Page 96 of Bumping into You

“. . . Thank you for not telling her. She’d be furious with me if she knew I’d asked you to spend time with her. . . .”

I can feel the blood drain from my face, while the beating of my heart simultaneously thumps loudly in my ears. I feel as if I’m going to pass out or explode.

Hundreds of memories flash through my mind, from our initial meeting to laser tag, jumping in the water, talking on the balcony, intimate moments between us, and my heart stops beating.

None of it was real.

He was just pretending to like me because Greg asked him to.How ironic when pretending to like me was exactly what I’d asked him to do.No wonder it was so easy for him to agree. He’d already agreed to pretend for Greg.

Niall quickly presses stop on Greg’s voicemail.

“Gwen, I—”

“Don’t say a word!” I snap.

“Listen,mo ghrá, I can explain,” Niall says, reaching for my hand.

I step back and say forcefully, “No.”

Niall stops, worry in his eyes. “Please—”

I hold up my hand to silence him and shake my head. “It was all a game to you. Nothing was real.”

“But it was real.”

“Not based on that voicemail it wasn’t. You just pretended to like me this whole time—for Greg! And I fell for it like some fool.”

“Gwendolyn, it’s not like that—”

“Would you ever had told me Greg asked you to date me if I hadn’t heard his voicemail? You had so many chances to clue me in on the whole charade. But you chose not to because this is all fake, some game to you.”

I swiftly turn my eyes on him, glaring.

“That’s not true.”

“Don’t. Don’t lie to me, Niall. All you’ve done is lie. I heard what Greg said, clear as day. I just can’t believe I fell for your lies. I can’t believe I was blindsided again by, by these secrets.” I say the last word through clenched teeth. I’m angry at myself for trusting that Niall wouldn’t hurt me, wouldn’t keep things from me.

“Gwen, please let me explain. It’s not like that at all. What I feel for you is real. It may have started off—”

“What was the deal with Greg? Was it to stop me from being a workaholic? For your information, I love my job,” I spit out.

“It wasn’t like that,” Niall says. “Greg and Trent both thought—”

“Trent was in on it too?” Now I’m furious. “How many people knew about this favor? Were Margot and Holly in on it also?”

“They didn’t know anything about it. Gwen, please—”

“I’m sick of everyone deciding they know what is best for me. Everyone just needs to get over the fact that I have a successful business. I hate that everyone keeps trying to change me. That they keep things from me, like I can’t handle the truth. You know what . . . I’m done.”

“What are you talking about?” Niall asks, pain evident in his eyes.

“I’m done with us.”

I have to get out of here. I have to leave this place. I hurry to the bedroom to pack my things. Niall didn’t love me for me. He just wanted to change me. And stupidly, I fell for it. I fell for another man who wants to keep me from my job.

With a packed suitcase, I take out my phone and order a rideshare to the airport. From there, I can be home in a few hours. Back where I should be, to the safety and solitude that won’t hurt me. I won’t be made to look like an idiot, not again.

Then I head for the front door.

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