Black Ties and White Lies(103)

“I don’t understand.”

“I knew Carter was cheating on you that weekend. I wanted to tell you so bad, but I didn’t want to hurt you. So I kept my mouth shut.”

“Beck…”

“But I knew that weekend that eventually, you’d be mine. That you were never supposed to be his, and if I waited long enough, we’d happen.”

“So, you realized you were my new boss and thought hey what the hell, I should tell her I need a fake fiancée?”

“No. I told you I bought the company to have an excuse to talk to you. I didn’t lie about that.”

Her mouth pops open. She watches me carefully, trying to fit the puzzle pieces together in her mind.

“I tried getting you the old fashioned way. I contacted you for months and you never answered, so I came up with another way to get your attention. That started with Ruby. I knew if something ran on me being some kind of womanizer instead of attention being me and how I run my company, that it’d sound logical that my board threatened me.”

“So even that was a lie?”

I nod. “The board saw it. They told me to be careful, but they never threatened me with investors or anything like that. They just told me to be careful of too much negative attention. I spun it to my advantage, which I know was wrong, but I was forced to do something dramatic to get you to even speak with me. If I came to you asking for help, I put my money on that I thought you wouldn’t say no.”

“So you manipulated me?”

“Yes,” I answer sadly. “I guess you could say I did. At the time, I hadn’t thought of it that way. I was so hellbent on getting you in my life that I didn’t think of it as manipulation. Every feeling, every moment between us was real. It was for me and I’m pretty fucking convinced it was all real for you too. I didn’t see the harm in the way we came together being a lie if it meant everything else was real.”

“So the article, the board story, everything was all just some massive scheme made by you so you could corner me into being your fiancée? I can’t even leave you right now. Not after all of New York attending our engagement party. You were trying to trap me, Beck.”

“No. Never. I was just trying to have a shot with you. That’s all this was ever supposed to be.”

“It doesn’t feel like that. It feels wrong and fucked up.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes for you to trust me. I love you, Margo. I love you so much that I would ruin everything I’ve ever created just to call you mine. I’m so fucking in love with you.”

She sobs. Mascara smudges her face, ruining the makeup that’d been meticulously painted on her skin. I feel like I can’t fucking breathe when she pulls her hand from mine. In one gentle motion, she pries my fingers open and sets my grandmother’s ring in my palm.

“Please don’t,” I beg, my voice going hoarse. “Please don’t do this.”

She closes my fingers around the ring. “This isn’t love, Beck. Love shouldn’t feel like this. It shouldn’t be based on a lie.”

“Don’t give up on me.” My fingers tighten around the ring in my grasp. “Let me fix this, baby. Please.”

Her eyes are red from crying so hard. “I should’ve never agreed to being your fiancée. I should’ve never had anything to do with you after everything happened with Carter.”

“Don’t bring him into this.”

She scoffs, pulling her headband from her hair and throwing it to the ground. “You know you’re just like him. I knew not to trust one Sinclair brother, I just hadn’t expected I couldn’t trust the other.”

Her words take me so off guard I take a few steps backwards in shocked hurt.

“I want you to leave, Beck.” It’s like she’s pouring salt in an already gaping wound. I can’t do anything but grant her wish.

With my heart shredded in my chest, I look at her through bloodshot eyes. “I’ve only ever loved you, Margo. I couldn’t help it. I’ve always loved you uncontrollably. Maybe a little too much, but everything I’ve done was always out of love.”





It’s not the same sleeping alone. I toss and turn all night, unable to turn off my mind with the questions soaring through it. The night wasn’t supposed to end the way it did. We were supposed to come home happy. I wanted to finish what we’d started in the limo. To make do on the promise of me wearing nothing but the heels for him.

I roll over in bed to grab my phone off the nightstand. I look at all of the missed notifications. It seems like a lot more people than I’d expected saw how off I was after the encounter I had with Carter. A lot of people were reaching out to check in. The only people I respond to are Winnie and Emma in our group chat.





WINNIE




How are you feeling this morning, Margie?





EMMA




I’m feeling hungover. I thought fancy champagne wasn’t supposed to make you feel like shit?





WINNIE




I didn’t ask about you. ;)





EMMA




I was trying to make Margo not feel awkward about leaving. Thanks for blowing my cover, Winnie Boo Boo.