“Avery!”
She rushed over to Avery’s side, her eyes red with tears.
“Avery, didn’t you tell me how much you hated Amanda’s pathetic way of clinging to you? But what are you doing now? Today you suddenly said you didn’t want to get married, and you wouldn’t even give me a reason. Was it just so you could come find her?”
She turned to me: “Amanda, you’re already married to another man, so why can’t you leave Avery alone? Or is it that even after getting married, you still can’t get over him? Amanda, how can you be so shameless?”
Fighting back my anger, I gave Stella an icy stare. “First, I’m not the one clinging to him—he’s clinging to me. Second, watch your language. Finally, take him and stay away from me. I’d prefer never to see either of you again.”
My glare intimidated Stella. She opened her mouth to speak but ultimately remained silent, then tugged at Avery’s arm to leave.
But Avery suddenly raised his hand and slapped Stella across the face. “Shut up! How dare you insult Amanda? What right do you have to talk to her like that?”
Chapter 6
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Stella clutched her cheek as tears streamed down her face. “Avery, you actually hit me? You hit me because of this woman? Weren’t you the one who said she was always clinging to you?”
Avery’s face flushed red and white in turns before he exploded in embarrassed rage. “That’s between Amanda and me! It’s none of your business! Get out of here and stop bothering me!”
Stella shot me a venomous glare before running away in tears.
Once Stella was gone, Avery immediately stepped forward and grabbed my wrist. “Amanda, you heard it–I didn’t marry Stella! I’m so sorry. I only realized my true feelings today, but it’s not too late! I’ll break up with Stella. I know you hate her, and I promise I’ll never contact her again. I’ll cut her off completely! Amanda, I know you got Oscar to play along in this charade just to provoke me. You did it because you love me so much. I understand everything!”
His self–assured, passionate gaze made me deeply uncomfortable.
Still, I patiently took out our marriage certificate from my purse and opened it for him to see. “Avery, Oscar and I are legally married. This has the official seal from the marriage registry— it’s not fake!”
Panic filled Avery’s eyes as he trembled slightly. “Amanda, why? I haven’t even gotten married yet. How could you bear to marry someone else first?”
Chapter 6
I looked at him in disbelief. “Avery, I don’t owe you anything, and I’m not going to revolve my life around you. Now you
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should finally get the message and stop pursuing me. From now on, we’re just distant relatives, nothing more.”
I turned and walked away to find Oscar.
