Chapter 146
On our engagement day. I discovered countless erotic photos of my fiance with another woman on his laptop.
Eight years with him, and this was my reward.
Betrayal, raw and unforgiving, clawed at me.
Immediately. I booked a flight to Fiassi, a flight scheduled to depart on our wedding day.
This had to end.
I called my boss. “Mr. Rowland, I’ve decided. I’ll take the Fiassi job.”
His surprise was palpable. “Fantastic. I’ll get the team on it. But your wedding…”
“No problem,” I managed, my voice trembling.
Tears streaming down my face, unseen by him, as I ended the call.
It was the first time I’d ever touched Antonio Kaufman’s computer.
We’d started at the same company after graduation, different departments, separate lives.
Tonight, he was at a bachelor party, his phone off.
His boss, desperate for a proposal, contacted me.
That was when I saw those photos.
Eight years of memories flooded back.
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No snapshots of us, not a single trace on his phone.
My pleas for shared photos were always dismissed: “We see each other every day. No need for pictures.”
But it wasn’t about the need; he simply wasn’t invested in me.
Then, his friend’s words from our engagement party resurfaced. “I thought Antonio would be a bachelor forever for Mandy’s sake! You’re actually getting married? Are you sure you’re not doing it in a fit of pique?”
I hadn’t notice the guilty look in Antonio’s eyes then.
“Our marriage is based on love!” I’d declared, my voice ringing with a confidence I no longer felt.
Shaking, I closed his laptop.
A breakup text was ready to send, but his response to my wedding dress message from yesterday was absent.
His Facebook profile was a void. a blank canvas except for one line: “I’m waiting for someone to come back.”
A wry smile played on my lips.
He had someone else.
I’d always thought Antonio was simply introverted, but my naivety was breathtaking
I’d questioned that bio countless times; he’d never explained.
Now it was chillingly clear.
Three days until our wedding.
Chapter 146
The countdown on my phone’s wallpaper mocked met
Tears blurred my vision as I stared at the relentless ticking seconds.
Then, the call from Antonio’s friend.
“Grace, Antonio is wasted. Come get him.”
In the background. I heard Antonio’s slurred voice. “Mandy, don’t leave.
me…”
A sharp pain pierced my chest.
Before going to fetch him, I discarded our matching couple gear — usless trinkets now.
As I approached the private room, laughter spilled out.
“Hey. Mandy, what brings you back today? Regretting Antonio’s wedding?”
Mandy Delacruz was there.