Chapter 3

• Bella
• "I'm worried about you, Bella. You need to eat something," Amelia, my youngest sister said to me for the umpteenth time today.
• Amelia had been trying to get me to eat something for days now, but I wasn't in the mood. Ever since I called off the wedding, I didn’t have any appetite, energy, or motivation at all. Even drinking water was a struggle for me.
• "I'm not hungry," I replied with a sigh. I didn't have the energy to eat, and I didn't want to force myself so I don’t end up throwing up.
• "I know it's hard, but you have to eat. You haven't had anything in almost three days, and it's not good for you," she insisted but I shook my head and turned away.
• "How are you holding up, sis?" Amelia asked after a few minutes of silence.
• "Not good, obviously," I admitted. "No matter how hard I try, I can't stop thinking about it. Every time I close my eyes, I remember our last conversation, and it just makes me so angry," I hissed, recalling the way things ended between Tom and me.
• "What did he say?" she asked.
• "You won’t believe that he was justifying his actions, telling me why he did what he did and why he had no other choice. And the worst part of it all was that he didn't even seem sorry," I replied, feeling the anger rise inside me.
• Three days earlier...
• As soon as I called out Thomas' name, I realized that something was off. They both looked panicked, and I knew I had caught them doing something they shouldn't be.
• "W...what exactly is going on here, Thomas? W...why are you two together, and what did I just see you two doing?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.
• "Listen, Bella, I can explain everything that's happening here. I... it's definitely not what…," he started but I stopped him. I didn't want lies. I wanted the truth, no matter how painful it was.
• "Don't you dare try to lie to me, Thomas. Whatever it is you're about to say had better be nothing but the truth. I know exactly what I just saw, and I know that it's exactly what it looks like," I said in a sharp tone, making it known that he couldn't fool me.
• "I swear to God I didn't mean to hurt you, Bella. I never want to hurt you. You know how much I care for…," he tried to explain, but his words only made me more furious.
• "You care for me? Is this how you show it? By planning to spend the night with another man just a day before we're supposed to get married? Instead of giving me excuses, how about you tell me what's going on here and why you're with your supposed cousin," I demanded, masking my hurt as best as I could.
• I refused to let him see how broken I was inside and I wanted him to explain everything to me, his lies, and his betrayal. Anthony chimed in, apologizing for his part in whatever was happening, but all I felt was anger and betrayal.
• "Until I ask for an explanation from you, don't you dare say a word to me or try to justify anything to me or I swear to God, I will lose every last bit of decency and composure that I have left in me, and I will do something you won't expect," I threatened, silencing Anthony.
• "I know you have every right to be angry at me, Bella, and I'm sorry that you had to see this, but I can't deny it anymore. Anthony and I aren't cousins. We're lovers, and we've been together for over six years," Thomas confessed and my heart sank.
• It dawned on me that our five-year relationship had been nothing but a lie, and I felt like I was being drowned by the very person I trusted the most.
• "So you've been with him longer than you've been with me? Why did you even bother coming into my life and making me fall in love with you?" I demanded, my frustration and hurt evident in my voice.
• "When we started dating, I wasn't seeing Anthony at the time. I had to end things with him because my parents were uneasy with my homosexuality, and I needed to bring someone home to meet them. You seemed like an excellent person to introduce to them, and I thought they would accept you," Thomas explained, and my heart dropped even lower.
• I was used, and I hadn't even realized it. If I hadn't followed him earlier, I would have married a man who had never been in love with me and only used me to hide his true sexuality.
• "I don't even know what to say to you right now, Thomas. I want to hurt you in the worst way possible, but at the same time, I don't want to be that kind of person. How could you use me to hide your problems and make me think we had a future together when you weren't even in love with me? What did I do to deserve this?" I asked, holding back tears.
• "I have no excuse, Bella. Please forgive me. I didn't mean to hurt you, and I want you to know that I care about you deeply. You were important to me," he replied, shamelessly.
• I realized how blind I had been, how clueless. Everything had been obvious from the moment he introduced Anthony as his cousin. I was about to marry a selfish, idiotic man without even realizing that it would have been the worst mistake of my life.
• "Thomas, I wish you the worst things in this world. For every day I cared for you, I hope you spend even more in regret and unhappiness and I hope you die from it. Rot to hell!" I spat before walking away, tears streaming down my face.
• I cried until I reached the elevator, realizing my life was shattered in less than an hour and the only I could wish for was for the world to end.