TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 338

Three hundred and thirty eight

Barbara POV

Three hours ago

Several expressions crossed Wesley’s face. First came the ‘you don’t have to keep up the act; I’ve already told them the truth’ look. But when I kept crying, it slowly gave way to annoyance.

I turned away, sobbing so hard I could barely catch my breath.

“Why would you do this to me?” I choked out. “What have I done to deserve this?”

“Barbara, stop. They already know our relationship was never real.”

I gasped, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

“What?”

Even Anita, who had been crying and huling every profane word in her dictionary at the situation, fell silent and

stared at me.

“Have you lost your mind, Wesley?” I asked, laughing through my tears. “I know you’re many things, but a liar isn’t one of them. How dare you stand there and tell people our relationship was fake? Is this your gentlemanly way of breaking up with me?”

Wesley said nothing. Perhaps he was trying to convince himself I was faking my shock.

“You loved me,” I said, letting my voice crack. “I was in your bed two nights ago. You introduced me to the entire council. And now you’re standing here telling me none of it meant anything, spinning some fake story that isn’t true?”

He watched me like a child struggling to grasp a simple truth.

“I don’t get it.” I dragged the back of my hand across my cheeks. “Did that woman put something on you? A charm? A potion? That’s what these women do these days.”

I grabbed his arm and reached for the necklace, but he caught my wrist,

“Take your hands off that,” his nanny, Cassidy, snapped.

Wesley jerked away as though my fingers had burned him. He exchanged a glance with Cassidy before facing me again.

“Barbara, for the last time, I’m not in the mood for this. Grandma Cassidy and Anita know the truth.”

“Anita.” I hurried to her. “When did he tell you?”

Anita stood a few feet away, her arms crossed so tightly it looked like she was holding herself together by force.

“About an hour ago,” she mumbled.

“You see?” I cried. “Why didn’t he tell you all this before if we were really faking it?”

I let the tears spill faster, my voice trembling as I turned back to him.

“Are you going to rewrite everything because some stranger has gotten into your head? Our families have merged. The whole world knows about us, and now you want to throw it all away for a nobody?”

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ree hundred and thirty eight

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Charlie and Emma stood frozen, their gazes darting between Wesley and me.

I caught the heat in Wesley’s eyes, and I loved it. Let him doubt himself. Let him wonder if he was the one losing his grip.

Charlie placed a hand on my shoulder and pulled me closer as Emma approached Wesley.

“Wesley, what’s going on?” I heard her whisper.

“I didn’t do anything to offend him,” I cried to Charlie. “Now he’s ending our relationship and pretending it nevet existed. It’s not fair. I did nothing to deserve this.”

Charlie’s grip tightened.

“Wesley, this doesn’t look good at all. Why are you saying the relationship wasn’t real?”

“Because it wasn’t,” he said flatly. “We were faking it from the start.”

My sob broke into a loud wail. At the far end of the yard, several cooks turned to look.

I let my face crumple now that I had an audience worth performing for.

“He’s leaving me for some nobody he’s been sleeping with behind everyone’s back-the same woman who drove him and his only sibling apart. And he calls it complicated?”

“Barbara, I swear, if you don’t stop this-”

“No!” I cried. “You can’t tell me how to grieve. I won’t shut up. You’re only defensive because you’re guilty, and I won’t let some slut destroy what our families built.”

Charlie glared at him now. Never had I felt smugger. Everyone knew Wesley and Charlie were so close that tearing them apart was nearly impossible.

“You’re hurting her, Wes.”

“Stay out of it, Charlie.”

“How can I?” he snapped. “None of this makes sense.”

Wesley looked around. I could almost see him doing the math, realizing there was no version of this conversation he could win.

I buried my face in Charlie’s shoulder and sobbed as Wesley turned to Grandma Cassidy before leaving.

“He’s going to that slut,” I cried. “He doesn’t even have an iota of respect for me or Beatrice.”

Wesley didn’t turn.

“That’s enough acting, Barbara,” Cassidy said. “You know exactly what you’re doing, and it isn’t grieving.”

I lifted my head from Charlie’s shoulder, keeping my face crumpled.

“How dare you, ma’am? How dare you support him and let him humiliate me in front of everyone? You couldn’t even stop him.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Why should I stop anything when there’s nothing real to protect?” she said. “You and Wesley were never an item.”

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Three hundred and thirty might

“Oh, really?” The tears vanished from my voice, replaced by coldness. “Prove it.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it.

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“I thought so.” I shook my head. “I know he’s your boy, and you love him more than anyone here. But that’s no reason to blindly support evil. You should be older and wiser.”

Cassidy said nothing.

“Why are you even defending that girl, Grandma?” Anita finally said, her voice raw. “You should know better.”

Anita’s anger was doing plenty of work on its own. And I intended to use it long after tonight.

Cassidy shook her head and walked toward the house without another word.

My tears returned.

Emma reached for Anita, but Anita shook her off and walked away, leaving the three of us behind.

“I’m going home,” she mumbled.

“I’m so sorry, Barbara,” Emma said. “We’ll figure this out, I promise.”

Then she turned to Charlie.

“Can we talk?”

“No, I need him.” I trembled. “I just can’t think straight right now.”

Charlie’s hand remained on my shoulder.

“We’ll talk later, Emma,” he said, then led me away.

A flash of hurt crossed Emma’s face before disappearing. She nodded.

Charlie kept his arm around me as we walked toward the front yard.

“I’m sorry, Barbara,” he said, leaning against a pillar while still holding my hand. “Just calm down. We don’t need to let this get blown out of proportion. I’m sure Wesley isn’t thinking straight. I promise I’ll make it right. I’ll make him apologize.”

“Did you see the way he looked at me?” I asked, still crying.

He nodded. “I did. I’m deeply disappointed. Wesley could be careless, but never cruel. There has to be more to this.”

“I really need to rest my head. It feels like my skull is splitting in two.” I looked at him. “Please, take me home.”

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