Chapter 67
Sever couldn’t hold Britney back. He saw her approaching and his expression tightened almost imperceptibly. She wanted to step away, but Britney was faster. She closed the distance quickly, leaning in to whisper with a provocative smirk. “Did you know Emilia’s coming with Damien later? I’ll tell you a little secret. He spent tens of millions on… et butt.”
“You’d better brace yourself. Try not to fall apart when you see them. I have to admit, though, I admire your bravery. Showing up at all when you know you’re just asking to get…” Autumn said nothing.
Taking Autumn’s silence as a sign she’d struck a nerve, Britney finally felt a surge of satisfaction. Her eyes gleamed with mockery. “Autumn, I’m really not that cruel of a sister. But you started this, so don’t blame me for being harsh.”
“Just imagine how it’ll feel to watch Damien fawn over Emilia while you stand there. How does it feel to humiliate yourself like that?”
Homey did it mainly for a sense of sport. She glanced at her phone, then tilted her head toward Autumn with that familiar, innocent smile she always wore when pretending to play nice. “Tumien said they’ve just arrived at the entrance. Looks like it’s finally my turn to enjoy the show.”
With that, Britney turned and walked out with her head held high. Autumn remained rooted in place.
A few moments later, Jamie came over and asked, “Autumn, are you okay?” He recognized her instantly. He hadn’t heard what was said, but the look on Autumn’s face made it clear that whatever happened, it had been meant to provoke.
Autumn heard Jamie’s voice and turned to look at him. She stood 5’7” tall, and in her three-inch heels, she reached… Her gaze met Jamie’s, though her eyes held a vacant stare. She had wanted to tell him that Britney was nothing more than a spoiled rich girl, all motion and no reason, living completely out of touch with reality, and that her words meant nothing. But instead, Autumn remained silent.
After all the taunts, the mockery, the constant provocations, did she really feel nothing? Was she truly numb, somehow?
Her thoughts drifted involuntarily to Damien; it was impossible not to think of him. And in that moment of self-questioning, Autumn realized something profound. Autumn had accepted the painful truth that Damien didn’t love her. She could turn a blind eye to how he treated Emilia, but the vicious attacks directed at her were something she couldn’t ignore; it was undeniably real. A troubled marriage should be a private matter, something internal to her buffering. Though he didn’t love her, he still insisted on making the couple work. Yet Damien let his family attack her without restraint, standing by as a silent observer, ignoring her. On their wedding day, he handed her divorce papers and told her she could sign and leave whenever she wanted. It looked like he was granting her the power to walk away, but in truth, it was a commanded escape. Too afraid to stand up to Hank, he took out his frustration on her instead.
Damien’s resentment stemmed from his belief that her timely rescue of Hank had been a calculated move. He had explained himself countless times and spent years proving his sincerity, yet she remained blind to it, all while enjoying his care without question. Ultimately, he couldn’t forgive her for that attended hold-up; he never should have married her. That would have spared them both and perhaps brought him some peace. For a long time, she had genuinely loved Damien. But she wasn’t shameless. Had he refused to marry her, she would have accepted it. After all, she never had the power or…
But Damien had agreed to marry her, and with that choice came responsibility. Yet he couldn’t face the reality of his own decision, so he channeled his regret into resentment. The constant barrage of relentless emotional abuse, yet at the same time, he agreed to have a child with her. How contradictory.
Whenever Autumn felt hopeless about their marriage, Damien would offer just enough reassurance to pull her back in, drawing her deeper and deeper into the relationship. Eventually, the uneven pull meant that even his repeated cruelties felt like nothing more than angry outbursts. After all, Damien would always give in every time she incited him to a public confrontation. When she thought about it carefully, did Damien ever really want a divorce?