݁ ⟡ ݁ it only has to make sense to you . ݁₊ ⊹ ✿ 𝐂𝐄𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐀 .ᐟ.ᐟ nineteen november baby yapper plot building number 1 coffee consumerist iced mocha autumn brown lip liner writing crocheting tz/est gold jewelry mentally a librarian films uggs shoulder bags ݁⟡ ݁ to live for the hope of it all . ݁₊
⤷ wanna read about the rich? explore 𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐒, starting with contract — chris sturniolo for some forced proximity. meanwhile photograph — matt sturniolo leans into secrets and a handsome brother's best friend. ݁₊ ☘︎ ݁
⤷ looking for competitive kids with trust funds? step into 𝐕𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋 and check out grudge — chris sturniolo fueled by resentment and history, and following deception — matt sturniolo built on lies that refuse to stay buried. ݁₊ ☘︎ ݁
⤷ for those who love a dark romance, 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐄 delivers with wrath — chris sturniolo who lives on power and rage, while lust — matt sturniolo explores desire with consequences. ݁₊ ☘︎ ݁
⤷ check out my new series, weakness — chris sturniolo for some yearning disguised as banter. ₊ ☘︎ ݁
⤷ and for those wanting a quick read, and love a good angsty story, check out relapse - chris sturniolo ݁₊ ☘︎ ݁
⤷ ꒰ extra links ⋮ uncategorized works ⟶ cey n answer's inbox ꒱
The morning of Jenn's engagement party took place in the first week of April. The official announcement had been sent out two weeks prior, and New Yorkers were shocked by the news of the engagement. The union of two prominent old-money families always stirred excitement, as it meant yet another bachelor was off the market.
She spent the day running errands before the doors were set to open at six. For the past month, she hadn’t felt like herself. She was always tired, making small mistakes, and her mind was constantly crowded with problems. She felt stressed, and she could thank a certain security CEO for that. Tonight, nearly half of the city's high society would be there to celebrate her and Braxton. She didn’t have time, nor did she want to dwell on him.
At the moment, she was on her way to his office to discuss a few things she wanted him to handle for the evening. They hadn't seen each other in two days but had only called to do check-ins.
Braxton's temporary small office was located a bit outside New York in a more industrial area. His company was responsible for helping new buildings and landscapes come together.
When she entered the building, she nodded at the guy at the front desk, who smiled and told her to keep going. As she neared the door, she noticed it wasn't fully shut. It sat slightly ajar, just enough for the voices inside to carry. Her hand closed around the doorknob as an unfamiliar woman's voice.
Jenn stilled, withdrawing her hand. She should've walked away. She knew that. Eavesdropping was invasive... but she never claimed she was above it. So she listened.
"You told me you'd figure it out." A woman's voice sounded hurt.
"I told you..." Braxton exhaled heavily, his voice laced with exhaustion. "Willow, it's... It's over. There's nothing I can do."
Willow?
"Why didn't you tell me you were engaged?" the girls whos name was apparently Willow asked, her voice breaking. "Do you have any idea what it felt like finding out the love of my life had been engaged for almost a year while I was sitting around waiting for him?"
"I told you not to wait, Willow."
"You told me to have hope."
"I'm marrying Jenn."
"But how can she possibly love you more than I do, Brax?" Her voice was teary. She sounded absolutely gutted.
"She doesn't," he admitted quietly. "She just... I don't know. But we have an understanding between us."
Jenn blinked, but oddly enough, the words didn't hurt the way she'd expected them to. Instead, they settled somewhere inside her with an eerie sense of confirmation.
"So you're admitting it," Willow let out a watery laugh. "You're marrying her because she fits the life you've always wanted, and I don't." No answer. "Say it, Braxton. She's old money, and I'm just the middle-class girl you were too embarrassed to choose."
"Willow, you know that's not true." His chair scraped softly against the floor. "I fought for us. God, I fought for us for years. But eventually…eventually I couldn't make it work. I'm sorry."
A quiet sob came to answer him.
Jenn almost flinched at the sound. The conversation should have shattered her. Instead, all she could think was, of course. She had never mistaken whatever existed between her and Braxton for some sweeping love story. They'd built something stable and respectful. Friends in a relationship.
"Willow... you know I'll always love you."
Those seven words rooted Jenn to the spot.
"But...I love Jenn now too." Braxton's voice cracked beneath the weight of his own confession. "She's my future. I don't want to hurt you anymore. I couldn't protect you from my family before, and I can't keep asking you to wait for something that isn't going to happen. I'm almost thirty, Willow. My family's been expecting me to marry for years."
"So that's it?" Willow whispered. "You finally found someone they approve of."
"It's not about approval."
"It is." Her voice trembled. "Maybe not to you anymore, but it always was to them."
"They would've made your life miserable."
"They already did." Another silence settled between them. “But I would've endured it again if it meant I got to be with you."
The room was quiet except for uneven breaths. Then came the sound of footsteps. Jenn instinctively took a step back. The office door swung open.
A woman emerged, hastily wiping at her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater. She was tall with a sharp bob that brushed her jaw. Their coloring was strangely similar, though Willow's hair was a shade lighter, and intricate black tattoos wound from her wrist to the top of her shoulder, disappearing beneath the sleeve of her blouse.
For one disorienting second, Jenn thought she was looking at another version of herself.
Willow’s tear-filled eyes widened as they landed on Jenn. Realization settled over her face almost instantly.
"Of course you're beautiful in real life too."
With that, she hurried past Jenn before either of them could say another word, one hand covering her mouth as fresh tears escaped, while Braxton still stood inside his office.
"I'm not going to pretend I didn't hear all of that." Her voice was calm. "So... I'd appreciate it if you just told me the truth."
Brax held her gaze for a long moment before gesturing toward the chair across from his desk, and Jenn sat. "I don't want to lie to you." Jenn nodded and muttered a thank you. "That was my ex."
"I assumed that part."
