Chapter 5
“Hand–stitched lace, natural pearls–1 even went out of my way to find perfectly round ones, which wasn‘ t easy. I spent months piecing everything together. You know exactly how much time and effort I put into it.”
***
My love for wedding dress design had started early, inspired by my grandmother, who had been a celebrated designer. As a child, I would watch her craft elegant, luxurious gowns, each one brimming with grace and beauty. It was no surprise I chose design as my second major in college.
My dream had always been to create a masterpiece for my own wedding and Lenard had been a part of that dream. Growing up together, I’d shared my plans with him countless times.
When I began working on the dress, he had
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even teased me. “It’s just a dress. No one’s going to notice but you.”
“But I’ll notice,” I had replied, exasperated but resolute. “It’s the dress I’ll wear to marry the person I love. It has to matter. If you treat something as important as love carelessly, it’s bound to fall apart in the end.”
“Fine. As long as it makes you happy.”
His response had spurred me on and I poured my heart into the work.
The day it was finished, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I stored it carefully, imagining the happiness that awaited me.
But now, all that joy was gone–ripped to shreds as easily as the dress itself.
I gripped the phone tighter, my voice cold as I spoke into it, “If she can’t afford to pay, then you can cover it. After all, you‘ re marrying her, aren’t you? Isn’t it a husband’s duty to pay for the wedding? Or is $3000 really too much for you to
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handle?”
“When did I say I’m her husband?” Lenard’s sharp, irritated voice crackled. over the phone.
In the background, I could hear laughter and muffled chatter–the kind of noise that
screamed casual camaraderie.
“Didn’t you say Faye always does. whatever Lenard wants? If he says no, she doesn’t push it. So, what‘ s different this time?”
“Alright, pay up. You lost the bet. Hand over the cigarettes.
“Hold up–Lenard‘ s still on the phone. Let him finish first.”
I ignored the jeering voices and spoke evenly. “Just transfer the money to me as soon as possible so I don‘ t have to ask you again. That way, you won’t accuse me of using it as some excuse to get closer to you.” I let my voice harden slightly.
“Unlike some people, I actually know how
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to set boundaries.”
Lenard‘ s tone grew heavier, angrier. “Fine. But remember, these are your words. Don’t regret them.”
Regret? Oh, I already had plenty–wasting time, effort and emotions on someone like him who didn’t deserve any of it.
“Don’t worry. I won’t,” I replied sharply, then ended the call without
another word.
Without a moment‘ s hesitation, I called Priscilla Cain, my best friend and asked her to come get me. We made a quick stop at the hospital, where the doctor confirmed my cuts didn’t need stitches since they were already healing.
Priscilla studied me with her trademark
mix of concern and frustration, her arms crossed tightly. “Unbelievable! You know how unbelievable you are, Faye? Someone messes with you and your first instinct is to run? When are you going to stand up for
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yourself?”
I avoided her gaze, fiddling with the strap of my bag.
With a dramatic sigh, she poked my cheek. “You‘ re lucky I love you. Come on, let’s go get you some food and after that I’m taking you to stay at my place. Not arguing.
Once we got into her car, my phone buzzed with a notification from the bank: the transfer had gone through. Three thousand dollars. Not a cent more, not a cent less.
Without a second thought, I blocked Lenard’s number, along with anyone else. in his circle. Then I scrolled through my social media, deleting comments and posts. that had been weighing me down. For the first time in months, my profile felt like my own space again.
Priscilla took me to a cozy private kitchen restaurant, the kind of place known only to the upper classes. I hadn’t been here in at
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long time. While I was with Lenard, he‘ d hated when I spent time with Priscilla, always making passive–aggressive comments whenever I mentioned her.
Eventually, I stopped hanging out with her as much to avoid the tension.
“You‘ re totally whipped!” Priscilla teased. “He was already bossing you around and if you two had gotten married, you would’ve been his personal servant. Are you seriously going to let him control vou like that?”
“Maybe a little,” I admitted with a small
smile.
Now, without him controlling my life, I felt lighter than I had in ages.
We ordered drinks and I was just about to take my first bite when a hand landed on my shoulder.
I turned to find Melvin Lambert, one of Lenard’s so–called friends, grinning at me. His reputation preceded him. He was a
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womanizer with a bad reputation, sleazy through and through. Before he knew I was with Lenard, he’d constantly look at me with lecherous eyes, making my skin crawl.
“Thought I spotted a random beauty,” he said, smirking. “Turns out it’s the one and only future Mrs. Donovan. Actually, let me correct that–the former Mrs. Donovan- to–be. I heard you‘ re back on the market. He dumped you, huh? Care to try me instead?” His smug grin stretched wider, making me feel sick.
“Don’t touch me,” I snapped, swatting his hand away. I grabbed Priscilla‘ s hand, ready to leave, but Melvin beat up to it. He signaled to his guards, who immediately blocked our path.
“You see, I’m giving you an opportunity here, Townsend. There’s no need to play hard to get.”
Just as I was about to tell him off, a familiar voice broke through the tension.
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“Hey, bro, isn‘ t that your girlfriend? And she’s with… Melvin?”
My head snapped around and my gaze locked with Lenard‘ s.
Melvin froze for a split second before forcing a laugh. “Oh, hey, Lenard. Didn’t know she’s here with you. All good here, I just trying to catch up with her.”
“I’m not here with her,” Lenard replied coldly, his voice dripping with mockery.
“And she’s not my girlfriend anymore. What she does is none of my business,” He paused before adding casually, “But you might want to be careful, Melvin. Some forms of harassment could land you in jail. Unless, of course, it happened while you two are married. Then, it’s a whole. different story.”
The weight of his words hit me like a slap. I
stared at him in disbelief.
