Chapter 9 – Apology My Foot!
LYNN
The moment I heard Nora‘ s voice, I didn’t need to turn around to know she
was there. The bitterness in her voice was unmistakable, and when I finally turned, I found her standing beside Javier, her face tight with disdain.
“What is she talking about?” I demanded, my words biting as I addressed Javier, who stood awkwardly between Nora and me.
Javier didn’t answer right away. Instead, his eyes shifted from Nora to me, a mixture of frustration and confusion written across.
his features. He seemed to have no idea how to respond, and that infuriated me more. After a long, uncomfortable silence, he finally spoke, his tone laced with disbelief.
“Why didn’t you stay at home, Nora?” he asked, his words directed at her, but his
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eyes never leaving mine.
Nora didn’t seem to flinch at his reprimand. “I was waiting for Lynn to come apologize,” she said, her voice sharp. “But she hasn‘ t shown up. So I came here to see what kind of apology she had in mind.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Apologize? For what? I felt the anger bubble up inside me, but I managed to keep my voice steady as I laughed bitterly.
“You two are a joke,” I said, my eyes narrowing as I looked from one to the other. “Apologize for what? You‘ re both clowns if you think I owe either of you. anything.”
Javier’s face reddened with irritation. He took a deep breath and finally shifted his gaze to me, his jaw tightening. “I need you to apologize for pushing Nora,” he said, his voice stiff. “She was hurt, Lynn. She was only trying to talk to you, and you-”
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“I didn’t push her,” I snapped, cutting him off before he could finish his thought.
“Nora fell on her own.”
At that, Nora‘ s face twisted with a look of mock hurt, and her lips trembled as if she were about to burst into tears. And then, just as I had expected, the waterworks began. She put a hand to her face. dramatically, her eyes filling with tears as she sobbed.
“You‘ re so cruel, Lynn!” Nora wailed, her voice pitched high with feigned. distress. “Why would you do this to me? I’m pregnant! You don’t even care what that does to me?”
Javier shot me a look of pure venom. “You hurt her,” he said, his voice low but laced with fury. “You need to apologize. You don‘ t understand what it means to be pregnant. I know you‘ re angry, but—”
Before he could finish his tirade, a deep, commanding voice interrupted, one that cut through the tension in the air like a hot
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Chapter 9 – Apology My Foot!
knife through butter.
“You should both leave her alone,” Ethan’s voice rang out from behind me.
I turned, startled to see Ethan walking toward us, his face set in an expression I had never seen before–fierce, protective, and unyielding. There was no trace of the
charm he had shown earlier in the
evening, only raw, palpable anger that
seemed to radiate off of him.
“Ethan…” I whispered, not sure whether to feel relieved or embarrassed at the
attention he was about to draw.
He stepped up beside me, placing a firm hand on my back. The sudden warmth of his touch seemed to calm my nerves.
“You heard me,” Ethan continued, his voice cold and steady as he looked at Javier and Nora. “Leave my wife alone. Stop bullying her. She doesn’t owe you an
apology, and you‘ re not going to make her feel guilty for something that didn‘ t
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Chapter 9 Apology My Foot!
happen. Now, leave.”
I could feel the tension in the air shift as Ethan’s words hung between us, like a heavyweight. Javier looked stunned, his mouth opening and closing as if searching for words, but none came.
Nora wiped her eyes dramatically, still trying to hold onto the illusion of vulnerability, but even she seemed to realize she wasn’t going to get the response she wanted.
Javier exchanged a look with her before he turned and stormed off, dragging Nora
along with him. They didn’t say another word. As they disappeared into the crowd, I let out the breath I didn’t realize I had been holding.
Ethan‘ s hand remained on my back as he guided me away from the scene, toward the edge of the ballroom. I felt a strange mix of gratitude and guilt–grateful that Ethan had come to my defense, but guilty that I was involved in all this drama.
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Chapter 9 Apology My Foot!
“You okay?” Ethan asked softly, his eyes searching mine with a level of care that made my stomach flutter.
I nodded, unsure of what to say. “I am now, I muttered. “But that was… intense.”
Ethan smiled, though there was a trace of something serious in his expression. “I had to step in. They were getting too far out of line. But don’t worry. They won’t bother you again.”
I felt a wave of warmth spread through me at his words, “Thank you,” I said quietly, not knowing how else to express the gratitude I felt.
Ethan’s smile faded slightly, and he looked away for a moment before meeting my gaze once more. “I’d like to tell you the main reason for our marriage. It’s because of my parents.”
