All Chapters of After My Groom Betrayed Me, I Took His Best Man: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

LILITHI slammed the front door shut with enough force to shake the walls.The suffocating air of our apartment, filled with the faint smell of old takeout and regret, hit me right in the face. It was the smell of failure. My failure.It reeked.I threw my cheap work bag—the one I had to buy because I couldn't afford my designer one anymore—onto the floor. I didn’t even bother to take off the ugly, scratchy polyester uniform they made me wear. I was still carrying the dust of that dark, miserable basement archive."Owen!" I screamed, marching into the living room.He was exactly where I expected him to be: slumped on the sofa, a glass of amber liquid in his hand, staring at the TV with dead eyes. He looked as useless as he smelled."What?" he mumbled, not even turning his head.I stood over him, my hands shaking with anger. The day had been awful. Ms. Davies, had given me a lecture on "professional attire" because my low-cut top from five years ago showed too much cleavage for th

OWENI just stared at her. My ears were ringing, and the smell of the whiskey suddenly made my stomach turn."The dying wish… it was a lie."The words hung in the air, heavy and sharp.My mind was pacing, trying to catch up. The woman I had changed my life plan for, the reason I cut off the best thing that ever happened to me.And she was telling me the whole story was a sham."You don't believe me," she scoffed."What's there to believe?" I asked, the word barely a whisper. I shook my head, trying to clear the noise. "You lying about dying, just because you want to make Elowen suffer." I scoffed, raising the beer can to my lips.She was standing there, just staring at me with disbelief in her eyes."I do mean it, Owen!" she screamed back. "I'm not sick! I'm fine! I’m healthy!"I pushed myself up off the couch, the betrayal finally washing over the shock. This wasn’t some confession. This was another one of her schemes."You're making this up," I stated flatly. "You're angry bec

ELOWENThe big door closed with a soft, expensive thud.I leaned my back against the polished wood, letting out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. My hands were shaking a little, but my face felt frozen. I stayed there for a long time, listening to the silence of the office. Owen was gone. He had finally come to his senses, desperate, with the truth finally burning a hole in his foolish heart.Ryan… he’s running around. He’s just using you! He’s the same old playboy, Elowen!The words echoed in the empty marble walkway. It wasn't news. I knew who Ryan was. I knew the kind of man I married for convenience, for a good look on paper, for the added power a smart wife brought to the table. But hearing Owen say it, seeing the pity in his eyes, it felt like a crack in my perfect cover.I walked slowly back through the furniture to the shelf, my heels clicking sharply on the floor. I picked up the glass of water I’d been drinking and looked out the massive window at the city l

ELOWEN"No, you’re beautiful, Gattina. And i'm happy you’re here. Remember that."The possessiveness in his tone was strong, but it didn't feel threatening. It felt… protective. Then, his hands slid up from my shoulders to cup the sides of my neck, his thumbs tracing the line of the emerald necklace. He was still standing right behind me. His breath, warm and smelling faintly of red wine and espresso, was stirring the hairs on the back of my neck.He slowly turned my head, gently forcing me to look up and back at him. My heart started to beat faster, a quick, nervous drumming against the cool and heavy emerald."The color suits you," he murmured, his voice closer now, quieter.I could only nod, suddenly unable to use my words.The warmth of his hands on my neck was overpowering the chill of the stone. I could feel the electricity, the sudden, sharp tension that had waltzed into the room.He leaned in, his face close to mine. I could see the tiny flecks of gold in his green eyes,

OWENI sat in the darkness of the empty apartment, the chill of my failure was slowly seeping into my bones. Elowen’s face was cold and hard, and her words were burned into my memory. "...I don’t need a desperate, failed businessman in my life.""Even El thinks I'm a failure," I scoffed.It wasn't the rejection that twisted my gut, not really. It was how fiercely she defended Ryan. It was clear she knew he was running around and she knew he was a playboy but she didn't care. In fact, she wore her acceptance of it like a badge of honor, like she was too smart, too tough to be bothered."At least he’s honest about what he is, she said." I repeated in mockery.Honest. What a joke.I lifted the bottle of whiskey to my lips, taking a full swig of it into my mouth.Ryan was a hypocrite who pretended to still be my friend while secretly hating me for a college fling. He was using Elowen as much as she was using him, and she was too blind, or too proud, to admit it. She was protecting