CHAPTER 4: RESTAURANT

IZZY’S POV,

After about half an hour's drive from the mall where I had spent the whole day shopping with my gang of crazy girls, I found myself outside the restaurant that held many memories. The place meant so much to me, I wondered if Tyler thought about it at all when he asked me to meet him there.

My brother was right, I shouldn't have agreed to meet him, but I needed to know the reason for his betrayal. So, without thinking about it I opened the door and walked inside, with my head held high. I wasn't the one in the wrong after all. A few people paused their conversation and turned to look at me.

“Good morning, Miss. Mr. Black is waiting for you, follow me.” The host approached with a bright smile on her face.

We frequented the restaurant, so she already knew who I was and took me to the table Tyler had booked for us. However, I soon realized it wasn't our regular table on the balcony; rather, it was at the very back of the restaurant. It was one of the tables generally booked by the businesses, so I knew Tyler was meeting for serious reasons.

“Thank you, Eva,” Tyler stood up when he saw us and went to pull my chair like he normally did. It was probably to show Eva what a gentleman he was, but I couldn't help but feel special by his gesture.

Looking at him, I noticed he was wearing makeup to hide the bruises on his face, but even with the makeup, some of them were hard to hide. There was a big cut on his lips and a visible bruise on his jaw. I laughed internally but hoped he wasn't meeting me to complain about my brother.

“I will be back with the starters in a few minutes,” she said before leaving.

Tyler sat across from me and cleared his throat to cut the awkwardness between us, while I looked at my lap, trying not to let my tears fall because I knew it was the end. I could feel it under my skin.

“I ordered the starters so that it won't take long,” he said, picking up the wine glass from the table. “I hope it's okay.”

I wasn't hungry, because I had some snacks with my friends, but couldn't bring myself to tell Tyler that. There was a lump in my throat and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to speak normally. The last thing I wanted was for Tyler to see how pathetic I was without him, and how much emotional control he still had over me.

“I-I don't know what to say or how to start,” he sighed, tapping his shoes against the floor nervously. “I… I know what I did was wrong and you might never want to see my face again, but I don't think we should cancel the wedding.”

“WHAT?!” I raised my head to look at him in confusion and shock. I wasn't sure if I heard him right, but the stupid little smile on his lips told me I hadn't made any mistake.

He actually said that.

“I know, I know,” he leaned forward and reached for my hand but I pulled it away before he could touch me. “As I said, I made a mistake and I feel terrible about it. But, I'm in a bad situation and only you can help me, Izzy.”

I snorted, “You feel terrible about it, Tyler?”

“Believe it or not, but I am feeling terrible for hurting you. I will forever be sorry for breaking your trust,” He sounded sincere in his apology, but I told myself I wasn't going to let him speak his way back to me. “And for causing you the pain. I'll forever regret hurting you.”

“Yeah, I am sorry too.” I wiped the tears forming at the corner of my eyes. “And I hope you don't have to go through this, because it really hurts… you know, to learn that the person you loved more than your life, never loved you back the same.”

“Izzy, I do love you.” His eyes were glistening with unshed tears, and the rawness in his voice made me doubt my words. “I have loved you every single second of my life. I made a mistake and I'm ready for any punishment, but please marry me.”

He pulled out my ring from his pocket and placed it on the table. I had thrown it at him when I found him on our bed, with the girl he promised was just a ‘good friend’ and nothing more.

“Have you lost your mind?” I wasn't sad anymore about our past at this point, I was just mad at him. “H-how can you even expect me to marry you after everything you have done?”

“I know it's bad, but please hear me out,” He had his hands folded in front of him. “Forgive me an-and… you'll be free to do whatever you want. I won't stop you from going after anyone.”

I looked at him, puzzled because I didn't understand a word he was saying. “What are you talking about?”

“I am talking about open relationships,” he said, and seeing how casually it came out of his mouth made my blood boil. “We can see other people even after our marriage, we won't be bound to each other.”

“Tyler, why do you want to marry me if you are interested in seeing other people?” I asked, trying to control my anger because if an open relationship was what he wanted, then our whole relationship was a lie from the beginning.

He took a deep breath and looked around before explaining, “I won't get my inheritance if I'm not married, both of my parents agreed to that. I tried explaining to them, but even with their failed marriage, they just can't let me live my life.”

“So, it's about your inheritance?” I was burning from the inside but maintained the same smile on my face as him when the waiters came with the food.

“I hope you enjoy your meal,” Eva said before leaving and we both thanked her for the food.

“Yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't love you. I very much do, and that's why I want to marry you and not some other random girl.”

He thought his words meant something special to me, but they only made me look at him in a new light, and I don't know how I missed what a disgusting person he truely was. Just looking at him angered me, and hearing him go on and on about me getting the freedom to do whatever I wanted and him financing my hobbies once he got the money, irritated me to no end.

“What do you think of me?” I asked, glaring at him. He stopped talking to look at me from his food, and when he saw my eyes, his smile vanished. “Do you think I'm with you for your money?”

“I-I mean, I know you love me and stuff, but that's only because I have money.” He let out a nervous chuckle as I tightened my fist. “You wouldn't have looked at me if I was poor.”

That was it, that's when I lost it and grabbed the glass of wine on the table in front of me. Feeling the adrenaline rushing through my veins, I gave in to the violence and threw the expensive red liquid on his face.