His Fake Proposal Led Me To My Real Husband Chapter 13
I don’t know when Mason left.
The second half of the party went smoothly. After the guests had gone, Natalie stepped out from the shadows of the hallway.
“Becca, can I talk to you for a minute?”
I stopped, but I didn’t turn around.
She came to stand in front of me, holding the gold favor box she’d picked up from the lounge. The paper was creased from how tightly she’d been gripping it.
“Last night, I wanted to tell you the truth,” she said, her voice hoarse.
“But you didn’t.”
“No. I typed the message four times and deleted it every time.”
“Why?” I asked.
“I was gambling. I was betting that Mason wouldn’t actually wait until the party started to tell you.”
I looked at her.
“You’ve been gambling for four years.”
She froze.
“Every time Mason and his friends hurt me, you were there.”
“You made recordings. You saved screenshots. But you never sent them to me.”
“You just kept waiting.”
“You were waiting for him to change, waiting for me to notice on my own, waiting for a moment when it would be safe for you.”
“But we were both waiting for the same thing—something that was never going to happen.”
Her shoulders began to shake.
“I was afraid you’d be devastated if you saw it all.”
“And I was even more afraid that you’d know the truth and forgive him anyway. Then I’d be the one who ruined your relationship.”
I was silent for a moment.
“Natalie, when you hit play on that recording today, I was relieved.”
“Because in that moment, you were the only person who made me feel like someone had seen how much I really loved him.”Â