Page 63 of The Wedding Hoax

“And you read them? Without my permission?” She took a step closer to me. “How could you think that’s okay?”

“The same way you think it’s okay to go running back to that asshole—”

“Why do you care?” Simone pressed, her voice rising. “Even if I was thinking up some kind of master plan to get back with Jace, why does it matter to you? This marriage is a sham, right? This will all be over in a few weeks.”

Our eyes met, and it was like a knife in my chest.

She blinked, and her next words came out softer. “None of this is real. Isn’t that what you kept telling me?”

All of my anger melted away as sadness flowed through my veins instead.

None of this is real.

Fuck.

Simone didn’t want me. She never wanted me. Not really.

If I was falling in love, I was falling completely alone.

“Good night, Simone.” I ended the conversation as I turned away from her. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

24

SIMONE

Why the hell was Harry in my room last night?

I hadn’t followed him out or asked any questions. I’d been too pissed off.

It was bad enough that he’d been snooping while I was in the shower. It was even worse to deal with him accusing me of cheating on him.

That was the part that hurt the most.

How could Harry believe something like that?

He knew that Jace had broken my heart. And if he’d bothered to read the text message history, he would’ve noticed that I literally never responded whenever Jace had occasionally texted me. The man had been in a one-person conversation with himself for months, messaging me every so often when he was lonely and bored. He never meant a word he said in those text messages, anyway.

I had zero interest in Jace. But Harry wouldn’t listen to me. He’d just jumped to the worst possible conclusion about me.

I flopped down on my mattress, my thoughts racing so fast I could barely catch them.

Was it sex? Is that all Harry wanted last night?

I frowned at the thought. Just the idea of Harry coming to my bedroom to fool around and then accusing me of cheating on him made something in my stomach turn.

What an asshole.

I’d asked him right to his face if anything between us was real, and he’d never even bothered to answer the question. Which was fine by me, since I had no intention of ever sleeping with Harry, ever again.

I was completely done with him. Once and for all.

Because if there wasn’t anything real between us, then it was time we started acting like it.

* * *

“You sure you’re good here, Mom?” I asked as I helped her settle into her guesthouse for the night. “I can always call off the dinner with Ruby if you need me to stay.”

“Simi.” My mom playfully rolled her eyes. “I can still take care of myself, you know. I’m not completely helpless.”

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