Page 86 of Accidental Fiancé

“I believed all this time that it was Grant who started it. But he had nothing to gain from creating such a specific rumor. You, on the other hand, had everything to gain. You wanted the solo that I got. You were angry with Mr. Poundstone that he didn't give it to you, just like you'd been given everything else. So, you created that rumor for your petty revenge. Did Grant know that it was a lie? Did he get Mr. Poundstone fired on accident? Or was he in on it too?”

Chloe's heart-shaped mouth opened and closed like a guppy a few times before she spoke again. “What if I did? What does it matter now? Mr. Poundstone moved on. Why won’t you?”

As far as I was concerned, that was as good as an admission. But I pressed on. “Why would you do that? Why would you try to ruin me? What did I have that you didn't already have, Chloe? I had next to nothing back then, and you knew it. My mom and I were practically homeless. I wasn't cheer captain, that was you. I wasn't a popular girl like you. That solo was the only thing that I had going for me and you tried to take that away, too. Why?”

Chloe sneered, glaring. Her face flushed red with anger as her jaw worked. She growled, “You brought it on yourself.”

“How? By being your punching bag for twelve years?”

“You thought you could just walk in there, sing marginally well, and take what was mine. You’re selfish, Maggie.”

I laughed in disbelief. “You’re joking, right? Have you any self-awareness?”

“If you thought I’d just roll over and let you do it, then you had another thing coming,” she spat. “You're a nobody. A nobody trying to be a somebody. There's nothing sadder. You'll never be one of us.”

“I don't want to be you!” I shot back. “You don't get to decide who I am or what I'm worth. That upsets you, doesn’t it?”

Chloe's expression darkened, and for a moment, I thought she might lash out again. But instead, I saw a flicker of something else. Fear, perhaps? The realization that she had lost her hold on me? She remained silent, scanning me as if she were hunting for a new crack to pry open.

But I had filled my cracks with the truth. Funny how being ripped apart was the thing that fixed me.

I took a step back, my heart racing. “You keep trying to break me, Chloe Foster, yet I'm still standing. I never deserved your hate, but I realize now it was never about me. It was about you. What you say about me says more about you than it does me, and that eats you alive, doesn’t it?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she hissed.

I shrugged. I was done with Chloe, with feeling like an asshole for lying to Julian’s family, with all of it. There was nothing here for me. Not anymore. Time to start a new chapter of my life story.

I’d rebuild myself from the ground up.

As I stood there, staring Chloe down, I saw it in my head. I’d move back in with Mom and Dad, get a job, and save up my money until I could open another bakery. Maybe I could even write a cookbook while I worked toward my new bakery. It would take years of work, but the time would pass anyway, so I might as well work toward something good.

A life I could be proud of. The world was my hard-earned oyster. I just had to seize it.

Chloe’s shoulders heaved with her angry breaths, charging up like a weak battery. “If I were you, I’d?—"

“I’m not interested in your advice. Save your breath. It’s just hot air, anyway.” With that, I grabbed my suitcase and pushed past her, knocking against her bony shoulder and not bothering to look back.

Marcus' expression was a fresh appraisal of me like he was seeing me for the first time. Apollo gave a nod of respect as I passed him. But then he glanced down at his phone, once again acting like he wasn’t paying attention to anything else.

I wondered how many times he'd done exactly that. Play pretend. I understood the urge. It was easier to pretend than to acknowledge anything uncomfortable. It was the one reality that a Bryant never liked to face. But I faced it today.

Maybe I wasn't like the others in my family, after all. Or maybe it was a new day for the Bryant’s. Hard to say. As of today, though, I was done eating my words or swallowing my feelings. No more biting my tongue. That chapter was closed.

I told Julian the ugly truth—he didn’t love me. He was confused, and pity was not a foundation to build anything on. Even though I thought I might choke on the words, I got them out. I said my piece and left it at that. To my surprise, I was still breathing, and better than that, I was proud of myself.

Walking away, I felt lighter. The burden of Chloe's cruelty and the remnants of my past were finally behind me. The path ahead was uncertain, but it was mine to shape. No more playing someone else's game or by someone else’s rules. I was ready to find my own way, free from the shackles of a life I never truly belonged in.

Chapter 32

Julian

Iwatched from the second-floor balcony as Maggie carried her luggage through the foyer, shoulders back, her steps steady, and her head held high. A pang of pride shot through me, even as she marched away. Seeing her spar with Chloe was incredible. I couldn’t believe she stood up to her like that.

If she wasn’t leaving me right now, I might have been aroused by seeing her so thoroughly trounce Chloe. But she was walking away, away from what we had built together, even if it was a lie at first. The ache was suffocating, and even though I hated it, I couldn't deny the strength she carried. She'd been through hell—betrayal, rumors, her bakery burning down—and yet she still moved through the world with grace. That was Maggie. Human resilience.

As she neared the door, Chloe hovered nearby. Marcus was with her, along with a few others who gravitated to the foyer. Somehow, no matter how awful she was, people fell in line with Chloe, even if only to see what she’d do next. She was a venomous snake, eyeing her prey, and still, people always wanted to watch.

I clenched my fists as I watched her lips curl into that signature sneer, the one she saved for when she was about to strike.

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