Chapter 30

Of course she'd be mad. It wasn't just about some stupid dinner-just knowing he was out there, breathing the same air as Lydia, was enough to make her blood boil. But what did it matter? In the end, it was always Lydia standing beside him, looking so polished and perfect. And Bellamy? She was always the one who knew when to walk away. Or at least, pretend she did. She couldn't stand the sight of Marianne and Lydia all smug and self-satisfied, like they'd won something. But she also couldn't keep forcing him to choose. Watching him torn between her and that woman-it was starting to break her in ways she didn't have words for. Even a simple dinner with Lydia, he had to tiptoe around her feelings. That kind of careful love... it must be exhausting. She'd used him to piss off Marianne for years-weaponized his affection just to get back at the woman who threw her away. And sometimes, late at night when the silence got too loud, she wondered... Had she ever really loved him? Or had she just