"She moved out of state for graduate school a little over two years ago, and she only found out about our engagement today. The way things ended between us..." He exhaled through his nose. "It wasn't exactly clean. I may have left her with the impression that if the timing ever worked out, we'd find our way back to each other."
Jenn's brows knit together. "So she thought you were waiting for her."
He nodded once.
"Do you still love her?"
Brax hesitated for a brief moment before looking down, then meeting Jenn's gaze again. "No, I loved her for a long time, but I don't anymore, and I can't. I've accepted that chapter of my life is over. I love you now, Jenn."
She looked at him in silence, sensing that his words didn’t resonate quite as she had expected. It felt as though he was trying very hard to convince himself of what he was saying.
After everything that had happened between her and Chris, it felt almost hypocritical to scrutinize Braxton too harshly for a relationship that had ended before they'd even met. Nor get angry for not telling her sooner. It's not like she ever told him about Chris.
"Thank you for telling me the truth."
Brax reached across the desk and gently took her hand. "I don't want there to be secrets between us." Neither of them noticed that both of them had just told a truth, while carefully avoiding an even bigger one.
After the tension in the room settled, Jenn spoke to him about tonight. But there was still an odd lingering tension between them, especially from Braxton as she spoke. Like his mind was far away.
By the time she left the office and was in the hall where it was taking place, it was four in the afternoon. She had to get ready. She was in her robe and doing her makeup. Her mother was straightening the dress she would be wearing, very silent.
Kitty had been a little wary that the engagement was so soon, and that the wedding was even sooner, even though Jenn tried to tell her it was all good. Her father was fond of Braxton, her mother was too, but not as much.
"If you have something to say, Mom..." Jenn unclasped her earrings and set them on the vanity. "Now's probably the time."
Kitty looked up from where she sat on the edge of the bed. "I don't have anything to say, sweetheart."
Jenn gave her a knowing look through the mirror. "You do. You've barely involved yourself in any of the wedding planning. You only threw me the party a few weeks ago because Grandma would've been offended if we skipped the tradition." Mothers always threw their daughters small, only close family engagements.
"It's not like that, darling."
"So what is it?" Jenn's frustration finally surfaced. "You don't like Braxton?"
"Oh, honey..." Kitty immediately crossed the room. "It's not that at all. I do like Braxton."
Jenn searched her mother's face. "You hardly ask about him. When he comes over for dinner, you barely talk to him. Dad approves of him completely. So why don't you?"
Kitty gently brushed a strand of Jenn's hair behind her ear sadly. "I do approve. He comes from a wonderful family. I just...I think everything's happening very quickly. It's only been a year."
"You married Dad three months after you started dating." Kitty smiled despite herself at Jenn's comment. "And besides, you and Dad are the ones who've been reminding me for years that I should start thinking about marriage. You've mentioned it practically every day. But now that I actually am getting married, you're hesitant?"
Kitty's expression softened. "I wanted you to marry because you found the right person. Not because you felt it was time. I was pushing you to at least date someone.”
"He's everything you've ever said I should look for."
Kitty looked at her daughter for a long moment. "Yes. He is. I just always imagined you'd end up with..." Her voice trailed off, and she didn’t continue, shaking her head, saying Forget it.
Jenn frowned. "Who?"
Kitty looked almost reluctant to answer.
"I just always thought you’d find your way to Christopher."
Now that wasn't what she had expected her mother to say.
"That's ridiculous, Mother. We never even dated. We weren't even—" Memories of late-night phone calls and broken promises flooded her mind before she forced herself to continue, "—we weren't anything. I don't even know where you got that from." She hoped her mother didn’t see the way her voice cracked.
"I know, darling." Kitty smiled softly. "It's just...Christopher was quite smitten with you. He'd even ask your father how you were while he was in Italy after his mother passed." Kitty's expression grew gentler. "And about that, I wish you could've brought him a little comfort during such a difficult time."
Guilt settled heavily in Jenn's chest. "I... I sent flowers," Even if she'd made sure the card read From the Seinee family instead of just her name. "...anyway. Christopher and I were never anything. We never even got started."
"I know the way he looked at you." Kitty gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "And I saw the way you looked back. You looked at him with more conviction than I've ever seen you look at Braxton."
Her heart cracked.
"Well, it doesn't matter." Jenn's voice was sharper than she'd intended. "I'm marrying Brax."
Kitty walked over and cupped Jenn's face like she had when she was little. Despite being a full-grown woman, a mother was always going to be a mother.
"I only want one thing for you, darling. I want you to be happy." Her thumb brushed away a loose strand of hair. "If Braxton is the man who gives you that happiness, then I'll welcome him into this family with my whole heart."
Kitty sensed the conversation had reached its end.
"Enough of all this. You haven't eaten properly today, have you? I'm going downstairs to fix you a plate before everyone starts arriving. I refuse to let my daughter faint at her own engagement." Kitty pressed one last kiss on Jenn's forehead. "I'll be back in a few minutes." Then she left the room.
Jenn remained standing in front of the vanity. Almost absentmindedly, she twisted the engagement ring around her finger. Her mother's words echoed relentlessly in her mind.
"Christopher was quite smitten with you."
She squeezed her eyes shut but now heard his voice.
"I can't be the man who watches you marry someone else."
She opened her eyes again. Her mother's voice echoed back.
"I've seen you look at Christopher with more conviction than I've ever seen you look at Braxton."
Ever since Christopher had come back, everything she'd spent the last year and a half convincing herself of had begun to unravel. When his mother died, he hadn't returned to New York straight away; she'd told herself he'd chosen to stay in Italy because he'd moved on. So she did the same.
Then he'd walked back into her life, and suddenly nothing felt certain anymore. The future she'd worked so hard to accept didn't fit the way it had before. Needs, wants, and desires she'd spent months suffocating clawed their way back to the surface.
Braxton was safe. Chris never had been.
Braxton was predictable. Chris never let her know whether she'd end the day wanting to kiss him or throw something at his head. One offered peace. The other made her feel painfully, terrifyingly alive.
