Chapter 3

My head was foggy and heavy as I drifted in and out of sleep.

When I finally managed to fall asleep again, a furious scream jolted me awake.

“Leigh, what is the meaning of this?”

Amanda yanked me out of bed and dragged me into the living room. Pointing at my suitcase, she demanded answers.

“Why did you pack your bags? Where are you going? You do know we’re getting married next week, right? What are you trying to pull now?”

I fell silent for a moment before saying, “It means exactly what it looks like, Amanda. We’re done.”

She acted as though she had not heard me. Her voice barely contained her fury.

“Kevin remembered you wanting to try that restaurant. Since you didn’t show up, he specifically asked me to bring food back for you. Here you are, pretending to be sick and packing your bags. What, are you trying to squeeze more money out of me before the wedding?”

I frowned.

“Amanda, have you lost your mind?”

“That’s exactly what you’re doing,” Amanda said coldly. “Kevin told me your family originally expected me to put a hundred and twenty thousand dollars in your name before the wedding. He had to talk them down to twelve thousand. Leigh, I may be rich, but I’m not stupid. With a hundred and twenty thousand dollars, I could find someone far more handsome and successful than you. Why would I settle for you?”

My lips curled into a sneer as my body trembled with rage.

“Do you think I’m after your money? In all these years, everything you’ve ever given me combined is worth less than a pair of Kevin’s sneakers. I still stayed. Do you honestly think money is what I wanted from you?”

She turned her head away and replied coldly, “There you go, keeping score again. Do you still claim to not care about money?”

At that moment, I let out a bitter, incredulous laugh.

I could only blame myself. I had loved Amanda so desperately that I had given her chance after chance to hurt me.

“Enough, Amanda. We’re done.”

With that, I grabbed my suitcase and strode out.

I could not tell whether she had not heard me end things, or whether she had simply grown used to dismissing every breakup attempt as just another part of my silent treatment.

None of that mattered any longer.

I was done with her.

That afternoon, while I was at the mall buying supplies to take with me to Westmere, I turned a corner and ran into Amanda and Kevin.

Kevin was pushing the shopping cart while Amanda walked beside him with her arm linked through his.

The sight of them startled me so badly that I accidentally knocked over a display of gift soaps.

The entire display collapsed with a loud crash, sending bars of soap scattering across the floor.

The moment they saw me, they sprang apart as if they were shocked.

“Leigh, don’t get the wrong idea. Amanda just wanted me to pick up some things for the wedding with her.”

As Kevin hurried to explain, he pointed to the wedding favor bags and new set of bed linens in their cart.

“Why are you bothering to explain yourself to him? He’s being ridiculously petty. It was only a suit. How long is he going to keep sulking over it?”

With that, Amanda defiantly took Kevin’s hand and brazenly walked with him toward the checkout.

As I watched them walk away together, it felt as though someone had stabbed me deep in my heart.

I had repeatedly told her that there was too much wedding shopping for me to handle alone and asked her to shop with me. She had refused every time.

She would even berate me for it. “I make hundreds of dollars an hour. Do you expect me to waste my time shopping with you? Are you an idiot?”

In spite of that, she had somehow found the time to go shopping with Kevin for the things we needed for our wedding.

When I walked out of the mall, I saw that Kevin had thoughtfully loaded everything into the trunk.

He slipped naturally into the driver’s seat, rolled down the window, and waved at me.

“Leigh, get in. Wherever you’re going, we’ll give you a ride.”

When I remained where I was, a look of realization dawned on his face.

“Oh, didn’t you know about this new car that Amanda bought for me? Sorry about that. Since I drive her around all the time, she gave it to me as a reward. Don’t be jealous.”

Amanda rolled her eyes at me.

“If he doesn’t want a ride, let him be. I’m not going to coddle him. He’s a grown man, yet he sulks over everything like a jealous little boy.”

With that, the engine roared to life and the car sped off.

A cloud of exhaust fumes washed over me.