Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Having Double Mind
Veronica’s POV
I began rethinking my decision as I packed my things.
I knew I was doing the right thing but I just didn’t know if I was ready to give up my feelings for Carter yet. It felt like I was giving up.
Each piece of clothing I packed felt like a small severing of my past life with Carter. This house has never felt like a home anyway. Even with his grandfather’s kindness, it just wasn’t enough to make me feel like more than a guest.
Every item I folded, every drawer I emptied, felt like I was closing a chapter of my life that had long ago lost its meaning.
I was so lost in the task at hand that I didn’t even hear the door open.
“Well, well, well” came the sharp, condescending voice of Marian Grayson, Carter’s mother. “If it isn’t the little gold digger, packing her things.”
I froze, a surge of bitterness rising within me.
Marian had always looked at me as though I was beneath her, as though I had somehow tricked her precious son into marrying me for the wealth his family possessed.
I had never been good enough for her and for years, I had to tolerate her hatred.
“What do you want, Marian?” I asked, keeping my back turned, my voice steady despite the anger bubbling up inside me. “I’m finally leaving, aren’t I?”
“Leaving?” She scoffed, stepping closer with an air of superiority.
“Of course, you are. You’ve had your fun, haven’t you? So you can go to hell for all I care. But don’t think you can just walk away with everything”.
What is this woman talking about now?
Her eyes rested suspiciously on my bag. “What do you have in those hefty bags? I don’t remember them being that heavily loaded when you moved in. What did you take? Something valuable, perhaps?”
Her words stung, but I told myself I wouldn’t let her get to me anymore.
I had spent years letting her control the narrative of my life, letting her judge me from the sidelines. But not today.
I turned to face her, irritation resting on my face. “I’ve filed for divorce from Carter,” I said calmly, the words feeling almost foreign on my tongue, but freeing nonetheless.
For a moment, Marian looked stunned, her sharp features softening with a hint of surprise.
But then, a smile tugged at the corner of her lips, one that didn’t reach her eyes. “Oh, I’m sure that’s for the best,” she said as if she had been expecting this for a long time.
But then, her gaze dropped to my suitcase, and the smile faltered. “But don’t even think that will distract me from what’s happening. You didn’t pack just clothes, did you? That’s why you’re trying to stall.”
I felt a flash of anger, but I didn’t let it show.
Marian’s voice had a venomous edge like she was trying to find something to accuse me of.
I knew exactly what she was looking for.
She immediately signalled her maid whom I hadn’t noticed until now.
“Empty that suitcase. I know she had taken something valuable”.
I watched as the servant stepped forward, unzipping the suitcase and rummaging through it.
I watched as she carefully pulled out my grandmother’s belongings, including the bracelet. I could feel the sting of Marian’s glare, and it made my chest tighten.
“I already told you.These are all my belongings,” I sighed, annoyed I was going to have to repack everything.
Marian, of course, found something to capitalise on.
“That bracelet,” Marian said, her voice taking on a sharper edge, “was bought by Carter. It belongs to the Grayson family now. You’re not taking it with you.”
I almost laughed at the absurdity of it.
Of course, she would claim that.
She was always so quick to stake her claim on anything that had to do with Carter or the Grayson name.
“This bracelet was my grandmothers,” I said, my voice quiet but firm. “And I’m taking it with me.”
Marian’s mouth opened to argue, but before she could speak, I heard the sound of the front door opening.
Carter’s voice rang out, but it was strained, weary.
I turned as he stepped into the room, his eyes scanning the scene. His gaze fell on me, and then it shifted to Marian, standing beside the suitcase.
“What’s going on?”Carter asked, his voice tense.
I felt a coldness in my chest. Here was Carter—the man who had never truly known me, the man who had always been too busy with his work, too distracted by everything else, to see what was right in front of him.
What was he doing here so early anyway? Didn’t he have work to do?
“Your mother is being dramatic. She is bent on causing a scene,” I answered coldly and he was taken aback.
He had gotten so used to my sweet pushover nature that he didn’t think there were other sides of me.
“Dramatic?” Marian huffed.
“This gold digger is trying to leave with our valuables! She thinks she can still keep the gifts given to her while you both are still together”.
I crossed the room, standing before him, my emotions swirling like a storm. “Carter,” I said, my voice shaking with everything I had been holding back.
“I want to know. Did you ever, even once, buy me a gift? A real gift. Something that showed you knew me, that you cared enough to understand me?”
Carter’s brow furrowed. He looked taken aback, his eyes searching mine. But there was something else there—something I couldn’t quite place.
He didn’t have an answer to that, of course, because in truth, he had never gotten me a gift. Not even once.
I began feeling nauseous and let out a sneeze before I could stop it. Then my eyes flickered down to the bouquet of lilies in his hand. Is that for me?
I couldn’t help it. A laugh, bitter and sharp, bubbled out of me.
It wasn’t funny. Not really. But it was everything.
It was the culmination of years of feeling invisible, of being so far removed from Carter’s true affections that I had become a ghost in our own life together.
“You brought lilies?” I scoffed in disbelief.
“So what?” He retorted.
“You really don’t know, do you?” I whispered through the laughter, the sting of tears threatening.
“Three years, Carter. We’ve been married for three years, and you didn’t even know that I’m allergic to lilies.”
I wiped at my eyes, a mix of anger and sorrow welling inside me.
Something flickered in his eyes but I didn’t care to know what it was. I turned to Marian.
“Maybe you should go ahead and ask your son. I mean, look at him. How could he even gift me a bracelet when he doesn’t even know the basic things about me? After three years of marriage, the first set of flowers he brings home is a bunch of lilies, which his wife is allergic to. Maybe you can be the judge now and tell me if you really think he has ever considered giving me anything”.
Carter had an embarrassed look on his face when I finished.
This was surprising to me though cause the Carter I know, rarely let his emotions show.
I took a deep breath and stared at the mother and son.
“You fucking bitches,” I muttered in my mind
