“No. You did it for the money, Karl.”
“That’s not fair.” He leaned closer, irritation creeping in. “You have no idea what kind of opportunity this is. I didn’t want to burden you with the decision, babe.”
“Burden me? No… you just didn’t want me to say no.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. Watching him struggle to understand why I wasn’t jumping at the chance made something inside me settle into place.
I reached into my handbag, found my phone by touch, and turned the screen on. I didn’t take it out—I just left the bag open on my lap, microphone facing up.
“How did you do it?” I asked. “The whole thing. The paramedics, the doctor…”
He hesitated. Then muttered, “Daniel helped. The paramedics were actors. They thought it was for some kind of filmed event. And the doctor owed him a favor.”
By then, people around us were openly listening. An older woman across the aisle leaned forward.
“Excuse me,” she said. “I don’t mean to interfere, but did this man pretend to die at his own wedding?”
Karl’s face darkened. “This is private.”
“It stopped being private when you started confessing on public transportation,” she said.
A younger guy behind us made a face. “Okay, but his parents sound insane.”
The woman snapped, “And so does he.”
A man near the back added, “Lady, he’s trying to escape a controlling rich family. That’s not nothing.”
The bus felt charged now, like tension was crackling in the air.
Karl looked at me, desperate and angry. “Ignore them. Listen to me. It’s done. There’s no going back, but we can still have a good life.”
For a moment, I imagined it—a new city, a nice home, money, a family, no worries.
Then I remembered standing beside a coffin, trying not to collapse.
Alone.
I looked at him and felt the last of my love break.
The bus slowed for the next stop. I picked up my bag and stood.
Karl stood too. “You made the right decision. We’ll get off here, go to the airport, and then—”
“No, Karl. Unless you’re coming with me to the nearest police station, I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“You wouldn’t… how could you? After everything I’ve done for you!”
CONTINUE READING...>>
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