Chapter 2
I ended up having to call a taxi home.
Despite everything, Luke must have felt some guilt because he showed up not long after. He walked in while I was sorting through my belongings.
Clothes were strewn across the bed as I methodically stuffed them into garbage bags.
“What are you doing?” Luke asked, hovering uncertainly in the doorway.
“Just decluttering,” I replied neutrally, silently willing him to shower and wash off that sickening
perfume.
He hesitated, missing the underlying tension.
Then, completely tone–deaf, he continued, “That’s probably for the best. We can buy new things after we’re married. Maybe even move to a new place. What do you think?”
Luke was playing his favorite card – dangling our future together.
He kept stealing glances at me, gauging my reaction. I noticed but pretended not to.
In the past, such words would have moved me to tears.
Now? I wouldn’t waste a single drop on him.
My lack of response seemed to unsettle him.
He knew I was angry but wasn’t willing to make any real effort to fix things.
His presence tonight was probably the extent of his concession.
While Luke showered, his phone wouldn’t stop chiming.
Fed up, I picked it up.
Mandy had bombarded him with wedding photos of them together – traditional poses,
contemporary shots, even bohemian–style settings.
A dull ache spread through my chest.
18:22
Backup Girl No More: Adios To My V–Card and My First Love
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Chapter 2:
Apparently, Luke only reserved his impatience for me.
When I’d been excited to try on wedding dresses, he’d always found excuses to avoid it.
“They all look the same, just pick one,” he’d dismiss me with obvious irritation.
I could still picture his contemptuous expression.
Yet here were dozens of intimate photos with Mandy- all genuine moments.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
I startled at Luke’s voice behind me.
He snatched his phone away.
The force of his grab made me stumble backward onto the bed.
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