The Marriage Pact by Winter Renshaw

Author:Winter Renshaw [Renshaw, Winter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-06-22T18:00:00+00:00

Chapter 27

Emelie

My eyes are puffy and swollen Thursday morning as I wash my face over my sink. Bits and pieces of last night come to me like a flickering movie screen. My head throbs and my throat aches.

I’m still in disbelief.

And a part of me doesn’t want to believe …

They say the truth hurts.

This truth damn near killed me last night.

I’ve never been so blindsided, so wrought from the inside out.

Julian held me in his arms while I cried, promising vengeance on my behalf, but what can he do? It’s been eight years. All the evidence is long gone. And no amount of time spent behind bars will make up for the eight years Julian and I lost.

The eight years we spent hating one another with every fiber of our souls.

Who knows what would’ve happened after that summer?

We could have been wonderful.

I get cleaned up and change into running gear, though I don’t quite feel like doing much of anything today. I’ve never been one to wallow in self-pity or sit around feeling sorry for myself, but I’m still shell-shocked. Waves of emotion so intense I can hardly stand come over me with no warning, only to be replaced a second later with numbness.

All this time, Julian thought I cheated on him.

All this time, I thought Julian used me and threw me away.

We had each other all wrong.

And it’s all Liam’s doing.

I pass my bed on the way out, noticing one of the pillows is lying at the foot of the bed. Julian carried me upstairs last night after I’d had my hard cry in the kitchen, and all I remember after that was passing out.

He must have stayed.

He didn’t want me to be alone.

My father always told me to look at the bright side of each and every difficult situation. While it isn’t exactly easy in this case, I have to admit, the heaviness of resenting Julian all these years is dissipating. It’s been lifted. Despite last night’s revelation, this morning when I woke, there was a different kind of lightness about me that I haven’t felt in forever.

The darkness within me that was once reserved for Julian has now been transferred to Liam, and when the time is right, we’re going to ensure Liam has his day in court.

The clock on the nightstand reads half past ten in the morning. If Julian went running, he’s probably back by now. I imagine he didn’t want to wake me after last night.

I take the stairs to the private kitchen, and when I get there, I open the shades on each and every window.

I don’t want this room to be a reminder of last night, so I flood it with light.

When I’m finished, I stand over the sink and gaze out the window toward the rose garden, and for the first time, I feel hopeful about the next five years. Truly hopeful. And that’s something Liam will never be able to take away from me.

“Emelie. You’re up.”

I turn to find Julian

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