Chapter 2
Chapter 2
My hearing cleared just in time to catch Caspian’s loud announcement:
“Starting today, everyone go like the photo of me and Tessa together. Once we hit a thousand likes, I’ll dump Lydia and marry Tessa!”
With that, he grabbed Tessa’s hand and stormed out without looking back. Right before leaving the private room, Tessa shot me a smug, triumphant look.
After they left, people started filtering out of the room.
Some gloated: “Guess she learned her lesson. Should’ve known better than to throw a fit without having the goods to back it up. Bet she’s regretting it now.”
Others offered fake sympathy: “Pride isn’t worth anything. Just swallow it, apologize, and move on. Otherwise, Mr. Lancaster really is gonna run off and marry Tessa.”
I knew damn well this was Caspian’s way of forcing me to grovel.
But this time, I refused to bend. I’d rather die than crawl back to him!
The once-lively room emptied out, leaving me alone.
I grabbed the leftover liquor and downed it in one gulp. The burn slid down my throat and hit my stomach like fire,
making my eyes sting.
Decades of history between us, and this was how it
Guess it wasn’t such a big deal after all.
ded.
If my next arranged marriage takes me thousands of miles away to Miami, at least he won’t be able to bother me anymore, right?
Still, I couldn’t figure out why my face was already soaked with tears again.
When I got home, I started packing,
Caspian and I had known each other since we were kids.
For most of my life, we’d been inseparable.
Our bond ran so deep that I had way too much stuff to sort through.
15:59
‘You’ll Regret Leaving Me!’-Poor Thing. You Still Think You Matter? I Already Married Better!
7.8%
Chapter 2
This little red flower-Caspian got it as his first-ever reward in kindergarten.
He ran up to me on his tiny legs and gave it to me, saying, “I’m gonna give Lydia all the best things.”
This photo-he secretly snapped it the first time I got my period.
I’d skipped health class like an idiot and thought I was dying. I ran to him in tears, telling him to take care of himself for the rest of his life, and that he could get a girlfriend but she couldn’t be prettier than me.
He was so confused. After I finally explained, he rushed to the corner store to buy me pads. We even looked up how to use them together online.
He teased me for not paying attention in class. I turned beet red and bit his arm hard.
Later, he told me that bite didn’t hurt at all-but it was the first time he ever saw me as more than just a friend.
Eventually, we got together.
But different colleges turned us into a long-distance couple.
Our relationship became a collection of train tickets.
For four whole years, we traveled over 120,000 miles just to see each other.
Back then, I was all he could see. He never once complained about the long trips.
My fingers brushed against a small hard box-the matching rings we’d made together.
For him, I moved back to New York right after graduation.
The day I came back, he took me to get these rings made.
I still remember what he said when he slipped mine on:
“Lydia, once this ring’s on your finger, you’re mine forever. You’ll never escape me.”
Turns out, the one who let go wasn’t me-it was him.
(0)
000
(0)
