CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Descending for dinner, a frown etching itself onto my face, I grappled with the unsettling news heard earlier. Alistair's impending marriage hit hard, a stark indication of his apparent disregard, never bothering to share this significant development. It just shows how much he never loved me but had pretended to like me.

I could understand not being in love with me but why didn’t he inform me about it? He had no reason to hide it from me as we weren’t actually dating or anything like that. I was merely his tool for sexual pleasures and I was living under his mercy so he owed me nothing.

Regret gnawed at me over tearing the card. Without questioning Alistair, I assumed his brother wanted it confidential. The urge to confront Alistair tugged at me, but I refrained, fearing it could backfire. Any mistake might lead him to lash out, endangering my mother's treatment.

Sounds of clanking from the dining area signaled Alistair's presence. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I saw him eati