She'd never been someone who chose safe. Everything she'd ever been proud of had come from taking chances other people had been too afraid to take. So why had she chosen differently when it came to love?
Staring at herself in the mirror, she only saw doubt.
For the first time since Braxton had slipped it onto her finger, it felt heavy. Like she was wearing some other woman's ring. The tears she'd been fighting all afternoon finally threatened to spill over. A sense of urgency that she chose the wrong—
A soft knock sounded against the bedroom door. She dabbed the corner of her eyes before any tears could escape and tightened her robe. She didn’t want her mom to see her crying.
"It's open."
The handle turned, and the figure that came through stopped everything inside her.
Christopher stood quietly in the entrance, one hand still resting on the doorknob, dressed in a tailored black suit that somehow looked just as out of place as he did. His eyes found her immediately, then slowly traveled over her, lingering for only a moment before returning to her face. A faint sad smile tugged at his lips.
“What are you doing…” Jenn's voice cracked. “You can’t be in here—”
“I know.” His answer came gently. “I just… I just want to ask for five minutes of your time. Please. If you have it.”
They both knew he wasn't invited to the engagement. He had to have snuck in. Not that it would have taken the security much persuading to let him in.
She swallowed. He didn’t sound like he was here to fight. But he was also the last person she wanted to see right now. Something in her heart told her that if Chris asked her not to marry Brax again… she might listen. Consequences be damned.
“I wanted to say I’m sorry.”
Ouch.
"Or more so, clear the air, one last time before..." She watched him fight the words, Before you get married. He couldn't bring himself to say them. "...before we go our separate ways."
Chris took a few slow steps into the room before stopping at a respectful distance.
"Chris, you don't have to apologize."
"I do."
"No, you—"
"I haven't been fair to you." He didn't let her finish. "I know that. Ever since I came back, I kept asking you to choose me. I kept showing up expecting you to still be standing exactly where I left you."
Jenn felt tears threatening again. "Chris..."
"I've been angry." He admitted it plainly. "Angry at the timing, at myself, and most of all angry that I lost years that I can never get back. And I took that anger out on you."
The words sounded like they physically hurt him.
"I don't want either of us to spend the rest of our lives carrying resentment because we never said what needed to be said." He took another small step forward. She didn’t want him to come closer; she was afraid she’d do something she’d regret. "I don't want you walking into your new life thinking I hated you or that I wanted to hurt you. Because I never could."
His eyes revealed how hard this was. Emotions battered at his put-together facade. Sadness, regret, love. They all tried to hide behind his forced smile. But he shouldn't be the only one apologizing right now. Jenn could feel the water falling gently down her cheek.
"No, Chris, I should be sorry." Her tears spilled freely, and every word came out in hiccups. "I hope you know I didn’t mean most of the things I said. I've been cruel because it was easier than admitting I was hurt. Which is why it was harder to accept why you would even say you love me in the first place. I've hurt you—"
Chris was already shaking his head before she'd even finished. "Don't apologize, bella." She looked up at him. Christopher Sturniolo had always carried himself like a man impossible to shake, but right now he looked heartbroken. "I just want you to be happy, and I've accepted that if he makes you happy, then that's enough for me."
It was a lie.
They both knew it. But he clearly wanted it to become true.
"If you ever need anything, you can always call me, okay?" They both knew she wouldn’t call. "Whether it's next week or ten years from now. You'll always have me."
Jenn's face crumpled. God, he was making this so hard.
"You don't stop being important to me just because..." His gaze drifted to the ring on her finger. "...life turned out differently." He inhaled slowly before forcing another small smile. "Tell Braxton, I said congratulations. He doesn't know how incredibly lucky he is to marry a woman as extraordinary as you."
His eyes returned to her.
"You look beautiful, Jenn."
His gaze lingered on her for one heartbeat longer than it should have. Slowly, quietly, he took her in. As though he were committing every detail to memory. He gave the smallest nod to himself, as if he'd finally seen enough to carry with him. His eyes were filled with so much emotion it almost frightened her.
He took one slow step toward her and lifted a hand with agonizing care, as his palm settled against her cheek. She instinctively leaned into the touch despite herself. His thumb brushed a tear before it had the chance to fall. Slowly, the other hand came up to cradle the opposite side of her face.
He simply looked at her, for what felt like years, before he leaned forward and placed an achingly soft kiss on her forehead. One that carried every I love you he no longer had the right to say.
He pulled away.
"Be good to each other, Bella."
That was the last thing he said before he let his hand fall. The absence of his touch was agonizing as Chris took a single step back, then turned and walked away from her until he was gone.
She stared at the closed bedroom door as if it might open again. As if he'd tell her none of this was real. Then her body moved before her mind caught up. She rushed toward the door, her hand already reaching for the handle.
Her heart pounded so violently it hurt.
Go after him.
Her eyes dropped to the diamond resting on her finger. Reality came crashing back. Braxton. The guests. Her parents downstairs. Her engagement party. The life she'd already chosen.
Painfully, she let go of the handle, and a strangled sound escaped her throat.
Instead of opening the door, she locked it before her knees gave out. She crumpled to the floor, her back against the door, as sob after sob tore its way out of her. Each one ripped through her chest so violently she struggled to catch her breath.
Maybe Christopher had never been the problem. She had been. She'd spent so long convincing herself that he'd betrayed her, but she knew he did it because he knew she felt second to him. She was insecure. Her life was a product of every decision she'd made, and now marrying Brax no longer felt like a choice—it felt like the consequence of all of them.
Chris had always come back no matter how badly they argued or stubborn they both became. He always found his way back to her.
Even if she didn’t want to agree with her mother, Jenn had also always believed that no matter how messy things became, she and Chris would eventually find their way back to each other.
Yet, this time it felt final.
There had been no pleading, which meant he wasn't going to fight for her anymore. He was letting her go. She felt hypocritical crying about it. She was the one who begged him to move on. Yet the moment he finally seemed ready to do it, it felt like someone had reached into her chest and torn something out.
