Taking Back My Love

I waited for Raymond all night. From dusk until dawn, I sat in the silence of our home, hoping the door would open, but it never did. It wasn't until the next morning that I received a message from him.

"I'm sorry, Xy. The issue at work yesterday was really pressing. I had to stay up all night to deal with it. I feel terrible for not being able to have dinner with you. I've prepared a surprise for you to make up for it."

With just one phone call, he had every luxury jewelry boutique in the city deliver their limited-edition seasonal collections right to our villa, letting me pick anything I liked. The staff couldn't help gushing, "You're so lucky, Ms. Watson! Mr. Campbell said he'd buy any and every piece you choose. No one else will have the same pieces; the one you pick will be the only one in existence."

I didn't want to waste his efforts, so I selected a few pieces.

Raymond called me. "How did you like the necklaces, Xy? Every piece is one of a kind, just as you are to me. You're my one and only." Even though he was in a meeting, he still found time to shower me with sugary sweet words. But I didn't feel anything from them.

…

The day before our wedding, I told Raymond I wanted to visit my grandmother's grave. He came with me to the cemetery. But when we arrived, I saw someone I never wanted to see ever again.

Jenna was kneeling directly in front of my grandmother's headstone. My mind went completely blank. It felt as though something inside me had snapped. I stormed over and shoved her to the ground. "How dare you show your face in front of my grandmother?"

She looked up at me, eyes red and glistening. "I'm sorry. I just… came to apologize. I've done so many awful things. I just wanted to apologize to your grandmother from the bottom of my heart."

Her apology felt like a slap in the face. A cruel joke.

She was the reason my grandmother was gone. The reason I'd spent years drowning in nightmares and fear. Did she think her apology was supposed to make it all okay?

"Get lost!" I hissed. "You don't deserve to be here. Don't you dare defile her grave with your presence!"

Jenna shot back, "Are you saying that just because of the mistakes I made when I was young, I should be condemned for life, with no chance to start over?"

I straightened up and slapped her across the face. "Then tell me, why did my grandmother have to die as a result of a single mistake you made? Did she get a second chance? Do I? After everything I've endured because of you—night after night of nightmares, never feeling safe—do I get to start over?"

She avoided my gaze and looked past me. Raymond stayed silent. Jenna burst into tears and ran off.

Raymond stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me tightly from behind. "I'm sorry, Xy. I had no idea she would be here. I'll have her kicked out of Havensport immediately."

I told him I needed some time alone. Then, I received a message from an unknown number. "Do you really think Raymond loves you? I'm sure you've figured it out by now. He feels more than just hate for me. If you don't believe it, why don't we make a little bet?"

Raymond's phone buzzed too. I watched his face pale the second he read the text. Without a moment's hesitation, he told me, "Sorry, Xy, but something urgent came up at the wedding venue. I have to go right now." He couldn't even look me in the eyes.

As soon as he left, I booted up the surveillance app on my phone. He had forgotten, but I hadn't. Back when I was at my lowest, when he was worried I might hurt myself, he had every one of our properties wired with surveillance cameras for my safety.

Hence, I watched as he rushed back to the house he used to torment Jenna. He grabbed Jenna, who was sitting by the window, by her shoulders and snarled, "Have you lost your mind?"

Jenna yelled back at him. "If Xyla won't forgive me, then I'll pay for my sins with my life!"

Raymond scoffed. "Death would be an easy way out for you. I'm going to make you suffer so much that living will hurt more than death ever could!" His words were cruel, but his hands were holding onto her tightly, afraid she'd hurt herself.

Right then, Jenna looked straight into the nearest surveillance camera and smirked. I tucked my phone away and felt numb.

After saying my final goodbyes to my grandmother, I got into the car and headed to the airport. While I waited for my flight, messages from Raymond kept pouring in. "We're getting married tomorrow, Xy! I'll come pick you up first thing in the morning and take you to the venue. I'm so happy—I can't wait to finally make you my wife, Xy!"

I forwarded all the video clips to our wedding coordinator and asked her to pass them on to Raymond tomorrow. Then, I boarded the plane and never looked back.