Chapter Six #7
Yeah, sure. Cellblock 7. I knew exactly what had gone down in that cellblock in great detail, because Kallie had given me the rundown of everything they’d done when it was happening on the daily.
It’s where she and Marcus went to hang out alone, and go as far as they could without going all the way.
They promised me they’d solved a mystery when they’d been poking around in that cellblock, but I wasn’t convinced.
I was pretty sure they’d done nothing but screw around in there.
It was cute all the same. I cupped my hands around my mouth to cheer, “Show us the ring!”
Marcus fumbled for the box that’d been knocked out of his hand when Kallie tackled him. He lifted it, and his face immediately fell. The box was empty. “I— I don’t know where it went!”
Marcus started panicking and spun around, looking everywhere for the ring. Chancey and Danny both ducked under the chairs to help, and soon, we were all looking for it. I rolled my chair out of the way in case it’d gone under me, but it hadn’t.
Kallie was down on her knees, looking under her chair when she exclaimed, “Found it!”
She held the glittering diamond up triumphantly, then slipped it onto her ring finger.
“Hey, I’m supposed to do that!” Marcus complained.
“Oh, sorry,” Kallie said as she pulled the ring off and handed it to him. “Here you go.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, because this whole proposal was so them. For all the mistakes we’d just witnessed, it had turned out to be absolutely perfect.
Marcus slipped the ring over Kallie’s finger. The stadium exploded with cheers once again, before the kiss cam ended and the game resumed.
It was really cool that so many people got to be involved in this incredible affair.
Neither Kallie nor Marcus were among the royal family here in Ilamanthe, but Kallie was still a fae princess, and the people of our city treated her like any other royal.
I was certain their engagement would be plastered over every newspaper in the city by tomorrow morning, just like when Charlie and I got engaged—
The thought halted me in my tracks. I suddenly became very aware of the ring missing from my hand.
We hadn’t announced our divorce publicly.
I hoped everyone had been so distracted by Kallie and Marcus that they didn’t notice my empty ring finger on the big screen.
We didn’t need all of Ilamanthe speculating on our relationship status before we’d committed to the details ourselves.
“Mrs. Taylor, can you believe it!” Kallie kept saying.
I learned that Marcus was one of the few things that could take Kallie’s attention off the ice, because she spent the rest of the game sucking face with him, while whispering promises into his ear about what she was going to do to him later.
I’m pretty sure she mentioned leather more than once.
I overheard far more than I ever wished to know.
The fae team won the game by two goals, which was the perfect conclusion to Kallie’s day. As we were leaving, I turned to push myself up the ramp. I noticed Charlie leaning against the top of the exit.
For fuck’s sake, was this guy always in my way? I could either announce my presence loudly to get him to move, or run over his foot.
I was debating on the latter when Oberi scampered up the ramp ahead of me. Charlie placed his hand on Oberi’s back, and I realized he was waiting for him so he could navigate out of the room and through the stadium.
My heart dropped, because what hurt me more than our fighting was failing to be acknowledged by him at all.
I didn’t think Charlie was putting on an act.
He genuinely hadn’t realized I was there.
The searing ache in my gut told me that even though I no longer wished to be a part of his life, I was deeply hurt by the absence of our bond.
So much was missing now— our bond, my wedding ring… and our love. As much as I wanted to be done with it all, there were parts I didn’t think I could give up. I could deal with Charlie and I being separated, but could I truly live in a world where I no longer existed to him?
I would’ve thought that was impossible, but now, it was my reality.
This proposal was supposed to be a happy affair, but there’d been aspects of this day that absolutely crushed me.
I felt torn by the conflicting emotions.
When it came to Charlie, I experienced the ache of one very important chapter coming to an end, while at the same time, I was elated to see Kallie and Marcus start their own chapter of life together.
I suppose that’s what my brother had been trying to tell me. Life moved in cycles. Ez seemed to think there was still good in this world worth looking forward to, and maybe he was right.
I got a chance to start over again once those papers were signed. I already knew for certain I would never get married again. I wouldn’t start a new life like Kallie and Marcus were doing, but at least I’d be free.
But breaking free and taking flight were two very different things.
After today, I wasn’t sure which one I wanted.