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Lahat ng Kabanata ng You Can't Have It Both Ways: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

9 Kabanata

Chapter 1

The crash of the glass against the table cut through the room, and the noise around us died instantly."What a fun challenge. Why not let me join in?"My voice stayed even, but Julian Speck caught the edge under it right away and moved to smooth things over. "Don't be mad, honey. Laura's always been a wild one. She's just messing around with me."She's basically one of the guys. You don't need to think of her as a woman."My hand curled into a fist under the table.Not a woman, so it didn't matter if she got looked at, kissed, touched. That was the game the two of them played, the one nobody ever said out loud.I'd fought about it before, made a scene about it before, and every time he'd shut me down with the same line: she's basically one of the guys. As if pushing back any harder just meant I was petty and couldn't take a joke.Laura pouted. "Come on, Betty, you're really going to be bothered by that? Julian and I are basically sworn bros for life. Forget a kiss or a touch,

Chapter 2

By the time I got home, it was already ten at night.I'd barely changed and climbed into bed when my phone lit up with a notification.Laura had posted a new video, a challenge she'd apparently just filmed that same night. The comments were already buzzing."I hereby declare Julian is the hottest of all the guys!""Seconded! Let's get Julian promoted to Laura's husband, lol!""Same! I'm booking a seat at the head table when they get married!"I scrolled through them one by one, almost punishing myself with it. The husband I'd spent seven years with was "Laura's best future husband" in her videos. And everyone around us had quietly agreed to keep it from me, to let me play the fool who actually believed in "just friends."A new comment from Julian popped up. Julian: [Out of all the guys, have you filmed with anyone else?]Laura: [Relax, relax. The fans all say you're the hottest one. Why else would they be voting you in as my future husband?]My chest tightened. I forced myse

Chapter 3

Julian didn't catch the latter part of my sentence because his special ringtone went off, the one reserved for exactly one contact.Laura.Julian picked up, said a few words, grabbed his coat, and headed for the door. He paused halfway there, as if he'd just remembered I existed, and glanced back. "What were you saying, honey? It's nothing important, I'm sure. Go to sleep; we'll talk when I'm back."The door slammed shut, and the room fell silent again. I bit down on my lip, but I couldn't stop the sound that finally broke loose.I didn't sleep at all that night.The next morning, I'd just gotten to the hospital when a nurse came rushing over."Dr. Milton! We've got a car accident victim coming into the ER, hurry!"From a distance, I saw Laura lying on a stretcher, covered in blood. Charles stood beside her, choking back tears. "Laura, you have to be okay, please wake up..."Julian gripped her hand, his face twisted with an anguish he wasn't even trying to hide. A pair of n

Chapter 4

Laura posted another update to her account, this time a few photos of her face wrapped in gauze.The caption read: [One face, sacrificed to the surgical miracle worker, Dr. Betty Milton.]The ambiguity of it sent the comment section into a frenzy."Is that our queen getting botched by a doctor after a little touch-up?""Give Laura back her natural beauty! Oh my god!!""Which hospital did this to her? Some 'miracle worker,' more like a butcher!"Fans traced the hospital from her location tag, and within minutes, they'd dug up every piece of my personal information. My private messages, calls, and texts on all social accounts exploded all at once.I went cold all over, my hand shaking so hard I could barely hold the phone. I stumbled toward Laura's hospital room, only to have Julian block me at the door. He seemed to understand exactly how close I was to breaking, and sighed."Betty, calm down. Laura didn't mean for this to happen."None of us expected the fans to go this crazy.

Chapter 5

Julian didn't receive the divorce agreement until the next day.My attorney, Jack McGeorge, went straight to Laura's hospital room and knocked on the door. The cheerful chatter inside cut off at once."Which one of you is Mr. Julian Speck?"Julian, halfway through peeling an apple, paused and turned. "That's me. What's this about?"Jack pulled a folder out of his bag. "This is a divorce agreement my client, Betty Milton, asked me to deliver to you. Please look it over, and if there's no issue, you can sign it."Julian's hands went stiff as he tore the folder open. The color drained from his face the moment he saw what was inside.Jennifer snatched it out of his hands before he could react. When she flipped to the page with my signature already on it, she scoffed. "This has to be another one of Betty's stunts. She's probably just jealous that you've been camped out here with Laura this whole time. I know her too well. Petty and insecure, that's all she is."Bobby took the folde

Chapter 6

Julian kept picking things up and setting them back down, mechanically, over and over, as if going through the motions could somehow convince himself I was still there, that I still loved him.But it wasn't the same. The apartment was ice-cold in every direction, and every corner of it seemed to be telling him so.By ten that night, Julian still hadn't turned up. Jennifer finally gave up waiting, scooped Charles into her arms, and let them into our apartment.Bobby's voice carried in before they'd even stepped through the door. "Sis, seriously, what's going on? It's this late, and you still haven't picked up Charles. He's got school tomorrow. Did you forget?"Jennifer's voice followed right behind his. "Betty, I have to take care of Laura tomorrow. Can you cover my shift for the day?"She wandered over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water without waiting for an answer, then turned around and spotted Julian sitting in the living room. She choked on the water and broke into a

Chapter 7

None of that had anything to do with me anymore.By then, I was staying with a childhood friend in a small seaside town, letting myself heal.Mandy Sherwood hadn't seen me in years, and the second she laid eyes on me, she wrapped me in a bone-crushing hug. "I missed you so much, Betty!"She excitedly showed me the gear she'd brought, promising to take me out to the beach to catch crabs.Over the next few days, Mandy stuck to me like glue whenever she wasn't busy, dragging me out to fish, catch shrimp, and sunbathe. She'd always had a lively, playful streak, and being around her made me rediscover an interest in life I hadn't felt in a long time.One afternoon, we were eating popsicles and driving along the coast with the windows down. Mandy kept glancing at me like she wanted to say something.I found it funny. "Just ask if you want to know something. Look how bottled up you are."Mandy laughed, a little sheepish. "Betty, did something happen to you?"Before I could answer, she

Chapter 8

Night fell, and Julian still hadn't moved from the doorstep.Mandy refused to leave me alone with him around, so she ended up staying in my room to sleep beside me that night.She covered my eyes with her hands. "Don't look, don't look. Whatever happens, you are not forgiving them."I laughed despite myself, and somehow felt safe enough to fall into a deep sleep anyway.The next morning, I opened the door to find Julian kneeling outside, soaked to the bone.His face was a frightening shade of white, and he looked like he might collapse at any second. When he saw me, he forced out a smile. "Betty, I've punished myself enough. Come home with me, please?"When I didn't respond, he pressed harder, more desperate. "You don't want Charles to grow up without a mother, do you?"I shook my head. "Julian, I don't want you, and I don't want Charles either."This is the last time you'll see me. Let's finalize the divorce. Don't make me hate you more than I already do."The light in his

Chapter 9

Walking out of the clerk's office, I felt lighter than I had in years.I looked at Julian one last time. I didn't say anything else, just let a quiet sense of release settle over me.He seemed to read it in my expression too, and managed a strained smile before turning and walking away.After that, Julian and the rest of them vanished from my life completely.I threw myself back into life in the fishing village. Away from the pace of the city, away from all those toxic people and relationships, I finally felt like I'd found myself again.Every day, I mended fishing nets, caught crabs, and in the evenings, I'd walk along the shore with Mandy, letting the sea breeze carry everything else away. It felt just as simple and pure as it had when we were kids.A month later, once the mandatory cooling-off period had passed, it was time for Julian and me to finalize the divorce for real.That day, I saw Bobby for the first time in a long while. He was leaning on a cane, his face gaunt, fo

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