After My Groom Betrayed Me, I Took His Best Man のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 171 - チャプター 180

RYAN "I'm coming!" I yelled, pulling myself off the ground as I headed for the door with a bottle of whisky tightly gripped between my fingers."Who is it anyway?" I asked, may voice laced with irritation, the insistent rings at the door starting to crawl up my nerves.I pulled the door and paused, my anger instantly replaced with confusion, my hands and my jaw lowered."Lilith?" I ran a scan of the environment. There was no one else in sight.Had she heard and come to mock me?"What do you want?" I asked, my voice so cold even I could feel the chill."Hi, Ryan." She said calmly, a look I never thought I'd see on Lilith's face: one of regret and brokenness.Is this a new sort of pretense?"Why are you here?" I asked, my voice was starting to show off my displeasure."Is Elowen here?" The words came at me like an attack I couldn't avoid, an attack I deserved but couldn't take."Isn't she supposed to be your sister?" I countered, folding my arms over my chest and leaning against the d

ELOWEN"Can I get the usual?" I tapped on the counter impatiently.The last couple of weeks had been a blur to me. I hadn't stepped out of my hotel room during the day, only at night and only for a drink."On your tab?" I nodded in affirmative as I watched him grab a bottle off the rack and a shot glass. "Here you go," he pushed me a shot glass of amber liquid and tapped on the counter, a loud thud resounding in my head.My eyes instinctively flicked to his face, irritation evident on it but his eyes were not on me, they were on a figure behind me, one whose presence was reflected on my drink.My breath hitched, my throat tightened suddenly, the fear of the realization of who that could be running down my skin as I slowly turned my head, my heart drumming against my ribs so hard I thought it might burst right there.The bartender wasn't looking at me anymore; he was staring at a figure standing in the dim light of the doorway, a figure that looked just as broken and weary as I felt.

ELOWEN "What are you... talking about?" I asked, my throat dry, my ears silently requesting an explanation of what I had just heard."I wanted to tell you, Gattina." He started, his voice a calm whisper as he tried to reach out for my arm."Don't... tell me I almost married a lie..." I lifted my hands to my eyes, slightly pressing my fingers into the sockets."And you didn't say anything?" I added, disbelief thick in my tone."How could you have watched me make a huge mistake and say nothing?" I continued, my voice slowly breaking."I wanted to..." He trailed, the tone of his voice lowering."More than any other thing in the world but you looked so happy," he continued, his eyes holding mine in an apologetic gaze."If there was anything I hated more than losing you, it was being the source behind your unhappiness." He added immediately.Those were words I had always yearned to hear from Owen five years ago, more than anything but finally hearing it from Ryan instead felt more heartwa

ELOWEN"You'd have to look beyond your heart and forgive her one way or another, Gattina." Ryan said, his voice low and laced with concern.Maybe he was right. Lilith had hurt me beyond words could heal but she was showing an effort to make things right."She's really remorseful and I'm sure she feels bad about all that has happened so far." "But what if..." I trailed, my eyes landing on another pair behind the door, a pair that I could tell was undeniably hers.But at the same time, it could all be another scope of hers to get to me, to pull me back to the ground I was struggling to pull myself off of."What ifs were what led is here in the first place." Celeste intercepted, moving in between us with her hand to her forehead."This was what brought us here in the first place, and I think she has tried to redeem herself which is enough if you ask me," Celeste continued, her face softening with a toothless smile that was meant to be comforting, but I just couldn't bring myself to feel

ELOWEN"What do you mean she's gone?" I asked Celeste, looking around the corners of the room."I saw her a couple of minutes ago, how could she be gone?" I asked again, my eye brows furrowed in confusion."I have no idea, she was just here as well, I was right here with her and now she's gone." Celeste said, her voice a bit shaky."I literally told her to wait a little bit that I would be back and now she's gone." She added.I shrugged, my initial thoughts taking over. "Maybe I was right," I said calmly."She never wanted my forgiveness, she probably plotting something else right now." I said, walking past the duo to the car.I felt like a fool for believing that Lilith has changed even for a moment. She had been like this for years, since child hood, thinking a leopard could change it's spots at the dire minute was a dumb thing to do."Gattina, are you okay?" Ryan held out his hand to me, extending it to my thigh as we drove past trees and building."Elowen," he called out again, mo