He Sent Me Home With His Buddy. Bad Idea, Ex! Chapter 01
Whenever a holiday came around, my boyfriend, Dorian
Ashford, would loan me out to one of his single friends so
they could get their families off their backs about settling down.
He called it “friends helping each other out.”
Naturally, his friends were happy to take advantage of the arrangement.
Some of their families decided I wasn’t good enough and
threw food in my face at dinner.
Others saw through the lie immediately and kicked me out
before the night was over.
Whenever I tried to refuse, Dorian would gently reassure me.
It’s only one dinner. Once this is over, we’ll get married”
That was how five years passed without Dorian spending a
single holiday with me.
This Thanksgiving, I was slapped in public again.
With tears in my eyes, I went to find Dorian.
But I overheard one of his friends ask him, “You really don’t
mind us taking Seren home to meet our families?”
Dorian took a drag from his cigarette before answering
casually, “Why would I? Every time one of you takes her, I get
to bring Celeste home for the holiday.”
Someone gave an appreciative whistle.
“That’s why you’re the smart one, Dorian. You get everything
you want, and if the truth ever comes out, you can always say
Seren cheated first.”
I couldn’t process what I had heard.
At Christmas, Dorian once again sent me home with one of
his friends, Evander Thorne.
At dinner, Evander’s mother, Lenore Thorne, presented me
with the Thorne family’s emerald-and-diamond heirloom
bracelet, traditionally given to the woman the Thorne heir
intended to marry.
In the past. I would’ve returned it privately.
This time, I stared at it for a few seconds before fastening it around my wrist.
When I returned from the Thorne estate and opened the
door, Dorian smiled at me as though he’d been waiting a long time.
‘You’re back. Thanks for doing this.*
His words offered no comfort because his friends were
watching me with poorly concealed anticipation.
“She actually came back without getting hit. Isn’t Evander
supposed to be a total germaphobe?”
“Damn. That means Celeste won the bet. Even you called it wrong. Dorian.”
Dorian looked me over, clearly surprised to find me. unharmed.
Fine. I lose.”
His casual answer left me cold.
They had all gathered at his house to bet on whether
Evander would hit me.
Dorian showed no guilt for loaning me out to another man
and no concern that I might be hurt, only bored
disappointment at losing the bet.
Numb, I looked away and turned to leave, but Celeste
suddenly grabbed my wrist.
“What’s that you’re wearing?”
Her voice cut off as soon as she saw the bracelet. The others
looked at me warily.
‘Is that the Thornes’ $1.35 million emerald-and-diamond bracelet?”
“The family heirloom meant for the woman the Thorne heir
plans to marry? What are the Thornes trying to say?”
Even Dorian stared at it with suspicion.
Only then did I understand the meaning behind Evander’s
look when I accepted the bracelet.
Celeste suddenly raised her voice. “Did you steal that, or did
you trick them into giving it to you?”
Dorian visibly relaxed at her suggestion.
“Seren, I told you I was going to marry you, and I meant it.
You didn’t have to stoop this low just to prove something.
The others immediately decided that explanation made sense.
“I knew it. Why would the Thornes ever want some charity case?”
“They probably let her wear it to be polite, and she actually
thought she deserved it.”
The ridicule had never stopped after I went from an Ashford
Foundation scholarship student to Dorian’s girlfriend.
Dorian had never looked down on me for my background, but
he had never stopped anyone else from doing it either. He
had even sent me home with his friends himself.
The food thrown in my face, the ashtrays hurled at me, and
all the times I was blamed for someone else’s anger or used as
punching bag had happened because Dorian allowed it.
I used to tell myself that he was trapped by circumstances
and couldn’t protect me from everyone,
But earlier that day, Evander’s father, Alistair Thorne, had
casually mentioned that Dorian had recently brought Celeste
home and introduced her as his fiancée in front of the entire
Ashford family.
Alistair had even praised him for it.
“That Ashford boy has a backbone. He shut down every
objection himself.”
That was when I finally understood.
When a man loved someone, he made a place for her in his
life and stood up for her. Different backgrounds only
mattered when someone wanted them to matter.
Dorian had simply never chosen me.
All right, that’s enough.”
Dorian stubbed out his cigarette, cutting them off for the first time.
Seren, the Thornes aren’t people you play games with. I’ll
return the bracelet for you.”
When he reached for my wrist, I covered the bracelet with
other hand.
my Surprise crossed his face. “What’s wrong? You don’t want to
give it back?”
‘I don’t feel well. Something I ate disagreed with me.”
My stomach churned even as I spoke.
Dorian studied me, and for a moment, I remembered how he
used to drop everything to take care of me whenever I said I
wasn’t feeling well.
Then his mouth curved into a dismissive smile, destroying
that brief hope.
Not used to the kind of food the Thornes serve?”
Whatever warmth I had felt drained away.
Dorian removed the bracelet himself and patted my shoulder.
“Go get some rest.”