes until I reach my street, I allow all the self-pitying thoughts to hang over me—the why me, the it’s not fair, the I did the best I could. But then as soon as I pull up in front of my house, I force myself to stop. I won’t allow Izzy to see me all messed up over a man. It was hard enough earlier this morning when she woke me up with tears in her eyes because Leo left. “He telled me he was never coming back, ever ever.”
I managed to hold it together and say all the reassuring mum things I had to about how he’d always be our friend, even if he had to go away, and how we just have to think about the fun we had when he was here, but it didn’t work. Her little shoulders slumped as she made her way down the stairs for breakfast. Not even the offer of extra chocolate chips in her oatmeal had helped.
Anger courses through me, replacing my humiliation. Fuck him for hurting my daughter like that. Fuck him for pretending to be this wonderful, caring guy. Fuck me for believing him and letting Isabelle spend any time at all with him.
“Bugger it,” I say out loud.Just forget him. Move on. You didn’t really love him anyway. You’re just in desperate need of a good shag, but since all men suck, forget shagging or kissing or happily ever afters.
The only true happiness comes from hard work and accomplishment. So I’ll get back to focussing on my career and my bank account, and leave the romance for the chumps of the world. The girls like my sister and her awful friends can have the men, and all the heartache they bring because I am done.
Done for good.
So take that, Leo, you bastard.
CHAPTER 32
You Gotta Fight for Your Right to PPPPAAARRRTTTTYYYY
Leo – Three Days Later
Text Conversation with Alexander Billingsworth III
ME:Hey, you old wanker, where are you?
ALEX:Swiss Alps this week. Next week is Bali to warm up.
ME:Where are you staying?
ALEX:Muffy’s parents are at their villa, so we’re slumming at the Park Vitznau.
Damn. That’s way out of my price range. I’d burn through my entire savings account in under a week at those rates.
ME:I’m still wrapping things up here, but maybe I could meet you in Bali. I say we go for a really cheap experience for once. All the best girls have no money.
ALEX:Is that because you got disinherited?
Fuck me.
ME:Who told you that?
ALEX:My brother’s dating a paralegal at Seth Hughes’ office. Is it true?
ME:It’s complicated.
ALEX:Damn. Sorry, bro.
No, he’s not.