She met Chris when they were young and everything she hated, and lost him when she realized she loved him, and he was everything she wanted.
ceyana’s note: keep the theories coming! i love you, mwah <3
The morning of Jenn's engagement party took place in the first week of April. The official announcement had been sent out two weeks prior, and New Yorkers were shocked by the news of the engagement. The union of two prominent old-money families always stirred excitement, as it meant yet another bachelor was off the market.
She spent the day running errands before the doors were set to open at six. For the past month, she hadn’t felt like herself. She was always tired, making small mistakes, and her mind was constantly crowded with problems. She felt stressed, and she could thank a certain security CEO for that. Tonight, nearly half of the city's high society would be there to celebrate her and Braxton. She didn’t have time, nor did she want to dwell on him.
At the moment, she was on her way to his office to discuss a few things she wanted him to handle for the evening. They hadn't seen each other in two days but had only called to do check-ins.
Braxton's temporary small office was located a bit outside New York in a more industrial area. His company was responsible for helping new buildings and landscapes come together.
When she entered the building, she nodded at the guy at the front desk, who smiled and told her to keep going. As she neared the door, she noticed it wasn't fully shut. It sat slightly ajar, just enough for the voices inside to carry. Her hand closed around the doorknob as an unfamiliar woman's voice.
Jenn stilled, withdrawing her hand. She should've walked away. She knew that. Eavesdropping was invasive... but she never claimed she was above it. So she listened.
"You told me you'd figure it out." A woman's voice sounded hurt.
"I told you..." Braxton exhaled heavily, his voice laced with exhaustion. "Willow, it's... It's over. There's nothing I can do."
Willow?
"Why didn't you tell me you were engaged?" the girls whos name was apparently Willow asked, her voice breaking. "Do you have any idea what it felt like finding out the love of my life had been engaged for almost a year while I was sitting around waiting for him?"
"I told you not to wait, Willow."
"You told me to have hope."
"I'm marrying Jenn."
"But how can she possibly love you more than I do, Brax?" Her voice was teary. She sounded absolutely gutted.
"She doesn't," he admitted quietly. "She just... I don't know. But we have an understanding between us."
Jenn blinked, but oddly enough, the words didn't hurt the way she'd expected them to. Instead, they settled somewhere inside her with an eerie sense of confirmation.
"So you're admitting it," Willow let out a watery laugh. "You're marrying her because she fits the life you've always wanted, and I don't." No answer. "Say it, Braxton. She's old money, and I'm just the middle-class girl you were too embarrassed to choose."
"Willow, you know that's not true." His chair scraped softly against the floor. "I fought for us. God, I fought for us for years. But eventually…eventually I couldn't make it work. I'm sorry."
A quiet sob came to answer him.
Jenn almost flinched at the sound. The conversation should have shattered her. Instead, all she could think was, of course. She had never mistaken whatever existed between her and Braxton for some sweeping love story. They'd built something stable and respectful. Friends in a relationship.
"Willow... you know I'll always love you."
Those seven words rooted Jenn to the spot.
"But...I love Jenn now too." Braxton's voice cracked beneath the weight of his own confession. "She's my future. I don't want to hurt you anymore. I couldn't protect you from my family before, and I can't keep asking you to wait for something that isn't going to happen. I'm almost thirty, Willow. My family's been expecting me to marry for years."
"So that's it?" Willow whispered. "You finally found someone they approve of."
"It's not about approval."
"It is." Her voice trembled. "Maybe not to you anymore, but it always was to them."
"They would've made your life miserable."
"They already did." Another silence settled between them. “But I would've endured it again if it meant I got to be with you."
The room was quiet except for uneven breaths. Then came the sound of footsteps. Jenn instinctively took a step back. The office door swung open.
A woman emerged, hastily wiping at her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater. She was tall with a sharp bob that brushed her jaw. Their coloring was strangely similar, though Willow's hair was a shade lighter, and intricate black tattoos wound from her wrist to the top of her shoulder, disappearing beneath the sleeve of her blouse.
For one disorienting second, Jenn thought she was looking at another version of herself.
Willow’s tear-filled eyes widened as they landed on Jenn. Realization settled over her face almost instantly.
"Of course you're beautiful in real life too."
With that, she hurried past Jenn before either of them could say another word, one hand covering her mouth as fresh tears escaped, while Braxton still stood inside his office.
"I'm not going to pretend I didn't hear all of that." Her voice was calm. "So... I'd appreciate it if you just told me the truth."
Brax held her gaze for a long moment before gesturing toward the chair across from his desk, and Jenn sat. "I don't want to lie to you." Jenn nodded and muttered a thank you. "That was my ex."
"I assumed that part."
"She moved out of state for graduate school a little over two years ago, and she only found out about our engagement today. The way things ended between us..." He exhaled through his nose. "It wasn't exactly clean. I may have left her with the impression that if the timing ever worked out, we'd find our way back to each other."
Jenn's brows knit together. "So she thought you were waiting for her."
He nodded once.
"Do you still love her?"
Brax hesitated for a brief moment before looking down, then meeting Jenn's gaze again. "No, I loved her for a long time, but I don't anymore, and I can't. I've accepted that chapter of my life is over. I love you now, Jenn."
She looked at him in silence, sensing that his words didn’t resonate quite as she had expected. It felt as though he was trying very hard to convince himself of what he was saying.
After everything that had happened between her and Chris, it felt almost hypocritical to scrutinize Braxton too harshly for a relationship that had ended before they'd even met. Nor get angry for not telling her sooner. It's not like she ever told him about Chris.
"Thank you for telling me the truth."
Brax reached across the desk and gently took her hand. "I don't want there to be secrets between us." Neither of them noticed that both of them had just told a truth, while carefully avoiding an even bigger one.
After the tension in the room settled, Jenn spoke to him about tonight. But there was still an odd lingering tension between them, especially from Braxton as she spoke. Like his mind was far away.
