Page 55 of Sweet Wicked Vows
That was his space, and I couldn’t face the idea of removing pieces of him yet.
Laurence pointed to the coffee stain. “You spilled something on your dress.”
“You don’t say.” Hopefully, Violet or Lola would pick up my SOS message and be arriving anytime soon with a change of outfits. I was sweating anxiously enough with the list of meetings to attend, never mind having to do them in a ruined dress. “What are you doing here?”
“Apologies for dropping in on you like this.” Laurence stood with his back to the window. “It would seem my invite to your little get-together was lost in the mail.”
After everything he put me through, he didn’t seriously thinkI’d invite him?
“Not that it matters, I was otherwise engaged. I’m only back from the Rugby World Cup semi-final. Jeremey, you remember him from back in the day?”
I remained silent.
“Well he was playing, big deal for him, being picked to represent New Zealand. I couldn’t miss the chance of going out to cheer him on.”
Our break-up always felt unclosed to me. He simply arrived that day with a box of my things, announced he was ending it, and then walked out the door.
He didn’t wait to hear a response.
He didn’t stick around to answer any of my questions or see my heart breaking.
Four years together and he couldn’t even muster a proper goodbye.
It took two weeks before I reached out and apologized to him for not fighting, for not trying to make it work. I begged him non-stop for one solid month to talk to me, to not throw all our time away, but he never responded.
Every message was read and ignored.
“You look really well, Evie. Radiant as ever.” The corners of his eyes crinkled. “Looks like being married suits you.”
A smile touched my lips. “Thank you. How’s work? I saw a couple of your advertisements on television a couple weeks back.”
Laurence came from wealth. His family created the software used in all of the major banks across North America. When we dated, Laurence used to talk day and night about not following his family’s plans for him. We understood each other that way, neither of us wanting to end up in the family business.
Where my plans were turning to ash at my feet, Laurence seized his chance and created his own company.UltraGymbecame an instant success with his tailored-made and twenty-four-hour gym classes appealing to nearly every demographic.
It was everything he ever dreamt about.
“It’s going very well. We just opened our first ten gyms in South America, which is going to be huge for us.” Laurence grinned. “What about you? Guess the whole writing thing didn’t pan out?”
An uncomfortable silence encased us.
Laurence never saw my writing as anything more than a hobby. A way to fill my time. When we used to daydream and build our future together, Laurence always shut down my dream of being a journalist and opening my own publishing house.
“But hey, being acting CEO of this is amazing.” He motioned around the room. “I know it’s not what you had in mind with your degree but think about how much more dependable and secure this job is. It’ll open up so many better opportunities for you.”
There was still so much unspoken between us. So much unresolved pain. My chest tightened as I thought about our years together just thrown away as if they were nothing.
I reasoned with myself that he wasn’t worth the fresh stabs of pain, like a newly healed sore threatening to reopen, but I couldn’t stop it.
I twisted the engagement ring around my finger. “Why did you come here, Laurence? I haven’t seen you since the day we ended it.”
“I ended it.” He dipped his chin, the sunlight catching the tips of his golden hair. “When I heard about your wedding party, I honestly thought it was a joke. When I readwhoyou married, I couldn’t believe it. Jaxon Dade, of all people. You get that he’s nearly ten years older than us?”
Seven years, to be exact.
“You must have given your poor father a heart attack when herealized you were dating someone like him.”
“What do you meansomeone like him?” A strange wave of defensiveness washed over me. I understood Jaxon was rough around the edges and the furthest thing I naturally gravitated toward, but he was still my husband. Even if he was only a temporary one.