Chapter 9
On the walk home, I kept feeling a light itch at my fingertips. Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I caught Clementine subtly reaching for my hand, then quickly pulling away.
His hands were large, his wrists slender, and the veins faintly visible in just the right way–he was exactly my type.
He tested the waters for a while, and when he realized I had noticed, he turned his head away, ears instantly flushing red.
A second later, his hands disappeared into his pockets like nothing had happened. His ears seriously turned red way too easily.
I reached into his pocket and grabbed his hand. He didn’t look at me but quietly laced his fingers through mine.
And just like that, we walked awkwardly, fingers tangled, all the way to the front of my apartment building.
Then, we saw him. Clementine’s face immediately dropped.
Kai was standing at the door, holding a bouquet. His gaze lingered a beat too long on our joined hands.
Tinstinctively started to pull away, but Clementine gripped my hand tightly.
That was when it really hit me. Kai wasn’t mine–not anymore.
He seemed visibly disappointed, but his words were infuriating as always. “Don’t use another man to spite me, Lexi. I know I messed up.”
I didn’t explain myself but simply asked him, “Where’s Addison?”
From what I had heard, Mr. and Mrs. Yale had berated Addison for her actions. Under the guise of needing rest, she was told to cut off all contact with Kai.
It was only recently that Mr. and Mrs. Yale found out that the two of them had ever been involved with each other.
I looked at the fresh bouquet of spray roses in his hands. It used to be my favorite flower, and he would give me a bunch every so often when we were together.
However, there was also a photo of him helping Addison try on her wedding dress, and in it, she was holding the same kind of flowers.
My voice was calm. “You can’t give the same kind of flower to two different women. This so–called regret of yours–it’s not love, it’s just the result of failing to juggle both sides, a calculated choice once the scales tipped.
“Do you really like me? Or are you just unwilling to walk away from all you’ve already invested? Am I just the fallback plan now that Addison won’t have you?”
I tightened my grip on Clementine’s hand. “I’m not someone who clings to sunk costs. I hope you aren’t, either.”
I was truly in love with Kai for the last seven years, but people could change. The man who used to label Addison’s antics as unreasonable and told me not to entertain her had long died.
Right then, Kai finally saw the overflowing disappointment in my eyes. He forced a smile as he uttered, “I did one wrong thing…”
I didn’t want to engage further in that conversation with him. I lowered my head and prepared to call security.
Clementine released my hand suddenly, and our marriage certificate fell to the ground. He pretended to be shocked as he picked it up. “Whose marriage certificate is this?”
Kai’s forced smile vanished completely as he stared at our marriage certificate, clearly in a daze.
Beside me, Clementine gently dusted off the paper before carefully slipping it into his pocket like a treasure, which made me chuckle.
I didn’t bother looking back to see how Kai reacted. Instead, I just walked straight into the elevator with Clementine by my side.
Chapter 10
