Chapter 172
The final wedding menu was being reviewed when I realized I hadn’t touched a single item on the plate in front of me.
Roscoe reached for my hand without looking up from his notes. “You didn’t eat again.“2
1 gave him a sheepish glance. Tm just… full Nervous, maybe.“I
“About the wedding?”
“About them. 7
His eyes lifted immediately. Calm. Sharp. Concerned.
“They won’t come near you. I
1 leaned back into the velvet seat of the parlor. Roscoe’s estate was peaceful–set deep in the countryside with hills and gardens that swallowed noise and memory. And yet, in the quiet, old wounds still had a way of whispering.
“For years,” I said softly, “I did everything myself. Paid bills, cooked meals, cleaned up after all of them–even when I was hurting. And they never looked back. But since I met you. I haven’t done anything alone.”
Roscoe put his pen down and turned toward me completely. “And you never will again.”
I smiled a little. “I used to be scared of asking for help.
“You’re not asking. You’re allowed now. “I
That was the thing about Roscoe. He never made me beg. Never made me feel like love came with conditions or a scoreboard. He gave, not out of guilt–but out of intention.
We had happy days now
He woke me up with soft kisses on my shoulder. Took me on long walks through vineyards where he’d randomly point at stars and make up ridiculous names. When I cried–quietly, in those odd, sudden moments–he didn’t say “Don’t cry.” He just pulled me close, and let me cry.
And then said, “Want to set fire to their memories together?
We laughed, but he meant it. And that alone meant everything.
Still, a small, hardened part of me wanted closure.
So once the wedding invitations were finalized, I opened my laptop.
No ceremony details. No names. Just the date. The venue.
And one simple line: You’re invited.
I sent it to Jared and Jackson’s emails.
They would see it. They would know it was real. That I wasn’t bluffing. That I had moved on.
They wouldn’t know the groom.2
That part was my gift to myself.
A few days later, our estate secretary knocked on the study door. “Ma’am, there are two men at the Reid estate. Jared and Jackson Stone.” My blood turned to ice for a second./
“They’re demanding to know where you are,” she added, more hesitantly. “They’re loud. Very… persistent.”
I sighed. “Dismiss them.”
“Should I give them a message?“%
I nodded. “Tell them…. they’re invited to my wedding.”
Her brows lifted slightly in surprise, but she bowed her head. “As you wish.“%
Roscoe entered the room not long after, his phone still in his hand. “You’re calm.”
“Do I seem like I shouldn’t be?“}
He set his phone down, walked to me, and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I just… don’t want them ruining our day.” “They’re not going to ruin it,” I said.
He raised a brow.
“I’m going to ruin them,” I said quietly. “So people will finally know what they did to me. What they let happen. What they stole.” His hand gripped mine gently. Not possessive. Not controlling.
Just steady
“We don’t need revenge to be happy,” he said softly.
I looked up at him. “I know. But this isn’t revenge. This is truth.”
That night, I found myself scrolling through my old Instagram messages.M
There were hundreds I’d ignored.
But one name sat at the top.
Audrey
I hadn’t read a single one of hers since I left. Not even when the messages came in daily.
2:14 PM
This time… I opened them.
And I shouldn’t have been surprised.
You don’t deserve any of this. You’re fake. Everyone always felt sorry for you. This is your fault. I should’ve been the one. You took everything from me!
I stared at the screen, not even angry. Just tired.
I scrolled down further. The pattern was the same.
Blame.
Projection.
Hatred.”
I pressed the block button without hesitation.
There was no satisfaction. Just peace.}
She was gone, now. For real.”
I walked outside, where Roscoe was already lighting candles on the outdoor terrace. A small table for two waited under a canopy of fairy lights.
He looked up as I approached, smiling.
“No shoes again?” he teased.”
“I like the feel of the earth under my feet.”
“Then you’ll love the dance floor at our wedding.“}]
“Only if you promise not to step on my toes.“}]
He extended a hand. “Let’s practice.”
I took it.”
We danced slowly, our feet moving in rhythm even without music.}
The night was warm. My heart, warmer.}
And for the first time in years, I wasn’t haunted by what could’ve been. Because I was living what should have been all along.
