Chapter 10 - The Desperate Call
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"Good morning, Ryan," I said calmly, taking a sip of my black coffee.
"Don't 'good morning' me!" Ryan yelled, his voice sounding thin and panicky. "Do you have any idea what happened yesterday after we left the church?! Danielle had a panic attack in the cab! My parents called me screaming! And now my boss just sent me a link to Page Six asking if I'm the guy from the video!"
I listened to his pathetic rant with a sense of bizarre detachment. "Sounds like a chaotic morning, Ryan. How's the baby?"
Ryan went silent for two seconds. "Victoria... please. This is getting out of hand. The video is everywhere. People at my firm are whispering. You need to release a statement saying it was all a misunderstanding! Tell them we broke up months ago!"
I let out a cold, clear laugh that cut straight through the phone line.
"A misunderstanding?" I asked. "You slept with my sister for eight months. You walked down the aisle at my wedding while she was wearing a copy of my dress. You let her bring cameras to record my reaction. Which part of that was a misunderstanding?"
"I was confused!" Ryan stammered desperately. "Danielle... she manipulated me! She told me you didn't care about me anymore! She said you were too obsessed with your career!"
In the background, I heard a sharp screech—Danielle’s voice echoing from Ryan's apartment. "Who are you talking to?! Is that Victoria?! Give me the phone!"
Rustling sounds came through the receiver, followed by Danielle’s hysterical voice.
"Victoria!" Danielle screamed into the phone. "You think you're so smart, don't you?! You stole the reception! You humiliated us in front of everyone! Mom won't even answer my texts now!"
"You humiliated yourself, Danielle," I replied coldly. "You wore a duplicate gown to my wedding. You brought cameras. You wanted a show, and you got one."
"Ryan loves me!" Danielle shrieked, her voice cracking. "He's having a baby with me! You lost!"
I looked across the island at Sebastian, who was watching me with a calm, approving smile.
May you like
"Danielle," I said softly into the receiver. "You didn't win a prize. You took my trash out for me. Keep him."
And before she could scream another word, I hit the red end-call button and permanently blocked both of their numbers.
