ChapterEleven
The following morning, Quinley pulled the long braid of her hair over her shoulder and stared at the image of herself in the phone. She’d done the best she could with her makeup and hair, and while she’d hidden the worst of the circles and shadows beneath her eyes, she could still see them thanks to the brutality of the camera.
She looked…haggard. As a regretful runaway bride should look, she supposed, which was why she didn’t add a filter. She didn’t want anyone to think for a moment the decision she’d made was an easy one.
It wasn’t. And despite the makeup she’d applied, her face proved it. So she’d let them see, let them say whatever they’d say, and hope for the best.
Last night, she’d signed off on the home rental in Carolina Cove and made the deposit payment. She had to admit it felt good to know she had a place to go when she forced herself to return. She wasn’t homeless. And that was a start.
She and Elias had spent most of the evening working the puzzle, choosing silence and a streamed movie neither of them watched since both were lost to their own thoughts.
She’d gone to bed fairly early, using her phone to search for possible vacation rentals nearby. Getting a hotel room was out of the question. No way could she be in a room with the guards outside and people not know something was amiss. As to cabins, there were two in the immediate area, but she’d hesitated in booking them due to the expense.
How could she have forgotten it was the week before Easter? Prices had increased, tripled basically, and while Rhys had offered to cover the expense, what did that mean when it came tothem?
Until she talked to Rhys face-to-face, talked to her parents and knew where she stood financially withallof them, she wasn’t entirely sure she could afford the two bags of junk food and gas money she owed Elias. Not if she had to cover the wedding that wasn’t.
At the thought of Elias, her body tightened.
His revelations about foods and allergies and his family’s loss had unveiled a side to him she hadn’t expected, considering she saw what everyone else saw when they looked at him.
Tall, dark and gorgeous,ripped, he made for a pretty picture. Maybe that’s why hearing him talk about his sickliness in childhood had thrown her.
Most people chose to eat a certain way due to fads or diets, but for him itwasmore. It was health and life and…qualityof life. Something no one probably thought about now when looking at him and judging him based on his appearance.
She couldn’t imagine being that young boy—that youngsickboy—trying to figure it all out on his own, scared to be ill because of what it could do to him and his family. Not wanting to be the weak link that tore them all apart. Not wanting to be taken away.
How terrifying was that?
Her heart hurt for him, for all Elias had been through and the pride she felt that he’d conquered his fear and used it to fuel his passion for good days. Turning all of it into his livelihood, seeing as how he now owned businesses focused on living healthy.
She sighed and forced herself back to the present, to focus onhercurrent predicament, because she couldn’t put it off any longer.
Rhys’s team had sent her a statement to release that sounded cold and…technical. She’d hated every word of it. So she’d done what she did best and rewrote it to be more personal and revealing, though she also hated being so publicly vulnerable.
But if she wanted to have a life and career in the future, vulnerability was key. At least in her opinion. She had to show the haters her soft side and pray it did the trick to change the tide of those thinking the worst of her.
She deserved some of the ridicule; she accepted that because shehadhurt a lot of people, but life moved on, and she needed to be able to eventually move on with it. To be able to work her job—if she still had one—and provide for herself and the future. And to do that, she had to dothis.
She’d already propped up her phone in her bedroom at the cabin, in the sitting area in the corner near the bathroom. She leaned forward and after another deep breath, hit Record before settling on the edge of the seat and staring into the camera. She looked scared.
Shewasscared. This could backfire, and if it did… She’d find out if rock bottom had a basement.
“Hi, for those of you who haven’t seen the news of late, I’m Quinley Anders, and I was engaged to Rhys Lachlan until a few days ago. To put it simply, I got cold feet and became a runaway bride. I’m sure most of you have seen the images and video,” she murmured with a wry expression and small grimace. “I’ll be the first to admit those were not my best moments, and there are a lot of rumors going around as a result. I’d like to put those rumors to rest. First, I left on my own accord, and I was not coerced, blackmailed, or forced to leave in any way. There was no one in the bridal suite threatening me and forcing me onto that balcony. It was averypoor choice that endangered my life and could have ended horribly. It was a decision I made in my panic, and I do not recommend or encourageanyone to do what I did. It was stupid of me and very irresponsible.
“Secondly, I want to stress that at no point in our relationship did Rhyseverlift a hand toward me in violence. He is truly a wonderful man, and my decision, while horribly executed in too many ways to list here, was based entirely on realizing I wasn’t ready to get married.
“I handled a delicate situation badly, and in doing so, I cast suspicion on Rhys and myself in ways I did not intend. So with this video, I’d like to put those questions to rest once and for all as there have been…death threats made as a result of my actions.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t devastating to know people want me dead because I made a choice about my life that they did not agree with. I admit, I’ve embarrassed Rhys and his family, my family and friends, and myself. I owe a lot of people apologies, but I stand by my decision not go through with a wedding that would have been wrong for me.
“As Rhys and I navigate this change to our relationship and lives, I ask for privacy and your empathy. I amsorryfor hurting those I love and for disappointing those of you so invested in our relationship and what would have been our future together, but I hope you’ll find compassion in your hearts for us as we figure out our next steps. Thank you for listening.”
It took her six tries to record the prewritten message before she felt it was good enough, tweaking words here and there with every take. Swearing when she’d get it right only to realize she hadn’t pressed the Record button. By the time she’d finished the sixth version, she was emotionally exhausted and teary-eyed yet again.
She watched the message several times, trying to see it objectively from a professional media standpoint and then as one of Rhys’s many fans as one of the country’s most eligible bachelors.
When she felt she couldn’t make it any better or more relatable, she sent the video to Rhys, knowing his people would take care of the rest.