By the time she left the office and was in the hall where it was taking place, it was four in the afternoon. She had to get ready. She was in her robe and doing her makeup. Her mother was straightening the dress she would be wearing, very silent.
Kitty had been a little wary that the engagement was so soon, and that the wedding was even sooner, even though Jenn tried to tell her it was all good. Her father was fond of Braxton, her mother was too, but not as much.
"If you have something to say, Mom..." Jenn unclasped her earrings and set them on the vanity. "Now's probably the time."
Kitty looked up from where she sat on the edge of the bed. "I don't have anything to say, sweetheart."
Jenn gave her a knowing look through the mirror. "You do. You've barely involved yourself in any of the wedding planning. You only threw me the party a few weeks ago because Grandma would've been offended if we skipped the tradition." Mothers always threw their daughters small, only close family engagements.
"It's not like that, darling."
"So what is it?" Jenn's frustration finally surfaced. "You don't like Braxton?"
"Oh, honey..." Kitty immediately crossed the room. "It's not that at all. I do like Braxton."
Jenn searched her mother's face. "You hardly ask about him. When he comes over for dinner, you barely talk to him. Dad approves of him completely. So why don't you?"
Kitty gently brushed a strand of Jenn's hair behind her ear sadly. "I do approve. He comes from a wonderful family. I just...I think everything's happening very quickly. It's only been a year."
"You married Dad three months after you started dating." Kitty smiled despite herself at Jenn's comment. "And besides, you and Dad are the ones who've been reminding me for years that I should start thinking about marriage. You've mentioned it practically every day. But now that I actually am getting married, you're hesitant?"
Kitty's expression softened. "I wanted you to marry because you found the right person. Not because you felt it was time. I was pushing you to at least date someone.”
"He's everything you've ever said I should look for."
Kitty looked at her daughter for a long moment. "Yes. He is. I just always imagined you'd end up with..." Her voice trailed off, and she didn’t continue, shaking her head, saying Forget it.
Jenn frowned. "Who?"
Kitty looked almost reluctant to answer.
"I just always thought you’d find your way to Christopher."
Now that wasn't what she had expected her mother to say.
"That's ridiculous, Mother. We never even dated. We weren't even—" Memories of late-night phone calls and broken promises flooded her mind before she forced herself to continue, "—we weren't anything. I don't even know where you got that from." She hoped her mother didn’t see the way her voice cracked.
"I know, darling." Kitty smiled softly. "It's just...Christopher was quite smitten with you. He'd even ask your father how you were while he was in Italy after his mother passed." Kitty's expression grew gentler. "And about that, I wish you could've brought him a little comfort during such a difficult time."
Guilt settled heavily in Jenn's chest. "I... I sent flowers," Even if she'd made sure the card read From the Seinee family instead of just her name. "...anyway. Christopher and I were never anything. We never even got started."
"I know the way he looked at you." Kitty gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "And I saw the way you looked back. You looked at him with more conviction than I've ever seen you look at Braxton."
Her heart cracked.
"Well, it doesn't matter." Jenn's voice was sharper than she'd intended. "I'm marrying Brax."
Kitty walked over and cupped Jenn's face like she had when she was little. Despite being a full-grown woman, a mother was always going to be a mother.
"I only want one thing for you, darling. I want you to be happy." Her thumb brushed away a loose strand of hair. "If Braxton is the man who gives you that happiness, then I'll welcome him into this family with my whole heart."
Kitty sensed the conversation had reached its end.
"Enough of all this. You haven't eaten properly today, have you? I'm going downstairs to fix you a plate before everyone starts arriving. I refuse to let my daughter faint at her own engagement." Kitty pressed one last kiss on Jenn's forehead. "I'll be back in a few minutes." Then she left the room.
Jenn remained standing in front of the vanity. Almost absentmindedly, she twisted the engagement ring around her finger. Her mother's words echoed relentlessly in her mind.
"Christopher was quite smitten with you."
She squeezed her eyes shut but now heard his voice.
"I can't be the man who watches you marry someone else."
She opened her eyes again. Her mother's voice echoed back.
"I've seen you look at Christopher with more conviction than I've ever seen you look at Braxton."
Ever since Christopher had come back, everything she'd spent the last year and a half convincing herself of had begun to unravel. When his mother died, he hadn't returned to New York straight away; she'd told herself he'd chosen to stay in Italy because he'd moved on. So she did the same.
Then he'd walked back into her life, and suddenly nothing felt certain anymore. The future she'd worked so hard to accept didn't fit the way it had before. Needs, wants, and desires she'd spent months suffocating clawed their way back to the surface.
Braxton was safe. Chris never had been.
Braxton was predictable. Chris never let her know whether she'd end the day wanting to kiss him or throw something at his head. One offered peace. The other made her feel painfully, terrifyingly alive.
She'd never been someone who chose safe. Everything she'd ever been proud of had come from taking chances other people had been too afraid to take. So why had she chosen differently when it came to love?
Staring at herself in the mirror, she only saw doubt.
For the first time since Braxton had slipped it onto her finger, it felt heavy. Like she was wearing some other woman's ring. The tears she'd been fighting all afternoon finally threatened to spill over. A sense of urgency that she chose the wrong—
A soft knock sounded against the bedroom door. She dabbed the corner of her eyes before any tears could escape and tightened her robe. She didn’t want her mom to see her crying.
"It's open."
The handle turned, and the figure that came through stopped everything inside her.
Christopher stood quietly in the entrance, one hand still resting on the doorknob, dressed in a tailored black suit that somehow looked just as out of place as he did. His eyes found her immediately, then slowly traveled over her, lingering for only a moment before returning to her face. A faint sad smile tugged at his lips.
“What are you doing…” Jenn's voice cracked. “You can’t be in here—”
“I know.” His answer came gently. “I just… I just want to ask for five minutes of your time. Please. If you have it.”
They both knew he wasn't invited to the engagement. He had to have snuck in. Not that it would have taken the security much persuading to let him in.
