Chapter 23 - The Groom’s Reckoning
I crossed my arms, leaning my shoulder against the doorframe, looking down at the man who had stood silently by while Paige mocked me at family dinners for the past two years.
"Julian," I said, my voice completely devoid of warmth. "If you're looking for Paige, you're barking up the wrong tree. I dropped her off at our parents' house yesterday, and as far as I'm concerned, she dropped off the face of the earth."
Julian flinched, raising both hands in a placating gesture as he took a half-step back. "No, no. I'm not looking for her, Clara. In fact... I haven't spoken to her since yesterday afternoon, and I never plan on speaking to her again."
I raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Oh? Did the realization that she’s a sociopathic narcissist finally penetrate your thick skull, or did you just miss your flight to the honeymoon?"
He swallowed hard, looking down at the floorboards before meeting my gaze again with agonizing vulnerability. "Both, I guess. When I heard that voicemail on your phone... when I heard her laughing about shoving you into the pool with an injured shoulder, bragging about how your family would just force you to eat it... it was like someone poured ice water over my head."
He paused, running a trembling hand through his hair. "I realized that the woman I was about to marry wasn't the sweet, charming person she pretended to be around my parents. She was a bully. A cruel, vicious bully who enjoyed breaking people down for sport. And the terrifying part is... she would have treated me the exact same way the second I stopped being useful to her."
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"Congratulations," I said flatly, unimpressed by his sudden epiphany. "You had a near-death experience with a lifetime of misery. But that still doesn't explain why you're standing on my welcome mat at eight o'clock in the morning."
Julian took a deep, shuddering breath, stepping slightly closer to the door. "I came here to apologize, Clara."
