Sensing her gaze, Blayne glanced up, revealing his strikingly handsome face.
But there was only mockery in his expression.
“Come on, Terri, don’t get delusional.”
Meeting her startled eyes, he reached for the scissors on the table.
Grabbing the white silk cloth from beneath the blanket, he made a swift cut across his arm.
The wound was on his forearm—somewhere discreet, unlikely to raise suspicion.
Blayne put his clothes back on and left without looking back, his expression calm, distant, and laced with unmistakable disgust.
“It’s done. Make sure it looks convincing. Don’t cause trouble for me and Vee.”
Terri listened in silence.
At the doorway, he paused for a moment.
“You’ll be attending the party tomorrow. Don’t forget. In front of others, act properly. Do what you’re supposed to do.”
Terri stood still for a long while before stepping barefoot into the bathroom.
She took out everything she had bought from the family planning store, shredded them into pieces, and tossed them into the trash.
Terri pulled up the contract on her phone.
Without hesitation, she signed it.
She put on her sunglasses as she got into the car.
She didn’t want to go, but she had no choice.
Her makeup was thick, covering the dark circles under her eyes.
After Blayne left last night, she cried herself into a daze and couldn’t sleep no matter what.
In the middle of the night, Mrs. Tilley texted her.
Blayne had gone back to get the jewelry his mother left behind.
Terri knew that necklace.
Back when Blayne was lost in the moment, kissing her with unrestrained passion, he had promised—once she married him, he would put it on her himself.
And now?
They weren’t even officially together, but even drunk, Blayne still made sure Valerie got her dignity.
Bitterness filled Terri’s chest, yet somehow, she felt a little lighter.
It didn’t matter. She had already signed the termination papers.
Five more days, and she could finally leave.
“Terri, isn’t it?”
Terri snapped out of her thoughts and turned toward the voice.
The car window on the other side rolled down—both front and back.
She finally saw who it was.
Her sister—Valerie.
And someone else.
Blayne was there too.
The two of them sat together in the backseat, their fingers tightly interlocked, leaning into each other.
Side by side, they looked straight at Terri.
She had been prepared for this, but seeing them like that still sent a sharp sting through her chest.