The birthday banquet finally ended.
Joshua went to get the car, leaving me to wait by the door.
Out of nowhere, Lex appeared, grabbing my wrist and pulling me into a quiet corner.
He glared at ine, teeth gritted, voice low and furious. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you? You and Uncle Joshua–this is all just an act! You’re trying to get back at me!”
I stared back at him calmly. “You’re overthinking it. If it were an act, I wouldn’t have brought him here.”
Lex knew I had a point. His parents‘ messy divorce had put a strain between the two sides of the family for years. If it weren’t for me, Joshua wouldn’t have come here at all.
Besides, Grandpa Hubert had always treated me like family. No matter what, I wouldn’t deceive him.
Lex knew all of that. He was just too angry to think straight.
He let out a cold laugh. “So this is revenge, huh? You’re doing all of this to get back at me for sending you to the countryside because of Ivana.
“Audrey, I told you before–if you just behaved, you’d become my wife.
“And now look at you.”
There was a redness in his eyes that dragged me straight back to the past–the day Ivana first stepped into the Hamilton mansion.
Lex had promised me then, his voice so steady, so certain. He said that even if there were ten thousand Ivanas, none of them would ever compare to me.
He said I’d always be his little princess. The one he loved most.
But promises mean nothing when they’re broken. Over and over, he’d defended her. Chosen her. Blamed me for everything.
And in the end, he’d even hit me.
The sound of that bracelet shattering on the ground still haunted me–crisp and final, like my heart breaking into a thousand jagged pieces.
I looked away, my gaze landing on the flowers blooming nearby. “Lex, the moment you shielded Ivana behind you, you should’ve known we were over.
“I’m not generous enough to forgive and forget. What’s between us is like that shattered bracelet. You can’t piece it back together.
“I’m married to Joshua now. You have Ivana by your side. Let’s just leave each other alone.”
