Page 118 of Aisle Be The Groom
“We already figured that one out,” I said. I didn’t like thinking about it either because I’d been gullible enough to make it happen despite all the warning signs.
“But what you don’t know is that he came up with another plan last Christmas.” Emma was staring directly at Gray as if I was no longer in the room. “Carter overheard you say something that made him set you up the way he did.”
Gray widened his eyes, inhaling sharply. “He couldn’t have heard me.”
“He did.”
“Wait…what? What did Carter overhear?”
Gray closed his eyes. “I told you when we just met, I felt a connection to you. I might have said something to Pascal about you.”
“You said he could have been the one if he wasn’t marrying Carter, and he heard you.”
Bewildered, I gripped Gray’s arms tighter. “I don’t understand.”
“Didn’t you think it strange the way Carter left you here before the wedding? What kind of groom does that? One who has no intention of going through with the wedding. It was all a ploy to push you both together and make you, Gray, fall in love with Ozzie. He deliberately treated Ozzie so poorly, knowing you wouldn’t be able to stand by and do nothing. And you fell for it.”
Too stunned at the depth of Carter’s betrayal, I sank onto a sofa, not trusting my legs to support me. A mixture of emotions washed over me, making it difficult to figure out my feelings. Anger for Carter’s manipulation. How could he treat me like a chess piece in this sick game of his, and for what? Money. But Gray, I loved him so much. It all worked out well for me, didn’t it?
“Wait, but why would he push Ozzie and me together?” Gray asked. “If he didn’t marry Ozzie, he wouldn’t be able to claim the inheritance.”
“Except he was counting on you doing exactly what you did when he ‘discovered’ your relationship. That you’d feel so guilty you would give him the money.”
How could someone be so calculating? “But what if I hadn’t felt the same way about Gray?”
“Then he would have married you like he originally planned, collected the money, and divorced you within a year.”
Silence fell in the room as the implications of Emma’s revelation hit us like a sledgehammer. A steely anger bubbled up within me, replacing the initial shock. The audacity, the sheer cruel selfishness of Carter’s actions… I curled my hands into fists.
“Carter told you all this?” Gray asked.
“Yes. Some things didn’t add up, so I questioned him about it. At first, I wasn’t sure if I should tell you, but I feel partly responsible.” She shook her head, tears gathering in her eyes. “I never expected him to do something like this. He’s never been perfect, but this is low even for him. I never thought he would go this far to manipulate people to get his way.”
I watched, dumbfounded, as Emma wiped away her tears. It was rare to see her in such a vulnerable state. She looked every bit her forty-eight years. Had I been looking closer earlier, I would have seen the dark circles under her eyes.
“We’ve never seen eye to eye, Emma.” I climbed to my feet and took Gray’s hand. “But Carter is a grown man. He should take responsibility for his actions, not you.”
She laughed, the sound hollow. “I always thought you weren’t good enough for him, but now I see it’s the other way around. Gray, I won’t contest the divorce. I just want this ugliness to be over so we can move on.”
“I agree.” Gray placed an arm around my shoulder. “We’ve all been puppets that Carter has been working behind the scenes. It’s best we all forget the past and look forward to the future. And you know I’ll be fair to you in everything, Emma. No matter what happens, you’ll always be the mother of my boys.”
Emma nodded. “I’ve said and done a lot since I’ve found out about your relationship. I won’t apologize for it, but maybe this makes up for it somewhat.”
Emma walked out of the room, her stiff shoulders showing the weight of the truth she had just revealed. The enormity of Carter’s ruse was paralyzing, but somehow it was also cathartic. The mystery, the doubts that had been gnawing at me, were all laid bare now.
My chest felt tight. I needed some air. Some time alone to think.
“Ozzie.” Gray’s voice was a whisper.
“I…I need to go.”
“Wait…what?” Gray tightened his grip on me as though he thought I would disappear otherwise. “You’re leaving? We know now Carter manipulated us, but it doesn’t change the way I feel about you. It doesn’t change the way you feel about me, does it?”
I slowly shook my head. Gray’s words filtered through my ears, but my brain felt too crowded to process what he was saying. Pulling my arm away, I took a step back.
“I just need a moment. Please. Just—” I raced out of the room as fast as I could.
“Ozzie!”
