Page 73 of My Ex-Fiance's Best Men
“Whether you like it or not, it’s happening. I gave you a good start in life, Phoebe. The rest is up to you.”
“I will fight you in court.”
“Give it your best shot,” Mom scoffs.
With a heavy heart, I step out of her office, tears flowing as I close the door behind me. I’m angry, hurt, and clearly going about this the wrong way. August, Dominic, and Theo were right all along. There was no point in trying to reason with a woman who no longer sees me as her daughter, but instead as an invented threat to the Baldwin legacy.
As much as it pains me, I need to save my energy and my resources for the court battle I’m about to face.
I head to the foyer, preparing to leave when Maggie’s suggestion comes to mind. I decide to go upstairs with the intention of trying to reason with my sister. One last try before I let the lawyers take over. One last attempt to resolve this within the family.
“What the…” I whisper as the door to Crystal’s bedroom opens and out steps Matthew.
I freeze, eyes wide with shock as I quickly note the details. His disheveled hair, the top two buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, his tie tossed over his shoulder.
Nausea burns holes in my throat.
He laughs as Crystal sees him off with one last kiss, then stills at the sight of me. Crystal gasps, lips parted wide as her brain scrambles to formulate a response, but nothing comes. She simply stares at me. “Phoebe…” she manages.
“Well, that escalated quickly,” I mutter.
“Phoebe, I can explain,” Matthew starts, but I shake my head.
“No, no. There’s no need. You’re a free man, remember? You upgraded, right?”
Crystal looks as if she might be about to apologize to me, but only for a moment before she shakes it off and reprises her usual mean girl role. “He did upgrade, if you think about it.”
“I made my feelings clear at the time,” Matthew tries.
“Oh, you mean when you dumped me in the wedding group chat. Yes.Crystalclear, as it turns out,” I shoot back with a dry chuckle. The pun was right there. I couldn’t ignore it. “So, what feelings were you making clear when you were moping outside the Coates brothers’ mansion in the Hamptons, then?”
Matthew clears his throat, stuck in visible discomfort, while Crystal gives him a suspicious side-eye. “What is she talking about?”
“Oh. He didn’t tell you?” I reply. “Matthew had a change of heart just a short bit ago. He came to the summer place, begging me to take him back.”
“A moment of weakness,” Matthew tells Crystal, but I don’t think she’s buying it. “It’s you I love. It was always you.”
“A moment of weakness,” I laugh, then take my phone out. “You know, it dawned on me just now. I found some spicy texts in your phone when we were still engaged. I didn’t want to believe it, so I purposely let it slip my mind. But now…”
“What are you doing?” Crystal asks, her face flashing with alarm.
I dial the number and put it on speaker. Simultaneously, a phone rings somewhere behind Crystal, in her bedroom.
I smile at her. “So, the two of you were an item before Matthew broke up with me. Go figure,” I calmly reply.
She and Matthew exchange nervous glances.
“Phoebe, it’s a lot more complicated than that,” he says. “The heart wants what the heart wants. You, of all people, should understand that, given your current relationship status.”
“I never cheated on you!” I snap, then look at my sister. “And you. Oh, God, Crystal. Do you have any idea what you’ve done? What depraved behavior you’ve displayed? You slept with my fiancé. And then you proceeded to wage a public campaign against me?—”
“Oh, get off your high horse, little miss perfect!” Crystal cuts me off. “You always thought you were better than me. Why, because you got a fancier degree? Better grades? Please. I win in the game of life. I always have. And I take what I want!”
“And to think I just got an earful of our mother telling me that I need to be less selfish and more devoted to this family like you are,” I reply, shaking my head in dismay. “Meanwhile, you were sleeping with my fiancé. Unbelievable.”
“Well, believe it,” she shoots back. “It happened. I can’t take it back. It is what it is.”
“Crystal and I love each other. We’ll get married,” Matthew adds.
