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I don't even remember leaving the church, my feet carrying me on autopilot to the one place I know I might find answers. Her penthouse apartment, the scene of so many past mistakes and regrets.
I race to her brownstone in a fury, my tuxedo long discarded. I roll up my sleeves to deal with this bitch once and for all.
I pound on the door, my fists clenched and my heart pounding with a mixture of fury and desperation. "Sophia!" I roar, not caring who might hear me. "Open the damn door! We need to talk, now!"
For a long moment, there's nothing but silence, the faint sound of my own ragged breathing echoing in the empty hallway. But then, just as I'm about to give up and break the door down myself, I hear the click of the lock, the creak of hinges as the door swings open.
"Grayson," she purrs, a look of smug satisfaction on her face. "What a surprise. I thought you'd be halfway to your honeymoon by now, playing house with your little wifey."
I push past her, my jaw clenched and my eyes blazing with barely-contained rage. "Cut the crap. You know damn well why I'm here. What the hell do you think you're doing, showing up at my wedding with some...some bullshit story about a pregnancy and an affair?"
She has the audacity to look hurt, a mock pout on her perfectly painted lips. "But Grayson, darling...it's not a story. It's the truth. You and I, we...we made a baby together. That night at Benny’s, when we reconnected and...rekindled our old flame."
I feel like I'm going to be sick, my stomach churning with revulsion at the very thought. "You're lying," I spit out, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. "I never touched you. Not that night, not any night since we broke up. I'm in love with Amara, I'm committed to Amara. I would never, ever betray her like that."
Her eyes flash with anger, her true colors finally showing through the cracks in her carefully crafted facade. "Oh, please. You think I don't know about your reputation, Grayson? The way you used to run through women like they were disposable, like they meant nothing to you? What makes you think Amara is any different, any more special than the rest of us?"
I take a step forward, my voice low and dangerous. "Amara is everything to me… she's my heart, my soul, my reason for living. And I won't let you or anyone else tarnish what we have with your lies and manipulations."
For a moment, she a flicker of uncertainty crosses her face. But then, just as quickly, the mask slips back into place, a cruel smile curling her lips.
"It's too late, Grayson. The damage is done. Amara will never trust you again, not after what I've told her. She'll always wonder, always doubt...and eventually, she'll leave you, just like all the others."
I feel a surge of white-hot rage course through me, my vision narrowing to a pinpoint of fury. "You...you bitch," I growl, my voice shaking with barely-contained violence. "You think you can destroy my life, my happiness, with your twisted little games? You think you can ruin the best thing that's ever happened to me, just because you can't stand to see me with someone else?"
Her eyes widen, a flicker of fear showing through the cracks in her bravado. "Grayson, I...I didn't mean..."
But I'm not listening anymore, my mind racing with the implications of her confession. "You lied," I whisper, my voice hoarse with shock and disbelief. "There is no baby. There was no affair. It was all just...just a sick, twisted scheme to get back at me, to punish me for moving on with my life."
Her face crumples, tears streaming down her cheeks as she collapses onto the couch. "I...I'm sorry, Grayson. I never meant for it to go this far. I just...I couldn't stand the thought of losing you, of watching you build a life with someone else. I just love you so much and know I’m the best one for you. The only one for you."
I shake my head, feeling a wave of disgust wash over me. "You never had me. Not really. What we had...it was a lie, a facade. Our families wanted it, yes. But I never loved you, not the way I love Amara."
I turn to go, my heart pounding with a desperate need to find Amara, to explain everything and beg for her forgiveness. But before I can take a step, her hand shoots out, grabbing my arm in a vice-like grip.
"Grayson, wait. Please. I...I know what I did was wrong, was unforgivable. But please...don't leave me like this. Don't...don't throw away everything we had, everything we could still have together."
I yank my arm free, my eyes blazing with a fury that borders on hatred. "We have nothing. Not anymore, not ever again. You...you're poison, a cancer that I need to cut out of my life once and for all."
I storm out of the apartment, my mind reeling with the weight of her betrayal. How could I have been so blind, so foolish as to let her back into my life, even for a moment? How could I have put Amara, the love of my life, through this kind of pain and heartbreak?
I need to find her. I need to explain, to beg for her forgiveness and her trust. I can't lose her, not like this. Not because of Sophia’s lies and manipulations.
I pull out my phone, my fingers shaking as I dial the one number I know better than my own. "Amara," I whisper when it goes to voicemail, my voice thick with tears and desperation. "Please, baby. Please, just...just give me a chance to explain. I swear to you, on everything I hold dear...it was all a lie. The pregnancy, the affair...none of it was true."
I take a shuddering breath, my heart breaking with every word. "I love you, Amara. I love you more than life itself. And I...I can't lose you, not like this. Not because of someone else's cruelty and jealousy."
I end the call, my chest heaving with sobs as I lean against the wall of the building, my legs barely able to support my weight. I can't imagine my life without Amara, without her love and her light and her unwavering faith in me.
Swatting away the thought of her sobbing in her wedding gown, I know what I need to do. I need to fix this. I need to prove to her, once and for all, that she's the only one for me, the only woman I will ever love.
And I won't rest until I've won her back, until I've shown her the depth and breadth of my devotion, my commitment to our love.
No matter what it takes, no matter how long I have to fight...
I will never, ever give up on us.
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