877-07
Chapter 7
“I know exactly what kind of person Michael is,” I said, my voice steady. “Even if you weren’t around, it wouldn’t have taken long after the wedding for him to get bored and suggest we go our separate ways.”
Damon just stared at me, shocked. “You’re… not mad at me?”
I let out a soft laugh. “Of course not. Marrying you was a decision I made after thinking it through, too. Only girls who don’t know any better marry for love alone.”
I watched as the tension slowly drained from Damon’s shoulders.
118
The Eastside project kicked off without a hitch.
Meanwhile, Damon and I were in the middle of wedding planning.
That afternoon, I was stressing over wedding favors–did I want to go with all chocolate or mix in a bunch of different candies?
Just then, a notification popped up: “Your friend is live now.”
Curious, I clicked in.
Michael was on camera, looking like a complete mess, kneeling on the ground. The knees of his pants were ripped, and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
With every step forward, he dropped to his knees. “I’m sorry! June!”
Step, kneel, apology–over and over.
remembered back when we first started dating, he’d joked, “If I ever hurt you, I’ll crawl up Mount Rainier on my knees.”
Watching him now, so desperate and unhinged, I just stared at my phone for a long, silent minute.
Then I tried calling hirn, but of course, Michael didn’t answer.
Meanwhile, the live chat was blowing up. It’s not every day you see the CEO of Norton Group humiliating himself in front of the whole world.
[Too little, too late. What’s the point of this act now? Didn’t he have a new girlfriend every week before?])
[Cheating on your wife is fun until you’re begging to get her back–serves him right.]
[Wasn’t he hooking up with that actress just last month? Now he suddenly remembers his fiancée?]}
[I mean, yeah, Mr. Norton cheated first, but come on, that face would put Hollywood stars to shame. I’d forgive him, Ms. Ross!]
[Girl, please, have some standards. I hope your hot boyfriend cheats on you too.]3
[June’s new guy is way hotter than Michael anyway. Ever seen an eight–pack like that?]
[Wait, you’ve seen it?]?
[No, but a girl can dream.]
He kept saying, “I’m sorry, June” over and over.
I watched Michael ignore my calls. Crawling up Mount Rainier on his knees would just how embarrassing it all was.
take
at
Jeast
a
day and
a
night–maybe longer. But honestly, the worst part was
Blake called. “June, look, I know Michael wronged you, but he’s running a fever and he hasn’t fully recovered yet. Can’t you at least call him back? Just once?”
“If you have time to call me, maybe you should take some guys over there and haul him back to the hospital instead,” I replied.
Michael kept going, step by painful step. He didn’t care about all the people staring. He wouldn’t answer anyone’s calls. He ignored everyone’s advice.
Blake and the others tried to intervene, but there was nothing they could do. They just had to let him go through with it.
It wasn’t until the next night that Michael finally reached the top. He passed out from exhaustion and ended up being carried down by the medics.
When Aunt Sarah called, I was with Mom, going over wedding details.
“Aunt Sarah” I greeted gently.
“June, sweetheart, I hate to bother you, but Michael just wants to see you. He won’t listen to any of us.”
Mom motioned for me to give her the phone.
“Sarah, honey! My daughter’s about to get married. It’s not the best timing for her to visit your son, you know? How about this–I’ll send my future son–in–law. He and Michael know each other, and they used to be close. Maybe that’ll help.”
Aunt Sarah sighed. “If Damon comes, that might just make things worse for Michael. Maybe it’s best if he doesn’t.”
“Oh, don’t worry! Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. It’s settled–I’ll have Damon go.”
At the hospital, I waited outside the room.
When Michael saw Damon, you’d think they were lifelong enemies the way he glared &
“Damon, I never thought you’d set me up like this. From the first actress onward, I was trapped in your web. I can’t get out.”
“You only have yourself to blame” Damon said flatly. “No one forced you to screw up as much as you did.“%
[That’s only because you kept scheming. Without your games, June and I would never have ended up like this!
Outside the hospital, the gardenias were in bloom.
I took a walk, choosing not to listen to the rest of their argument
125
I never found out what Damon said to him.
07:30
But for the next few days, Michael kept his distance.
Instead, I ran into Madison a couple of times.
“Um, June, can we talk?” she asked, head down, voice barely above a whisper.
It was hard to believe this was the same girl who’d hired trolls to trash me all over the company’s social media accounts.
