He Doesn’t Deserve the Perfect Me Chapter 08
Soren pulled out his phone with shaking hands and played a recording.
“Daisy, a Sicilian crime family took my dad. Mom doesn’t know. I’m too scared to tell her.”
“They’re forcing me to marry one of them. If I refuse, they’ll come after all of us, the entire Wellman family. I’m terrified.”
“Whatever you do, don’t tell Soren. I’m afraid he’ll do something reckless and go after them. That would get him killed.”
It was my voice in the recording, but anyone paying attention could tell it was AI-generated.
I took a sip of coffee. The bitterness spread across my tongue, and I didn’t know what to say.
Soren pounded the table. “I was terrified they’d force you into that marriage or kill your father. I searched for months, but I couldn’t find a single lead on the Sicilian family or where they were holding him.”
“Daisy claimed she had intel on them, but she wouldn’t hand it over unless I married her first.”
At that, I finally let out a laugh. “And you agreed?”
“Yes.” Soren bowed his head and clawed at his hair. “I didn’t know what else to do! I was trying to save you. I even thought about asking my father for help!”
“But without any intel I couldn’t do anything. I figured Daisy would never hurt you, so I agreed.”
“And because I needed her help, I chose to take her side over yours.”
“Vivian, I’m telling the truth!” Soren broke down crying, begging me to believe him.
Then I remembered the details I’d dismissed.
That day at the bridal shop, when he’d seen me standing in front of the wedding gown, he’d looked panicked.
Before my mother died, he’d tried to rush over to help, but Daisy had stopped him.
But the excuse was absurd. Because of one unverified recording, I had lost everything.
My voice was eerily calm when I asked, “Soren, is that really all there is to it? You never felt anything for Daisy?”
“I didn’t!” Soren’s head snapped up. “Vivian, please believe me. I love you. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. I only went through with the wedding so she’d give me the intel. Then I was going to get my father involved and rescue you and your dad. I swear!”
I looked at him blankly, my voice cold.
“You say you love me, but when it came down to me or Daisy, you chose to believe her. Why didn’t you just ask me?
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“The three of us grew up together. Daisy is the daughter of your family’s longtime housekeeper. You spent more time with her than you ever did with me. She was in love with you. Are you honestly saying you never noticed?”
Soren froze. “I never noticed. I…”
I cut him off. “Because of you, I lost my baby and my mother. Daisy’s rumors killed her, and while she was dying, you stood there and did nothing.”
Soren slammed his fists against his own head. “Vivian, please stop. Please…”
I finished my coffee and looked at him calmly.
In that moment, I stopped hating him. He wasn’t worth another ounce of emotion.
“Soren, it’s over between us. The moment you chose to believe Daisy, we were done.”
When I moved to leave, Soren grabbed my sleeve desperately, his eyes pleading. “Vivian, give me one last chance, okay? I love you. You’re the only one I ever wanted to marry. It was my fault, but I did it for you…”
“No.” I pried his fingers loose and flung the whiskey from his glass into his face.
“Wake up, Soren. Stop dreaming. And stop saying you did it for me. All of this was caused by your own stupidity, and by a love between us that was too fragile to survive it.”