She swallowed. He didn’t sound like he was here to fight. But he was also the last person she wanted to see right now. Something in her heart told her that if Chris asked her not to marry Brax again… she might listen. Consequences be damned.
“I wanted to say I’m sorry.”
Ouch.
"Or more so, clear the air, one last time before..." She watched him fight the words, Before you get married. He couldn't bring himself to say them. "...before we go our separate ways."
Chris took a few slow steps into the room before stopping at a respectful distance.
"Chris, you don't have to apologize."
"I do."
"No, you—"
"I haven't been fair to you." He didn't let her finish. "I know that. Ever since I came back, I kept asking you to choose me. I kept showing up expecting you to still be standing exactly where I left you."
Jenn felt tears threatening again. "Chris..."
"I've been angry." He admitted it plainly. "Angry at the timing, at myself, and most of all angry that I lost years that I can never get back. And I took that anger out on you."
The words sounded like they physically hurt him.
"I don't want either of us to spend the rest of our lives carrying resentment because we never said what needed to be said." He took another small step forward. She didn’t want him to come closer; she was afraid she’d do something she’d regret. "I don't want you walking into your new life thinking I hated you or that I wanted to hurt you. Because I never could."
His eyes revealed how hard this was. Emotions battered at his put-together facade. Sadness, regret, love. They all tried to hide behind his forced smile. But he shouldn't be the only one apologizing right now. Jenn could feel the water falling gently down her cheek.
"No, Chris, I should be sorry." Her tears spilled freely, and every word came out in hiccups. "I hope you know I didn’t mean most of the things I said. I've been cruel because it was easier than admitting I was hurt. Which is why it was harder to accept why you would even say you love me in the first place. I've hurt you—"
Chris was already shaking his head before she'd even finished. "Don't apologize, bella." She looked up at him. Christopher Sturniolo had always carried himself like a man impossible to shake, but right now he looked heartbroken. "I just want you to be happy, and I've accepted that if he makes you happy, then that's enough for me."
It was a lie.
They both knew it. But he clearly wanted it to become true.
"If you ever need anything, you can always call me, okay?" They both knew she wouldn’t call. "Whether it's next week or ten years from now. You'll always have me."
Jenn's face crumpled. God, he was making this so hard.
"You don't stop being important to me just because..." His gaze drifted to the ring on her finger. "...life turned out differently." He inhaled slowly before forcing another small smile. "Tell Braxton, I said congratulations. He doesn't know how incredibly lucky he is to marry a woman as extraordinary as you."
His eyes returned to her.
"You look beautiful, Jenn."
His gaze lingered on her for one heartbeat longer than it should have. Slowly, quietly, he took her in. As though he were committing every detail to memory. He gave the smallest nod to himself, as if he'd finally seen enough to carry with him. His eyes were filled with so much emotion it almost frightened her.
He took one slow step toward her and lifted a hand with agonizing care, as his palm settled against her cheek. She instinctively leaned into the touch despite herself. His thumb brushed a tear before it had the chance to fall. Slowly, the other hand came up to cradle the opposite side of her face.
He simply looked at her, for what felt like years, before he leaned forward and placed an achingly soft kiss on her forehead. One that carried every I love you he no longer had the right to say.
He pulled away.
"Be good to each other, Bella."
That was the last thing he said before he let his hand fall. The absence of his touch was agonizing as Chris took a single step back, then turned and walked away from her until he was gone.
She stared at the closed bedroom door as if it might open again. As if he'd tell her none of this was real. Then her body moved before her mind caught up. She rushed toward the door, her hand already reaching for the handle.
Her heart pounded so violently it hurt.
Go after him.
Her eyes dropped to the diamond resting on her finger. Reality came crashing back. Braxton. The guests. Her parents downstairs. Her engagement party. The life she'd already chosen.
Painfully, she let go of the handle, and a strangled sound escaped her throat.
Instead of opening the door, she locked it before her knees gave out. She crumpled to the floor, her back against the door, as sob after sob tore its way out of her. Each one ripped through her chest so violently she struggled to catch her breath.
Maybe Christopher had never been the problem. She had been. She'd spent so long convincing herself that he'd betrayed her, but she knew he did it because he knew she felt second to him. She was insecure. Her life was a product of every decision she'd made, and now marrying Brax no longer felt like a choice—it felt like the consequence of all of them.
Chris had always come back no matter how badly they argued or stubborn they both became. He always found his way back to her.
Even if she didn’t want to agree with her mother, Jenn had also always believed that no matter how messy things became, she and Chris would eventually find their way back to each other.
Yet, this time it felt final.
There had been no pleading, which meant he wasn't going to fight for her anymore. He was letting her go. She felt hypocritical crying about it. She was the one who begged him to move on. Yet the moment he finally seemed ready to do it, it felt like someone had reached into her chest and torn something out.
She met Chris when they were young and everything she hated, and lost him when she realized she loved him, and he was everything she wanted.
ceyana’s note: keep the theories coming! i love you, mwah <3
The morning of Jenn's engagement party took place in the first week of April. The official announcement had been sent out two weeks prior, and New Yorkers were shocked by the news of the engagement. The union of two prominent old-money families always stirred excitement, as it meant yet another bachelor was off the market.
She spent the day running errands before the doors were set to open at six. For the past month, she hadn’t felt like herself. She was always tired, making small mistakes, and her mind was constantly crowded with problems. She felt stressed, and she could thank a certain security CEO for that. Tonight, nearly half of the city's high society would be there to celebrate her and Braxton. She didn’t have time, nor did she want to dwell on him.
At the moment, she was on her way to his office to discuss a few things she wanted him to handle for the evening. They hadn't seen each other in two days but had only called to do check-ins.
Braxton's temporary small office was located a bit outside New York in a more industrial area. His company was responsible for helping new buildings and landscapes come together.
When she entered the building, she nodded at the guy at the front desk, who smiled and told her to keep going. As she neared the door, she noticed it wasn't fully shut. It sat slightly ajar, just enough for the voices inside to carry. Her hand closed around the doorknob as an unfamiliar woman's voice.
