Page 74 of The Fantasy League
Somehow, I managed to keep reading, holding back the tears that welled behind my eyes. My throat tightened as I scrolled through the rest of the article, staring at pictures of Abel and Aera on a dinner date together.
Maybe it was fake? Hell, all of the articles that were posted about Abel and I had been filled with half-truths.
But what I couldn’t shake was the feeling that there was something different about these photos compared to Abel’s and mine.
I stared at them a bit longer and then it hit me… he loved her. It was that kind of love that transcends photos. The kind that the viewer on the other end couldn’t help but feel too.
Bile rose in my throat. I felt like I was going to suffocate.
How did I let this freaking happen?
The stinging in my chest grew, knowing that all of the feelings that I thought were reciprocated, all of the thoughtful gestures, were just a part of the ruse he had planned.
But then again, I couldn’t be mad.
I signed up for this.
I was the one who spread my legs for him. I was the one who had broken two of the three rules we had set.
How could I be such a fool?
All of the signs that he was seeing someone else had been right in front of me the entire time and I chose to ignore them.
The dress.
The sneaky text messages.
The beach house.
As much as I wanted to put the blame on him, I couldn’t. I was a damn fool and there was no one to blame but myself. I was still the foolish, naive girl I’d always been.
When Mom was on her deathbed, dying from terminal cancer, I held hope that she would make a full recovery. When I walked in on my college boyfriend cheating, I believed him when he said he didn’t mean it. I let myself believe that Mae still wanted to live out our childhood dreams of raising our families together, but deep down I knew that her buying this house was proof that she couldn’t care less anymore.
Stupid, stupid girl.
I had been disappointed time and time again, so why did I let myself believe that it would be any different with Abel?
News flash, Scarlett: maybe it’s time to stop disappointing yourself with the false realities you create in your head.
My self-deprecating thoughts were interrupted by a call flashing on the screen… Lea again.
I sucked in a deep breath and exhaled, quickly pulling myself together and slapping on a fake grin as I pressed my thumb against the green button, accepting the call.
“Scarlett…“ Lea’s somber expression came into view on the screen and I wanted to slap it off of her. I hated the pity that sounded in her tone. There was nothing more mortifying than publicly finding out that you had been “cheated on.”
We’d only officially been together for all of twenty-four hours, but still, we’d agreed that we wouldn’t see other people while we were doing our little song and dance. I guessed it was my fault for assuming that he was the kind of person who stuck to his word.
How could I have been so freaking stupid?
“I’m fine. I’ll be fine. I promise,“ I lied through my teeth.
I was not fine. Not even close.
“You sure, Scar? I can come over if you need me to.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’ll be okay. I should’ve seen it coming.”
“Don’t say that. I’ve known Abel for over half a decade and I wouldn’t have seen this coming from left field.” Which was saying a lot, considering the fact that Lea could read through anyone. It was part of what made her so good at her job.
