Chapter 9
My brutal words tore apart whatever dignity we had left between us.
The divorce process went smoothly.
No complications, no fighting.
The clerk reminded us to come back in a month to pick up our certificates.
I nodded.
Dylan had already gotten up and left.
I called after him.
“When are you coming to get your stuff?”
He didn’t turn around.
“Just throw it out!”
Obviously I wasn’t going to throw it out.
In the end, Derek came and packed up everything that belonged to Dylan.
After clearing out Dylan’s things, Derek cooked dinner himself and opened a bottle of wine.
“Want a drink?”
I didn’t refuse.
Derek was drinking pretty fast.
After downing a glass, he forced a smile and said: “I had no idea Dylan had those kinds of feelings for you back then. If I’d known…”
I shook my head, amused.
So what if he’d known?
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Nine Years Wasted–Now I’m Marrying Your Rival
15.0%
Chapter 9
Cut off our toxic relationship from the start?
That kind of regret was pointless.
“Back then both families were against us being together. I still remember something Dylan said. He said ‘I don’t know if I’ll regret being with her someday. I just know that if I don’t be with her now, I’ll definitely regret it.“”
“Is that why you got together with him?”
I shook my head.
“No. It’s just… I felt the same way back then.”
I propped my chin up, swirling my wine glass.
“You know, thinking about it, I was way braver in my twenties than I am now. Back then I was willing to bet my future on a guy five years younger than me. Now I’d never dare. I’m not even sure if I’ll ever start another relationship.”
“Claire…”
Derek looked at me with complicated eyes – guilt, sympathy, and something else I couldn’t read.
I gave him a peaceful smile.
“Don’t worry about me. I just suddenly figured something out. Love is like that – it comes in like a hurricane and leaves like a wrecking ball. The things other people give you never last. But that’s okay. People die from illness, people die from poverty, but I’ve never heard of anyone dying from
lack of love.”
I was probably getting a little drunk.
Plus with Derek being an old friend sitting across from me, I rambled on about a lot of things.
Derek just listened quietly the whole time, not saying another word.
The next day when I woke up, Derek was already gone.
He’d left me a note.
Said he had to catch a flight, couldn’t wait for me to wake up.
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Nine Years Wasted–Now I’m Marrying Your Rival
15.29
He said he’d met a pretty great girl and was planning to get together with her when he got back.
He said: “Claire, take care!”
I quickly pulled myself together from the distraction of the divorce.
Busy work didn’t leave me any extra time to wallow in self–pity.
That helped soothe my emotions a lot.
I hadn’t thought about Dylan in ages.
Until Blake called me.
“Claire, I know I shouldn’t be contacting you, but Dylan’s been hospitalized twice in the past two weeks for alcohol poisoning. We can’t stop him. You’re the only one who can talk sense into him. Claire, Dylan… he knows he was wrong!”
Blake probably didn’t expect to actually convince me.
So when he saw me show up at the hospital, his face was pure shock. He quickly stood up and gave
me his seat.
“You guys talk, I’m gonna go grab a smoke.”
I looked at him disapprovingly.
“You still haven’t quit? Isn’t Melody pregnant?”
Blake’s face went stiff, looking uncomfortable. He raised his hand and walked off without looking
back.
I turned around to find Dylan staring at me blankly.
When our eyes met, he quickly looked away.
“Dylan…”
I’d barely started when he cut me off urgently.
He said: “My arm hurts. My left arm. Every time it rains it really hurts.
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Nine Years Wasted–Now I’m Marrving Your Rival
15.4
Chapter 9
That year when we didn’t see each other for six months, I told you my dad had me under house
arrest, but really I was in the hospital. My dad broke my arm. I never told you because I didn’t want you to worry!”
“So why are you telling me now?”
Dylan looked up, watching me carefully.
I forced a smile.
“Actually, bringing this up now is pretty inappropriate. If you’d told me back then, I would’ve felt terrible, would’ve thought you sacrificed for me. But now… Dylan, that was your choice. You decided to sacrifice that to be with the person you loved. You should deal with the consequences yourself. Just like me – I chose someone who cheated, so I should deal with those consequences myself.”
The hopeful light in Dylan’s eyes gradually dimmed.
He turned his face away.
“If you won’t even give me the tiniest chance, then why did you come here?”
I looked down at him.
‘I came to tell you not to drink yourself to death, and not to screw up my certificate pickup in two weeks. Dylan, I want to be divorced, not widowed.”
Dylan growled: “Do you really hate me that much?”
I walked away without looking back.
‘If you were in my shoes, you’d probably want to kill me!”
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