I just never imagined that I was the joke all along.
Zoe pressed a kiss to Seth's cheek and pouted playfully.
"You don't still have feelings for that country bumpkin, do you? This waitress kind of looks like her. Is that why you're going easy on her?"
A flash of irritation crossed Seth's eyes. He scoffed.
"Didn't you say it yourself? That hick was just exploiting my gratitude. That's the only reason she saved me back then. She came crawling to me, begging for a truce, all so I'd cover her grandfather's medical bills."
"A scheming piece of trash like her, too low-class to even show in public. You really think she could make me stop caring about you?"
"I just didn't want you dirtying your hands."
"Someone drag her out and slap her ten times. Then throw her out of the gala."
So that was what he'd always thought of me. That I was nothing but a manipulator, exploiting his gratitude for my own gain.
The words I wanted to say caught in my throat like shards of glass.
My heart felt like it had been stabbed a thousand times. Tears pooled in my eyes, threatening to fall but refusing to.
Once again, every hope I'd placed in Seth crumbled to nothing. All I could do was clench my fists, powerless.