Hi, readers!
blissfulbillie Review:
"That cliff hanger! I'm so excited to see what happens next! EEk, you're really doing a great job with this story. Keep up the great work!"
WriterQueen123 Response:
Thank you so much for commenting! I appreciate your kindness.
Virtue01 Review:
"Nice chapter can't wait to find out how that bra got onto Maxon bed. I do not believe that he is cheating on America. Thanks for the update."
WriterQueen123 Response:
Thank you for leaving a message! We'll see if you're right...
Guest Review:
"This is interesting! Quickly publish the next few chapters. Plz!"
WriterQueen123 Response:
I hope you enjoy this update!
Maxon was cheating on me?!
I swallowed a lump in my throat that threatened to consume me, turn me into a pile of nothingness. I was nothing. I had never been anything. My fantasy with Maxon was fake. I should've known, should've kept my sense of things from the first day I arrived at the palace for the Selection. A former Five and a One would never mix. Even since our marriage, the little voice of my insecurities had hissed at me, ridiculing me for believing that I was good enough for Maxon. The king.
I felt nauseous, thoughts and stories and feelings and insults crashing into each other in my head. I caught a whiff of an expensive, unfamiliar perfume and completely broke down, sobbing.
Maxon popped out of the bathroom, taking a step back when he saw me crying. "What's wrong-"
"How dare you!" I screamed at him, my eyes flashing. "How could you do this to me? I knew I never should've trusted you. I always knew that you never really loved me, but I refused to believe my instincts. I can't believe you!"
"What are you even talking about?" Maxon raised his voice over my hysterical wailing. His brow furrowed, and he tried to sit next to me, but I pushed him away aggressively. "Just talk to me!"
"You cheated on me," I croaked softly, calming myself down and trying to numb the raging fire inside of me. The anger. The pain. The betrayal.
"I would never do that!"
"Stop lying to me. The least you can do is apologize." I snatched up the bra behind me with my thumb and index finger, thrusting it near his face. "Familiar?"
Maxon's eyes widened with understanding. "You think I cheated on you because you found a strange bra on my bed?" I clenched my jaw. "You are the first and only woman I've ever slept with. I have never so much as thought about being with someone else. You-"
"That does not explain the bra in your bed! Or the lovely perfume stinking up your sheets!"
"But you can't smell my cologne with it, can you?" I didn't answer. He continued in a low, painfully calm voice. "My distant cousin, who is currently downstairs waiting for us to have dinner, arrived for her visit this afternoon. She wanted to take a nap. I have no idea why, but she wanted to nap in my bed. Of course, I protested and asked her to rest in another room, but she's a very particular type. She wanted to sleep in my bed, so I decided not to fight her and had the maids make the bed anew. I was taking care of meetings and work while she slept. I suppose the maids never washed the bed since my cousin left. I have no clue why she left her bra; it was probably accidental."
I bit the inside of my cheek until I felt metallic drops of blood slip onto my tongue. Maybe he was right. Why had I jumped to conclusions so quickly? Why was I so insecure?
"America, I can't believe you really think I would ever cheat on you. Relationships require trust, and if you're going to throw all of ours away for a bra, I don't know what we're doing." He sighed deeply. "I'm going to dinner."
Maxon slammed the door behind him, something I rarely saw him do. I crawled back to my room and ripped my dress off so forcefully that it tore. Curling into a tight ball on my bed, I cried myself to sleep.