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Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Stewart glanced at Julia, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke in a low, heavy voice. “About what’s been happening online, I-”
“Stewart.”
A gentle voice called from the hallway. It was Rosita.
Stewart paused, turning around with a slight furrow in his brow. “What are you doing here?”
Rosita, sunglasses and a mask covering most of her face, glanced around nervously before speaking in a whisper. “I came in for a follow–up appointment and ran into Ethan. He told me Ms. Kensington and Ms. Hudson were both here.”
She sounded innocent–almost too innocent. After a beat, she added, “I didn’t expect to see you as well.” Inside the hospital room, Julia caught sight of Rosita and immediately tried to get out of bed.
Briony rushed to stop her. “Mom, you’re still on an IV. You can’t get up right now.”
“But what do we do? The rumors have gotten so out of hand that Mrs. Wentworth herself came looking for us!” Julia gripped Briony’s hand tightly, her anxiety spilling over. “Bryn, you need to go to Mrs. Wentworth and apologize. Tell her you promise–you’ll never, ever entertain any improper thoughts about Attorney Wentworth again!”
Briony stared at her mother in disbelief.
“Mom, you’ve got it all wrong. This isn’t what you think, I-”
“Bryn!” Julia cut her off, her frustration clear as she frowned. “Why won’t you listen? No matter how remarkable Attorney Wentworth is, he’s a married man. You can’t be so reckless!”
Briony could only look at her mother, stunned.
Why?
Why did even her own mother see her this way?
What had the last five years of her life even been for?
It was only now, in this moment, that Briony truly understood. All along, what Stewart had given her in this marriage wasn’t salvation–it was a carefully crafted boomerang, one that would come back to wound her in the end.
Divorce wasn’t the end. For her, it was the messy beginning of something far worse.
Five years–five whole years! Never in her wildest dreams had Briony imagined that the man she’d loved so dearly could turn out to be so cold and ruthless.
To protect Rosita’s reputation, Stewart had never given Briony the slightest bit of consideration.
A man like that, she realized, wasn’t worth a single ounce of her affection.
Lowering her gaze to hide the disappointment and humiliation in her eyes, Briony steeled herself.
If Stewart didn’t care about her, why should she care about saving face?
Gently, she pulled her hand out of her mother’s tight grasp.
Looking at Julia, her voice trembling but resolute, she asked, “Mom, I’m your daughter. Why don’t you believe
me?”
Julia suddenly felt the emptiness in her hand. Sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, she stared at her daughter, her eyes glistening with tears as a realization dawned on her.
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Chapter 39
“Bryn, it’s not that I don’t believe you. I’m just… worried about you.”
“You don’t need to worry.” Briony cut her off, her voice cold and unwavering. “I swear on my life, Mom–never again will I have the slightest feeling for Stewart. I will never, ever become the other woman. If I break this promise, may I never know peace.”
Stewart’s brow twitched at her words, his gaze darkening as he watched Briony’s back.
“Bryn!” Julia’s eyes went wide, aching with worry. “Don’t say something so harsh-”
“Mom, my conscience is clear,” Briony replied, her voice steady.
She had never been the other woman–and from now on, she would never again be a slave to anyone’s love.
Julia opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. She was afraid that anything she said would only make things worse.
Yet, seeing the calm on Briony’s face, Julia finally understood how wrong she’d been.
This was her daughter–the very daughter she’d vowed to protect against the whole world if she had to.
How could she ever have doubted her?
Overwhelmed by guilt, Julia reached for Briony’s hand, her voice trembling. “Bryn, I’m sorry. I was wrong. I’m so sorry, sweetheart. You didn’t deserve any of this.”
Those words-*You didn’t deserve this*-nearly brought Briony to tears right then and there.
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υπαρισι αυ
Chapter 40
