Chapter 6

"Well, that was a mess," Brody muttered, his arm still around my waist, though the possessiveness had softened into something comforting. "They clearly have some... history." He emphasized the word, a sly glint in his eye.

The other guests were already dissecting their departure like vultures picking at a carcass. "Just a lovers' quarrel," someone speculated. "They'll be back together by morning."

"Edward always goes for the challenge," another chimed in. "Jeannette made him work for it. Maybe this Allyson girl was just a placeholder."

The words stung, igniting a familiar ache in my chest. A placeholder. A convenient, agreeable partner. Edward had never bothered to defend me. Never acknowledged me. It was easier to let people believe I was just... there.

A wave of exhaustion washed over me. The glittering ballroom, the hushed whispers, the emotional whiplash of the past hour-it was all too much. My eyes felt heavy.

"I'm ready to go," I whispered to Brody, leaning my head against his shoulder.

He nodded, already leading me through the thinning crowd. "My car's just outside. We'll get you home."

The drive back was quiet, save for the gentle hum of the engine and the rhythmic tapping of rain against the windshield. Brody didn't press me for conversation, just let me sit in silence, processing. It was a thoughtfulness Edward had never quite mastered. Edward would have wanted to analyze the situation, to find a logical explanation for the emotional chaos.

As Brody pulled up to my apartment building, he cut the engine. The sudden quiet was profound. He turned to me, his honey eyes serious.

"So," he began, his voice surprisingly gentle. "Edward. And Jeannette. How much of that was true?"

I took a deep breath, the truth bubbling up, wanting to be told. "All of it, I guess. He's been obsessed with her since high school. She was always the 'one that got away' for him." I paused, remembering Edward's carefully constructed denial. "He never mentioned me to her because I was never supposed to be in the same league. Or even on the same planet, apparently."

Brody' s expression flickered, something unreadable crossing his face. His usual mischievous glint was gone, replaced by a thoughtful, almost solemn look. He stared out into the rainy night, his jaw tight.

"I'm going to go get the car," he said abruptly, his voice a little strained. "Wait here."

He got out, leaving me alone in the sudden silence of the car. I watched him walk away, his broad shoulders disappearing into the downpour. He was probably rethinking his entire strategy. His grand plan to unsettled Edward by flaunting me, Edward's "girlfriend," was probably looking rather ridiculous now. He had expected Edward to be jealous, not to bring out his high school crush and attempt to put a ring on her finger.

A melancholic feeling settled over me. It felt like the end of something, even though I hadn't quite known what "something" was. Brody' s pursuit, his playful charm, had filled a void in my life, a void Edward had carved out with his emotional neglect. Now that his strategic motive was undermined, what did that leave us with?

My phone buzzed in my hand. It was Edward. A text message. My heart gave a strange thump.

We need to talk, Allyson. About tonight. About us.

I stared at the words. Us? There was no "us" anymore. Not really. Had there ever been?

I composed a response, my fingers flying across the screen. There is no 'us,' Edward. And there's nothing to talk about. I hesitated for a second, then added: It was over three weeks ago. It was over long before that, actually.

Before I could second-guess myself, I hit send. Then, with a decisive flick of my thumb, I turned off my phone, plunging it into darkness. I didn't want to hear his excuses. I didn't want to see his attempts at damage control.

I gathered my purse, ready to face the rain and walk into my empty apartment. I was done waiting. I was done being a forgotten fixture.

As I pushed open the car door, the rain hit my face, cold and sharp.

"Allyson."

Edward. He was standing there, under the flickering streetlight, a dark silhouette against the rain-slicked pavement. He looked disheveled, his hair damp, his expensive suit jacket unbuttoned. He must have followed us.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded, my voice sharper than I intended. "Don't you have a 'pressing matter' to attend to with Jeannette?"

He ignored the jab, stepping closer. "We need to clear this up. You humiliated me in there."

I blinked, genuinely shocked. "I humiliated you? Edward, you stood there, in front of a room full of people, and pulled out a fake promise ring, claiming we were still together, after you spent three years pretending I didn't exist in public. And all because your 'white whale' finally swam back into your pond!"

He cut me off, his voice rising. "This isn't about Jeannette. This is about you. You're behaving erratically. This is not like you."

"Not like me?" I echoed, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "What exactly is 'like me,' Edward? The quiet, agreeable woman who endured years of being an afterthought? The one who cleaned up your messes and celebrated your successes while you barely acknowledged her existence? The one who hoped, foolishly, that if she loved you enough, you'd eventually see her?"

He took another step, his eyes blazing. "Explain yourself, Allyson. What is this all about?"

My heart ached with the memory of all the silent hurts, all the swallowed disappointments. The countless times I' d felt invisible, unheard, unloved. Three years of trying to be everything he needed, and still being nothing more than "agreeable." My actions tonight, my willingness to let Brody use me, my blunt words-they were my explanation. The only one he deserved.