Page 12 of Meadowsweet and Marigold
The way his eyes had deliberately avoided hers.
The heartache alone was almost too much to bear. It made her want to shrivel up in a ball and never be seen by the world again.
I couldn’t give them such power, but how can I accept this?
"You could have at least done it privately," she said, dropping the frame into a box with less care than it deserved. "But that wouldn't have served Magnolia's purpose, would it?"
Her twin had orchestrated everything perfectly.
The rumors began circulating just days before. The whispers about Marigold's supposedly unstable nature, her "unsuitable" temperament for an Alpha mate.
Then came the pointed questions from company directors about her commitment —her focus.
Marigold yanked open her jewelry box, the delicate hinges protesting.
Inside lay the amber pendant Rowan had given her — a gift, one of many, he'd said matched the warmth in her eyes.
"'No other omega has eyes like yours,'" she mimicked his words bitterly. "Except, of course, my identical twin."
She snapped the jewelry box closed without taking the pendant.
Let it stay buried here with the rest of her mistakes.
A knock at the door startled her.
She froze, her heart leaping to her throat.
"Mari? It's Eliza. Are you in there?"
Marigold exhaled. Just her understudy — former understudy, she corrected herself — not Magnolia or Rowan come to witness her disgrace.
"Yes, come in," she called, quickly wiping at her eyes.
Eliza entered tentatively, her dancer's body held with the characteristic poise they'd all been trained to maintain even in moments of crisis.
Her eyes widened at the sight of the half-packed suitcase.
"So it's true? You're leaving?"
Marigold nodded, resuming her packing.
"News travels fast."
Of course, it did when you were the talk of the city.
"Everyone's talking about it. About everything." Eliza shifted uncomfortably. "I wanted to say...I'm sorry. What happened…it was?—"
"Perfectly orchestrated," Marigold finished, folding a scarf with precise movements. "My sister always had impeccable timing."
"Will you go back to your family's estate?"
Marigold let out a hollow laugh.
"My family has made their allegiances clear. Magnolia is the daughter they want to claim now."
"Where then?"
"Somewhere quiet. Somewhere I can stop being Marigold Everhart, the omega who wasn't good enough."
