“She shoved me!” Maggie wailed, tears streaming down her face. “I don’t know why—maybe she resents me. I was only trying to be nice.”
“That’s not true!” I cried, my voice shaking with fury. “She’s lying! I didn’t—”
But Marcus didn’t even glance in my direction.
He went straight to her side, gathering her into his arms as though she might shatter. As they passed by me, his shoulder collided with mine, the force pushing me off balance.
I fell to the floor, pain shooting through my arm. But that sting was nothing compared to the cold emptiness in my chest.
He didn’t stop. Didn’t ask. Didn’t even look back.
Perched on the edge of my bed, I gently pressed a cotton swab to the scraped skin on my elbow. The door flew open without warning, crashing into the wall so hard it made me jump.
Marcus stormed into the room like a thunderstorm in motion, rage practically radiating from him.
“Say sorry to Maggie.”
His tone was cold and commanding, slicing through the silence like a whip.
My fingers went slack, the cotton ball falling to the floor. “What did you just say?”
He took another step toward me, his eyes cold and unrelenting.
“You heard me. Apologize. She injured her ankle—she’s limping now. You know she models for a living. You could’ve cost her everything!”
My temper flared as I rose to my feet. “I’m not going to apologize because I didn’t push her. She lost her balance. That’s on her, not me.”
His jaw was set tight, hands balled into fists at his sides.
“You’re being irrational.”
That word was the last straw. The dam inside me burst.
“Irrational?” I hissed, stepping forward until we were almost nose to nose. The room felt charged, like a storm waiting to break. “You’re marrying her, Marcus! What about me? What about everything you said to me? All those promises—you think they mean nothing?”
He faltered for a second, like he was caught between admitting the truth and maintaining his lies. But the hesitation didn’t last—his features steeled again.
“I’m doing this for us,” he said in a low voice, as if trying to convince himself too. “If I don’t go through with the wedding, people will start asking questions. Maggie is just… for appearances. She’s a good cover. This—it’s still you and me.”
My heart pounded as I stared at him, disbelief washing over me.
“She’s a cover?” My voice trembled, not from fear but from fury.