Chapter 3
Even so, Patrick had no business sending my boudoir pics to his buddies.
Now that I think about it, Ryden and David made dirty jokes about me probably because Patrick didn't care about boundaries.
My engagement to Patrick was set up by our parents ages ago. Even after my folks passed away, I never once thought about backing out of the arranged marriage with the Myers family.
For the Myers family, as long as Patrick married me, everything the Patel family owned would eventually end up in their hands. It was a sweet deal for them, no matter how one saw it.
Patrick and I met back in high school, and later we both got into the same university. Even though Grace had known him longer than I had, our relationship wasn't just some business arrangement. There was real affection between us.
After my parents died in a car accident and I was left all alone, Patrick was the one who stepped up and helped me organize their funeral. With his support, I managed to keep up appearances for my parents' sake.
Watching him handle everything so calmly and efficiently, I knew I'd found the right person. After the funeral, I let him hold me close, and that was when we officially became a couple.
I thought that even if our marriage hit some rough patches in the future, we'd always stick it out together. But it didn't take long for me to realize that whenever Grace was around, Patrick would never put me first. I was always just his second choice.
Ryden typed: [Seriously, Zoey, you act all wild behind closed doors, messing around more than anyone else, and you still have the nerve to put someone else on blast?]
Ryden: [We were playing Truth or Dare, and we stuck to the rules. That's how we roll.]
Ryden: [We're not like you, a two-faced bitch who pretends to be a saint but acts like a slut, always ready to expose other people's secrets.]
Ryden: [Since you love exposing people so much, today I'm gonna let everyone see just how wild you really are.]
As I watched Ryden roast me in the group chat, I was just about to clap back when my phone suddenly buzzed. Patrick was calling.
"Zoey, listen to me! I swear, I never told him to send those pics. He did it all on his own. I had nothing to do with it," Patrick rushed out as soon as I answered.
He was falling over himself to apologize, desperate to convince me he wasn't involved at all.
I scoffed, "Nothing to do with you? I only ever sent those photos to you, and now your friend is the one who leaked them. Do you really expect me to buy that?
"Patrick, you're my fiancé. I only ever showed those private photos to you. Only you and I have those photos. So how did he get them, huh?
"If you don't care about me, just say it. No need to hide things and act like you care about me while fawning over Grace too.
"If you're so into Grace, then go marry her. But you can't be fooling around with her and still stringing me along.
"If you want to be her lapdog, that's on you. But I'm not someone you can just walk all over. You went behind my back and shared my private photos. Have you ever even respected me?
"Patrick, I think it's time we end our engagement."
Patrick totally freaked out when he heard I wanted to call off our engagement.
"Zoey, what are you saying? We're already engaged. And now you want to call it off? What do you take me for, some kind of joke?" he snapped.
"You? Aren't you just Grace's pet?" I shot back. "You're not just a dog. You're a lying mutt.
"I wanted to go on a trip with you during the holiday, but you told me your company had some last-minute work and couldn't get away.
"Then what? You slapped on a muzzle and ran off to play her obedient dog. If you don't even treat yourself like a real person, why should I marry a mutt like you?
"For all I know, marrying me is just something your owner ordered you to do.
"You can even leak your future wife's private photos to others. Patrick, is there anything you wouldn't stoop to?"
Patrick retorted, "Zoey, can you be real for a second? Yeah, I messed up sharing your pics, but you blasted our photos in the group chat too. Isn't that just the pot calling the kettle black? You act like you're so innocent, but you're just as guilty."