Jenn stilled, withdrawing her hand. She should've walked away. She knew that. Eavesdropping was invasive... but she never claimed she was above it. So she listened.
"You told me you'd figure it out." A woman's voice sounded hurt.
"I told you..." Braxton exhaled heavily, his voice laced with exhaustion. "Willow, it's... It's over. There's nothing I can do."
Willow?
"Why didn't you tell me you were engaged?" the girls whos name was apparently Willow asked, her voice breaking. "Do you have any idea what it felt like finding out the love of my life had been engaged for almost a year while I was sitting around waiting for him?"
"I told you not to wait, Willow."
"You told me to have hope."
"I'm marrying Jenn."
"But how can she possibly love you more than I do, Brax?" Her voice was teary. She sounded absolutely gutted.
"She doesn't," he admitted quietly. "She just... I don't know. But we have an understanding between us."
Jenn blinked, but oddly enough, the words didn't hurt the way she'd expected them to. Instead, they settled somewhere inside her with an eerie sense of confirmation.
"So you're admitting it," Willow let out a watery laugh. "You're marrying her because she fits the life you've always wanted, and I don't." No answer. "Say it, Braxton. She's old money, and I'm just the middle-class girl you were too embarrassed to choose."
"Willow, you know that's not true." His chair scraped softly against the floor. "I fought for us. God, I fought for us for years. But eventually…eventually I couldn't make it work. I'm sorry."
A quiet sob came to answer him.
Jenn almost flinched at the sound. The conversation should have shattered her. Instead, all she could think was, of course. She had never mistaken whatever existed between her and Braxton for some sweeping love story. They'd built something stable and respectful. Friends in a relationship.
"Willow... you know I'll always love you."
Those seven words rooted Jenn to the spot.
"But...I love Jenn now too." Braxton's voice cracked beneath the weight of his own confession. "She's my future. I don't want to hurt you anymore. I couldn't protect you from my family before, and I can't keep asking you to wait for something that isn't going to happen. I'm almost thirty, Willow. My family's been expecting me to marry for years."
"So that's it?" Willow whispered. "You finally found someone they approve of."
"It's not about approval."
"It is." Her voice trembled. "Maybe not to you anymore, but it always was to them."
"They would've made your life miserable."
"They already did." Another silence settled between them. “But I would've endured it again if it meant I got to be with you."
The room was quiet except for uneven breaths. Then came the sound of footsteps. Jenn instinctively took a step back. The office door swung open.
A woman emerged, hastily wiping at her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater. She was tall with a sharp bob that brushed her jaw. Their coloring was strangely similar, though Willow's hair was a shade lighter, and intricate black tattoos wound from her wrist to the top of her shoulder, disappearing beneath the sleeve of her blouse.
For one disorienting second, Jenn thought she was looking at another version of herself.
Willow’s tear-filled eyes widened as they landed on Jenn. Realization settled over her face almost instantly.
"Of course you're beautiful in real life too."
With that, she hurried past Jenn before either of them could say another word, one hand covering her mouth as fresh tears escaped, while Braxton still stood inside his office.
"I'm not going to pretend I didn't hear all of that." Her voice was calm. "So... I'd appreciate it if you just told me the truth."
Brax held her gaze for a long moment before gesturing toward the chair across from his desk, and Jenn sat. "I don't want to lie to you." Jenn nodded and muttered a thank you. "That was my ex."
"I assumed that part."
"She moved out of state for graduate school a little over two years ago, and she only found out about our engagement today. The way things ended between us..." He exhaled through his nose. "It wasn't exactly clean. I may have left her with the impression that if the timing ever worked out, we'd find our way back to each other."
Jenn's brows knit together. "So she thought you were waiting for her."
He nodded once.
"Do you still love her?"
Brax hesitated for a brief moment before looking down, then meeting Jenn's gaze again. "No, I loved her for a long time, but I don't anymore, and I can't. I've accepted that chapter of my life is over. I love you now, Jenn."
She looked at him in silence, sensing that his words didn’t resonate quite as she had expected. It felt as though he was trying very hard to convince himself of what he was saying.
After everything that had happened between her and Chris, it felt almost hypocritical to scrutinize Braxton too harshly for a relationship that had ended before they'd even met. Nor get angry for not telling her sooner. It's not like she ever told him about Chris.
"Thank you for telling me the truth."
Brax reached across the desk and gently took her hand. "I don't want there to be secrets between us." Neither of them noticed that both of them had just told a truth, while carefully avoiding an even bigger one.
After the tension in the room settled, Jenn spoke to him about tonight. But there was still an odd lingering tension between them, especially from Braxton as she spoke. Like his mind was far away.
By the time she left the office and was in the hall where it was taking place, it was four in the afternoon. She had to get ready. She was in her robe and doing her makeup. Her mother was straightening the dress she would be wearing, very silent.
Kitty had been a little wary that the engagement was so soon, and that the wedding was even sooner, even though Jenn tried to tell her it was all good. Her father was fond of Braxton, her mother was too, but not as much.
"If you have something to say, Mom..." Jenn unclasped her earrings and set them on the vanity. "Now's probably the time."
Kitty looked up from where she sat on the edge of the bed. "I don't have anything to say, sweetheart."
Jenn gave her a knowing look through the mirror. "You do. You've barely involved yourself in any of the wedding planning. You only threw me the party a few weeks ago because Grandma would've been offended if we skipped the tradition." Mothers always threw their daughters small, only close family engagements.
"It's not like that, darling."
"So what is it?" Jenn's frustration finally surfaced. "You don't like Braxton?"
"Oh, honey..." Kitty immediately crossed the room. "It's not that at all. I do like Braxton."
Jenn searched her mother's face. "You hardly ask about him. When he comes over for dinner, you barely talk to him. Dad approves of him completely. So why don't you?"
