(Finding Forever After the Betrayal) Chapter 25
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Charles and I stood side–by–side, his fingers laced through mine, as I met
Aiden and Ethan’s eyes with a newfound sense of guarded defiance. The hurt
that flashed across Ethan’s face did little to sway me.
“Violet, we grew up together, how can you even look at me like that?” he
asked, his voice laced with pain.
I couldn’t help but frown. What did he expect? Weren’t they the ones who’d
so casually tossed aside years of friendship, of shared history, as if they meant
nothing at all?
“Spare me the dramatics,” I said, my voice flat and devoid of emotion.“You
two were the ones who walked away. Now, I need to get home. Say what you
need to say and let’s be done with this.”
Ethan opened his mouth, perhaps to offer another meaningless platitude,
but Aiden silenced him with a look. He stepped forward, those dark eyes I once
found so comforting now held a desperate sort of intensity.
“Violet, what we did… it was wrong, we know that,” Aiden began, his voice
raspy.“We never truly cared for Hannah. We just wanted… we thought if we
made you jealous, you’d realize who you really loved. But we never imagined…”
He went on to describe Hannah’s downfall, her desperate attempt to contact
me for help after fleeing to Seattle, her eventual return to a life stripped of the
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comforts I’d naively provided for so long. It was a pathetic tale, but I couldn’t
muster an ounce of sympathy. The memory of her betrayal was still too raw, the
wounds too deep.
“And you think that excuses it?” I scoffed, my voice laced with
disbelief.“There are a million ways you could have shown me how you felt, but
you
chose the most hurtful, most humiliating way imaginable.”
“Don’t tell me you never had feelings for her,” I challenged them, my gaze
piercing through their carefully constructed facade.“Not even once?”
A flicker of something unreadable crossed Aiden’s face. Ethan, however,
couldn’t hide the telltale flush that crept up his neck.“Of course not,” he
stammered, his voice ringing false.
“Enough with the charade,” Charles interjected, his tone sharp and
cutting.“If you hadn’t repeatedly ignored Violet, Hannah wouldn’t have even had
the opportunity to hurt her. Perhaps, deep down, you’re not even sure yourselves if you ever truly cared for her or not.” He paused, letting his words sink in.“Don’t mistake your own childish games for love. No man who truly loves a woman
would use another woman to make her jealous.”
With each syllable that left Charles‘ lips, the color drained from their faces. They had no response, no defense against his words. Because deep down, they
knew he was right.
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The silence stretched, thick and heavy, until I finally broke it, my voice
surprisingly steady.
“Aiden, Ethan,” I began, choosing my words carefully. “I realize now… I don’t think I ever truly loved either of you. Perhaps there was a time when my feelings ran deeper, but you extinguished whatever spark might have been there with
your own hands.”
A sense of relief, startling in its intensity, washed over me.“And now,“I continued, my gaze meeting Aiden’s, “I’m happy. Truly happy. If you wish to attend my wedding, you’re welcome to. But don’t mistake this for anything other than it is. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to ruin this day for me.”
Agony flickered across Aiden’s face, a glimpse of the pain I’d carried for so long. He shook his head, his voice a broken whisper. “Violet, no… Don’t do this. Don’t be with him. We belong together, you and I. We’ve always been meant to
be…*
But his words, once powerful enough to shatter my world, now seemed to fade into the evening air, as insubstantial as smoke.
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