She Rolled The Dice On Our Marriage And He Let Her Win Chapter 08

She Rolled The Dice On Our Marriage And He Let Her Win Chapter 08

I couldn’t help laughing.

Soren had always known how to pull a laugh out of me. He had done it when we were kids, and somehow, he

still could.

Maybe that was why the sound startled me.

For so many years, Callum had only taught me how to cry.

I stepped forward and tugged Soren’s sleeve.

“Callum Rourke, let him go.”

Callum froze for a few seconds. His expression went strangely blank. The hand gripping Soren’s collar

loosened without him realizing it.

Soren curved his mouth slightly and tightened his hold on my hand, lacing our fingers together.

“Ren and I have plans,” he said. “Please move aside, Mr. Rourke.”

Callum’s eyes turned red.

“Maren, it’s only been a few days. You already like someone else?”

“You and I are divorced,” I said coldly. “Who I like has nothing to do with you.”

“We finalized the divorce, didn’t we?”

The color drained from Callum’s face.

How ridiculous.

I walked past him with Soren, our hands still linked.

Callum stood there and didn’t stop me.

From the look on his face, he probably had never believed I could really let him go. Once, I hadn’t believed

either. But people changed.

With my grandfather’s and Soren’s help, my studio opened.

Back in Briarwick, I had always wanted to start a photography studio of my own.

Callum never supported it.

Every time I mentioned opening a studio, he made it sound childish.

“Was the money he gave me not enough? Why did I need to waste time on something so pointless?”

After a while, I stopped talking about it.

But when Soren accidentally learned about that dream, he got excited right away.

In five days, he helped me secure a location.

Then he called in favors through friends and brought me models, contacts, and several young photographers

with interesting eyes.

Opening a studio meant endless preparation. A lot of it had to be done myself.

Every day, I was exhausted. I barely had time to sit down.

But I was happy. Happier than I had ever been when my whole life revolved around Callum.

When people got busy, they became clearer. Once I had work to fill my days, everything started to feel clearer. I stopped lying awake at night, tearing myself apart over a love that had already gone bad.

And just when I finally stopped orbiting Callum Rourke, he showed up again.

He told me Bria’s medical record had been fake.

He said he hadn’t known.

But whether it was real or fake no longer mattered. Not then. Not now.

I looked at him calmly.

“Callum, I never cared about what outsiders thought of me.”

“If I were that kind of person, I wouldn’t have married you.”

He understood what I meant.

His eyes reddened at once.

“So no matter what Bria did to me, she couldn’t truly hurt me.”

“Whether she was mentally regressed or not, that was never the point.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I was the one who hurt you.”

The words left Callum before he could stop them. He raised a hand, and a tear fell onto the back of it.

“I failed to balance my relationship with her and my marriage with you. I neglected you.”

“I used your love against you. I bullied you. I made you suffer.

“And I was arrogant enough to think you would never leave.”

Callum lifted his head, tears shining in his eyes as he met my gaze.

I used to love his eyes most. The corners tilted down slightly. Clear. Bright. Full of life. Now, they couldn’t stir

even the faintest ripple in me.

“Ren, I was wrong,” he said. “Just give me one more chance. I’ll love you the way I should have from the

start.”

He reached out and took my hand, just as he had many years ago.

One second later, I pulled away.

“You’re right about one thing, Callum.”

“You should never have taken my love for granted.”

“I let you hurt me over and over because I thought love meant staying.”

“It doesn’t.”

“It means knowing when to walk away.”

“No. Ren. Ren, please.”

His mouth opened and closed, but the words seemed to fail him.

“My parents’ locket is gone,” I said. “So is my child.”

Memories rose in front of me again.

I closed my eyes.

Callum’s voice turned hoarse.

“The locket can be fixed. I swear. I already found the best antique jewelry restorer for you. And the baby… we

can have another one.”

“It won’t be the same, Callum.”

“No matter what you do, we can’t go back.”

His fists clenched.

“Maren, do you hate me?”

I answered honestly.

“No.”

“I just don’t care about you anymore.”