Betrayed During My Engagement Party Chapter 09

Betrayed During My Engagement Party Chapter 09

The project went smoothly.

It was a four–month job. I wrapped the main build on the third month.

When the client came to inspect, he did three slow laps around the lobby.

“Better than I expected,” he said. “Meryl, from now on you’re my go–to partner.”

“Thanks.”

He held out his hand.

I shook it.

On the way back, my boss drove.

“Happy?” he asked.

“Kinda.”

“Kinda?”

“I finished the project. Of course I’m happy. Just not… ecstatic.”

“You don’t really do ecstatic.”

I thought about it.

“Maybe because I knew I could pull it off.”

He glanced at me.

“You’ve changed.”

“How?”

“You used to have this…. weight on you. It’s gone.”

I didn’t answer.

I knew exactly what he meant.

I used to think my whole life depended on marrying a good man. So I swallowed it, gave in, and waited.

He parked downstairs and didn’t kill the engine.

“Meryl.”

“Mm?”

“I want to ask you something.”

She took two steps forward and reached for me.

I stepped back.

Her hand froze in midair, then she pulled it back.

“I’ve been trying to find you for days.”

Her voice lowered.

“You changed your number and moved. I went to Mia’s place. She kicked me out.”

“What do you want from me?”

She bit her lip.

“Can you lend me some money?”

She looked down.

“I’ve only got fifty bucks on me. I can’t make rent. My folks cut me off. I—”

“Don’t you have all those boyfriends?”

Her face went pale.

“That… that older guy, he hits me.”

She yanked up her sleeve and showed me the bruises on her arm.

“Look. He gets drunk and beats me. I’m too scared to go back.”

I stared at the bruises.

“And?”

“So can you take me in for a few days? I’ll move out as soon as I find a place.”

I looked at her.

“Just a few days. Mel, I’m begging you. We’ve been best friends since we were kids…”

“Luna.”

She went still.

“Do you remember what you said at my engagement party?”

Her lips were trembling.

“You said it was true love. Fate’s plan. You said you two were for real.”

“I”

The next day.

There was no one else in the restaurant.

Just the two of us.

We had the window seat. A white candle stood on the table. A bottle of red wine was already open.

“You booked the whole place?” a

“Yeah.”

“That’s a bit much.”

“Not much at all.” He pulled out my chair. “Today’s a big day.”

I sat down.

“What day?”

He didn’t answer. He poured the wine first.

He raised his glass.

“To you.”

“To me for what?”

“To your courage.”

I couldn’t help laughing.

Clink.

We ate like we didn’t have a care in the world.

After dinner, he took my hand, and we walked out along the shore.

It was fully dark. The waves rolled in, one set after another.

The streetlights stretched our shadows long.

At the end of the pier, he stopped.

He turned and faced me.

“Meryl.”

“Mm.”

“I like you.”

The sea breeze hit us.

His tie got blown a little crooked.

“I really admire you–your brain, your cool head, your self–control. When everyone was waiting to watch you crash and burn, you stood there and settled the score, point by point.”

He didn’t move.

“When the whole damn world betrayed you, you didn’t cry, didn’t throw a fit, and didn’t beg anyone.”

He paused.

“You clawed back everything you lost, one piece at a time.”

I looked into his eyes.

“You can turn me down,” he said. “It’s okay. The project won’t be affected. We’re still coworkers. Still friends.”

He took a deep breath.

“I just want you to know–someone out here sees how good you are.”

The surf was loud.

I stood there and remembered the engagement party a year ago.

Silco was on stage saying. “The one I love is Luna.”

Luna, in a red dress, walking out and taking his arm.

The wine that spilled over the back of my hand that felt a little cold.

Those scenes were far away now.

They were so far that they felt like another life.

I looked up at him.

“Okay.”

He froze for a second.

“Okay?”

“I said okay.”

The corners of his mouth lifted.

Then, he laughed.

He laughed hard, like he couldn’t quite believe it.

The waves kept slapping the pier.

The moon slid out from behind the clouds.

Silver moonlight spilled over the water.

I turned and looked at the sea.

“It’ll be good from here on,” I said.

“It will.”

He stood beside me.

“Together.”

On the way back, I leaned against the window.

My phone buzzed.

It was Mia.

“How was the date?”

“Pretty good.”

“Pretty good? Be specific!”

I didn’t answer.

It buzzed again.

“Meryl! Are you seeing someone?!”

I still didn’t answer.

Streetlights slipped past one by one.

Classical music played in the car.

He had one hand on the wheel and the other on the gearshift.

I looked at his hand.

Then, I stared back out the window.

The corner of my mouth lifted.

Not every loss was a regret.

What had been lost, broken, and painful was already in the past.

The backbone I earned on my own and the gentleness of having the right person beside me–that was real happiness.

From here on out, my life bloomed. No more storms.