I Thought I Was The Joke, I Was The Punishment Chapter 02

I Thought I Was The Joke, I Was The Punishment Chapter 02

I couldn’t remember leaving.

It was midsummer, yet I felt frozen through.

In the back of the cab, one question consumed me.

My hand shook as I called Greer.

“While Callan and I were together, was he still involved with Sabine?”

“And you knew… all along?”

I wanted Greer to tell me this was all a terrible joke.

Instead, she admitted it.

“Yes. I always knew.”

“At first, I thought Sabine was a shameless other woman, too.”

“But the more our paths crossed, the more I realized she was actually a good person.”

“She’d give up her own umbrella to shelter a stray dog from the rain.”

“She donated to girls who’d been forced to drop out of school and work, helping them afford period products.”

“She’s such a good person. It’s hard for anyone not to like her.”

My eyes stung.

“What about me? Did I deserve to be betrayed by everyone?”

Greer paused for a beat, then changed tack.

“See? This is exactly how you’re different from her.”

“You nitpick everything, and even when you’re right, you never let up. You act like a total bitch.”

“Honestly, Callan and Sabine are a much better match.”

I couldn’t believe this was the woman I’d once called my best friend.

I’d stood up for Greer when she was being bullied at school and nearly had my face disfigured.

When my first boyfriend cheated, she’d insisted on helping me get revenge.

She’d sworn we’d be best friends forever.

Now Greer had firmly taken their side against me.

The wedding planner called as soon as we hung up.

“Ms. Voss, we need your approval on several changes to your wedding.”

“The garden roses have been replaced with lilies, and the desserts will now be made with oat milk.”

For two seconds, I couldn’t speak.

“Did Callan request those changes?”

The coordinator hesitated and stammered.

“Ms. Elwood suggested them. Mr. Rourke told us to let her handle everything.”

My heart sank.

I had a severe lily allergy. Even brief exposure could trigger a severe allergic reaction that left me struggling to breathe, and Callan knew that.

Yet because of one suggestion from Sabine, he’d disregarded my safety.

My heart finally went cold.

I typed line after line, then deleted it all.

“The details are fine.”

“But you have one very important detail wrong…”

When the call ended, I started packing, only to realize almost nothing in the apartment was mine.

The monstera on the balcony was something the other five had bought at a garden center.

The souvenirs on the couch were from a Disney trip the five of them had taken.

Even the refrigerator was stocked with the drinks and fruit the other five liked.

The strawberries I loved had been shoved into the back corner, already bruised and dented.

Before we moved in, Callan had promised me over and over,

“This is our little home. No one’s going to bother us here.”

Now, everything here was the exact opposite of what Callan had promised me.

Callan stumbled home drunk with a box of pastries from a trendy dessert shop.

“Baby, don’t be mad.”

“No one meant what they said today.”

“It was just a game. No one meant any harm.”

Trying to placate me, Callan opened the box and pushed it toward me.

“I got your favorite. Think of it as me apologizing on their behalf.”

I said nothing, staring at the strawberry pastry.

One corner was missing where someone had taken a bite.

I didn’t even like strawberry-flavored things. They only ever ended up in my hands because none of the other five wanted them.

After years of that, they’d assumed I loved them.

My gut told me Sabine had taken a bite and left the rest.

I looked up at Callan.

“Callan, cancel the wedding.”

“I don’t want Sabine’s leftovers, either.”