Chapter 5 We’re Not Getting Back Together #3
“So you really expect me to believe you were doing all of that for no reason?” He gave a short, humorless laugh. “The way you were acting that night, I honestly thought you were going to propose to her again.”
Ivan slammed his phone onto the desk with a loud clatter, irritation flashing across his face.
“I already told you. You’re overthinking it.” His voice turned sharp. “I wanted all of our friends there after so many years. Jessica had just returned, and I wanted to make sure she didn’t miss the party. That’s all. There was nothing more to it.”
He leaned back in his chair, his jaw tight.
“Stop reading into everything.”
Terrence drew a slow breath, clearly trying to rein in his frustration. Then he pushed himself to his feet and walked around the desk.
He stopped beside Ivan, planting both hands on the edge as he leaned forward.
“Ivan, let’s be clear about something.”
His voice was firm.
“No man—I mean no fucking man—calls almost all of his friends and asks them to invite his ex-girlfriend to a party when he has already personally invited her and sent her a million-dollar piece of jewelry.”
Ivan’s expression hardened.
Terrence straightened.
“So either you’re trying to fool everyone, or you’re trying to fool yourself. Because what you did last night was not normal.”
He paused for a beat before continuing.
“And then you showed up at that party after you slapped Rose.”
His jaw tightened.
“I was fucking shocked when you told me about it. But you were so drunk that I couldn’t even have a proper conversation with you, let alone knock some sense into you.”
Ivan finally lifted his gaze from the desk.
He folded his arms across his chest, his expression turning cold and defensive.
“You know nothing about my relationship with Rose. It was a small mistake. Nothing more.”
His jaw tightened.
“She broke something that was important to me, and I reacted in the heat of the moment. It’s not going to happen again. It was an honest reaction.”
Terrence stared at him for a long moment before letting out a short, incredulous laugh.
“An honest reaction?”
He shook his head.
“So let me get this straight. If your father had broken that same snow globe, would you have slapped him too?”
Ivan’s expression remained impassive.
“Would you have called that an honest reaction then?”
Terrence held his gaze.
“Or did you do it because you knew Rose was the easier person to bully?”
Ivan’s face tightened with anger.
He looked up at Terrence, who had straightened to his full height and folded his arms across his chest. A deep frown settled between his brows as he stared down at his friend.
“I’m only saying this because I’m your best friend,” Terrence said. “I don’t want you to make a mistake you’ll regret later.”
He shook his head.
“Honestly, Ivan, what are you doing? You’ve already decided to build a life with Rose. You proposed to her. You’ve been with her for a year. Both your families are involved. You’re supposed to marry her.”
Terrence paused, letting his words sink in.
“If you’re going to have a future with Rose, shouldn’t you put the past behind you?”
His expression hardened.
“You ended things with Jessica. She left you. Yet you’re still talking to her, getting involved in her life, and going out of your way to have her around. None of that looks like someone who has moved on.”
Ivan remained silent.
“And the worst part?” Terrence continued. “You still don’t see anything wrong with it. That’s how you’re going to ruin your relationship with Rose—especially when you’re already supposed to marry her.”
Ivan slowly rose from his chair.
His heart was pounding for some reason he couldn't put into words. A strange pressure had settled in his chest, growing tighter with every second.
Yet his face remained calm.
“That’s not going to happen,” he said dismissively. “And as I told you, slapping her was a reaction in the heat of the moment. She wasn’t even sorry for breaking my things.”
Terrence threw his hands into the air.
“What the fuck, Ivan?”
His voice echoed through the room.
“Why are your things more important to you than Rose? Don’t you understand that whatever your ex left behind shouldn’t matter more than the woman you’re supposed to marry?”
He stepped closer.
“It shouldn't have mattered enough for you to hit anyone, let alone Rose.”
Ivan frowned.
“Rose has had a crush on me for years. That isn’t going to change.”
His voice was almost matter-of-fact.
“That’s why we got together in the first place. You know how much she loves me. She’s not going anywhere.”
Terrence stared at him.
Ivan picked up his phone from the desk and turned it over in his hand.
“Whatever happened last night happened. I’m putting it behind us. She hasn’t even apologized for breaking my things, so she can take some time to get her head straight.”
Terrence looked at him in disbelief.
“That’s true. She’s loved you for years. She’s not going to stop loving you overnight.”
He shook his head.
“But that doesn’t mean you can take her for granted. You really, really need to get your shit together.”
Ivan waved him off.
“She’s going to stay in my life whether I want her to or not.”