Chapter 7
LILA
After about thirty minutes of bawling my eyes out, I finally pulled back onto the street, my vision still blurred from crying.
The tears had slowed to a steady stream instead of the violent sobs that had overtaken me when I first drove away from Reid’s house, but my hands still shook on the steering wheel, and my chest ached with every breath.
I was filled with disbelief, unable to wrap my head around the fact that I had just ended my engagement. I had taken off the ring and walked away from the man I had planned to spend the rest of my life with.
Grief followed right behind it, heavy and suffocating, pressing down until it felt like I might crack under the weight.
And beneath it all was doubt. I couldn’t help but wonder if calling off the engagement had been an overreaction. Gripping the steering wheel tighter, I reminded myself that the way Reid kept defending Kaylee wasn’t okay.
I couldn’t spend the rest of my life in a marriage where my feelings were minimized. Not even with the too-familiar voices creeping into my head. The ones I’d heard ever since I met Reid, telling me how lucky I was because men like him didn’t come around twice.
Stuff like that had been drilled into me since the day I introduced Reid to my family. I hated that it was echoing in my head now, when I needed to be strong. That part of me still wondered if they were right.
I couldn’t go home to my empty house right now, but I wasn’t thinking clearly. So I turned toward my parents’ home. It sat almost exactly between Reid’s neighborhood and mine, a convenient middle ground I didn’t stop at often.
But right now, it was the only place I could think to go where I might find someone to hold me while I fell apart.
I knew I could call my best friend for support, but Kinsley was in Toronto for a movie.
With the time difference, she’d be in the middle of doing makeup for the night shoot they had scheduled today.
So I needed to wait to let her know what was going on.
When I pulled into the driveway of my parents’ house and saw Sienna’s white Mercedes already parked there, a sinking feeling settled in my stomach. I didn’t dislike my older sister, but she had always possessed the effortless ability to make me feel smaller without even trying.
Older than me by five years, she’d been the golden child I was compared to growing up.
Then she went to med school and ultimately became a plastic surgeon.
She was the one who had followed the path our parents had expected since Dad was also a doctor.
I was the makeup artist who, my mother liked to say, “played with brushes for famous people.”
I wiped my face quickly before getting out, but it was pointless. The tears started again as soon as I reached the front door and rang the bell.
Mom opened it, and her expression shifted from surprise to immediate concern. “Lila, what happened?”
“I…um…”
Gripping my elbow, my mother led me into the living room. “The poor girl is so upset, she can’t even speak.”
Dad stood so quickly from his chair that it slid against the hardwood floor. His gaze swept over me from head to toe. “Are you hurt?”
Sienna set down the wineglass she’d been holding and stood too. “You look awful, Lila.”
Fresh tears spilled over before I could stop them. My mother pulled me into her arms, smoothing a hand over my hair while Dad rubbed my shoulder awkwardly.
“Oh, honey,” Mom murmured.
“Come sit down,” he urged. “Tell us what happened.”
I sat on the couch between Mom and Dad while Sienna moved over to the nearest armchair. In a trembling voice, I explained about Kaylee’s post, the fight with Reid, and how I had called off the engagement. I kept the details brief at first because the pain still felt too fresh to relive fully.
Mom gently tugged me against her side, rubbing my back in slow circles, and I thought I made the right decision coming here. That they’d give me the comfort I so desperately needed.
Then she spoke and shattered that hope. “Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand the situation? Maybe it was just a silly joke that got taken out of context.”
“What?” I shook my head, wiping at my eyes.
“Maybe I didn’t explain enough, but it definitely wasn’t a joke, Mom.
She called him her work hubby in a public post, tagged me to make sure I’d see it, and then removed the tag so I couldn’t prove it was there in the first place.
And this isn’t the first time she’s crossed boundaries, but Reid still defended her. Again. Even knowing how hurt I was.”
Dad crossed his arms over his chest, his expression thoughtful. “Calling off a wedding is a big step, Lila. The invitations have already gone out. You need to be absolutely certain before you tell everyone it’s not going to happen.”
Sienna leaned forward with a frown. “That’s it? A caption on social media, and you ended your engagement?”
I stared at her, blinking to try to stop more tears from falling. “That’s not what happened.”
Mom’s voice stayed soft, but her words provided no comfort. “Reid adores you, honey. He’s a successful lawyer with a very bright future. It’s not like he actually cheated on you.”
“Men like him provide security,” Dad agreed.
“I don’t care about his career or bank account.” I looked between all of them desperately. “I was marrying Reid because I love him, but how can I possibly do that when he keeps completely disregarding my feelings?”
Mom sighed. “Relationships require compromise, sweetheart.”
“Marriage isn’t about feeling validated every minute,” my father added.
“This isn’t just about the post,” I insisted. “I tried to be understanding. Over and over again, but it didn’t do any good.”
“Come on, Lil.” Sienna let out a condescending laugh. “You can’t possibly be serious about this.”
“You’re not listening,” I whispered.
“We’re trying to help,” Dad cut in.
I shook my head as I wrapped my arms around my torso. “No, you’re not.”
“Sweetheart—”
“No.” My voice cracked as I interrupted him. “You’re doing the same thing he did. Ignoring what I’m saying because it doesn’t fit your narrative.”
Mom’s expression tightened. “Why in the world would you break up with a man like Reid? Do you know how many women spend years hoping for what you already had?”
My sister arched a brow. “You cannot possibly think you’ll do better than him.”
I shot my dad a look, hoping he’d finally take my side, but he shook his head. “They have a point. You were about to walk down the aisle to a partner in a law firm with a generous prenuptial agreement. Are you sure you want to let all that go over something so small?”
My head started to throb. “We haven’t even talked about a prenup yet.”
“See.” Mom wagged her finger at me. “Reid loves you so much that he’s not even looking out for his own best interests.”
“You’ve built something nice with your makeup career,” my dad continued. “But you’re walking away from stability and a future most people would envy.”
Sienna leaned back, crossing her legs as her expression settled into superiority. “I told you this would happen.”
My stomach clenched at the cruel reminder.
Her lips curved into a pitying smile. “You’re too dramatic. Men like Reid don’t stay with women who make scenes over nothing.”
They continued to minimize everything Reid had done as they tried to make me feel foolish for walking away. Every time I tried to push back, they steamrolled right over me with another reminder of how lucky I had been that he’d proposed in the first place.
I sat there listening to them, the weight of their words pressing down on me until I couldn’t breathe. The emotional cuts kept coming, and I suddenly understood something that hurt worse than everything else.
My own family didn’t think I deserved to be treated with respect by the man I was going to marry.
No one here was really listening to me either. Just like Reid hadn’t.
He wasn’t the first person who made me feel like my feelings were too much.
The pain of being attacked by them on top of losing him became too overwhelming to bear. I stood, my legs unsteady. “I shouldn’t have come. I need to go.”
Sienna leaned back with a smirk. “Your dramatic exit just proves my point.”
I didn’t bother responding because it wouldn’t do any good. Instead, I turned and walked to the door. Their voices followed me, but I blocked out their words.
Getting into my car, I closed the door and sat there in much-needed silence as I tried to regain my bearings. Then my phone lit up on the passenger seat, and for half a second, a desperate hope blossomed in my chest that it was Reid calling.
Turning the phone over, I saw Sienna’s name flash across the screen.
She couldn’t even be bothered to follow me outside.
Or give me the peace I needed by leaving me alone.
Because apparently it was completely fine for them to ignore my feelings, but I wasn’t allowed to walk away when it got to be too much.
I’d come here looking for somewhere to fall apart, but I’d left feeling even more broken.