Kitty gently brushed a strand of Jenn's hair behind her ear sadly. "I do approve. He comes from a wonderful family. I just...I think everything's happening very quickly. It's only been a year."
"You married Dad three months after you started dating." Kitty smiled despite herself at Jenn's comment. "And besides, you and Dad are the ones who've been reminding me for years that I should start thinking about marriage. You've mentioned it practically every day. But now that I actually am getting married, you're hesitant?"
Kitty's expression softened. "I wanted you to marry because you found the right person. Not because you felt it was time. I was pushing you to at least date someone.”
"He's everything you've ever said I should look for."
Kitty looked at her daughter for a long moment. "Yes. He is. I just always imagined you'd end up with..." Her voice trailed off, and she didn’t continue, shaking her head, saying Forget it.
Jenn frowned. "Who?"
Kitty looked almost reluctant to answer.
"I just always thought you’d find your way to Christopher."
Now that wasn't what she had expected her mother to say.
"That's ridiculous, Mother. We never even dated. We weren't even—" Memories of late-night phone calls and broken promises flooded her mind before she forced herself to continue, "—we weren't anything. I don't even know where you got that from." She hoped her mother didn’t see the way her voice cracked.
"I know, darling." Kitty smiled softly. "It's just...Christopher was quite smitten with you. He'd even ask your father how you were while he was in Italy after his mother passed." Kitty's expression grew gentler. "And about that, I wish you could've brought him a little comfort during such a difficult time."
Guilt settled heavily in Jenn's chest. "I... I sent flowers," Even if she'd made sure the card read From the Seinee family instead of just her name. "...anyway. Christopher and I were never anything. We never even got started."
"I know the way he looked at you." Kitty gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "And I saw the way you looked back. You looked at him with more conviction than I've ever seen you look at Braxton."
Her heart cracked.
"Well, it doesn't matter." Jenn's voice was sharper than she'd intended. "I'm marrying Brax."
Kitty walked over and cupped Jenn's face like she had when she was little. Despite being a full-grown woman, a mother was always going to be a mother.
"I only want one thing for you, darling. I want you to be happy." Her thumb brushed away a loose strand of hair. "If Braxton is the man who gives you that happiness, then I'll welcome him into this family with my whole heart."
Kitty sensed the conversation had reached its end.
"Enough of all this. You haven't eaten properly today, have you? I'm going downstairs to fix you a plate before everyone starts arriving. I refuse to let my daughter faint at her own engagement." Kitty pressed one last kiss on Jenn's forehead. "I'll be back in a few minutes." Then she left the room.
Jenn remained standing in front of the vanity. Almost absentmindedly, she twisted the engagement ring around her finger. Her mother's words echoed relentlessly in her mind.
"Christopher was quite smitten with you."
She squeezed her eyes shut but now heard his voice.
"I can't be the man who watches you marry someone else."
She opened her eyes again. Her mother's voice echoed back.
"I've seen you look at Christopher with more conviction than I've ever seen you look at Braxton."
Ever since Christopher had come back, everything she'd spent the last year and a half convincing herself of had begun to unravel. When his mother died, he hadn't returned to New York straight away; she'd told herself he'd chosen to stay in Italy because he'd moved on. So she did the same.
Then he'd walked back into her life, and suddenly nothing felt certain anymore. The future she'd worked so hard to accept didn't fit the way it had before. Needs, wants, and desires she'd spent months suffocating clawed their way back to the surface.
Braxton was safe. Chris never had been.
Braxton was predictable. Chris never let her know whether she'd end the day wanting to kiss him or throw something at his head. One offered peace. The other made her feel painfully, terrifyingly alive.
She'd never been someone who chose safe. Everything she'd ever been proud of had come from taking chances other people had been too afraid to take. So why had she chosen differently when it came to love?
Staring at herself in the mirror, she only saw doubt.
For the first time since Braxton had slipped it onto her finger, it felt heavy. Like she was wearing some other woman's ring. The tears she'd been fighting all afternoon finally threatened to spill over. A sense of urgency that she chose the wrong—
A soft knock sounded against the bedroom door. She dabbed the corner of her eyes before any tears could escape and tightened her robe. She didn’t want her mom to see her crying.
"It's open."
The handle turned, and the figure that came through stopped everything inside her.
Christopher stood quietly in the entrance, one hand still resting on the doorknob, dressed in a tailored black suit that somehow looked just as out of place as he did. His eyes found her immediately, then slowly traveled over her, lingering for only a moment before returning to her face. A faint sad smile tugged at his lips.
“What are you doing…” Jenn's voice cracked. “You can’t be in here—”
“I know.” His answer came gently. “I just… I just want to ask for five minutes of your time. Please. If you have it.”
They both knew he wasn't invited to the engagement. He had to have snuck in. Not that it would have taken the security much persuading to let him in.
She swallowed. He didn’t sound like he was here to fight. But he was also the last person she wanted to see right now. Something in her heart told her that if Chris asked her not to marry Brax again… she might listen. Consequences be damned.
“I wanted to say I’m sorry.”
Ouch.
"Or more so, clear the air, one last time before..." She watched him fight the words, Before you get married. He couldn't bring himself to say them. "...before we go our separate ways."
Chris took a few slow steps into the room before stopping at a respectful distance.
"Chris, you don't have to apologize."
"I do."
"No, you—"
"I haven't been fair to you." He didn't let her finish. "I know that. Ever since I came back, I kept asking you to choose me. I kept showing up expecting you to still be standing exactly where I left you."
Jenn felt tears threatening again. "Chris..."
"I've been angry." He admitted it plainly. "Angry at the timing, at myself, and most of all angry that I lost years that I can never get back. And I took that anger out on you."
The words sounded like they physically hurt him.
"I don't want either of us to spend the rest of our lives carrying resentment because we never said what needed to be said." He took another small step forward. She didn’t want him to come closer; she was afraid she’d do something she’d regret. "I don't want you walking into your new life thinking I hated you or that I wanted to hurt you. Because I never could."
His eyes revealed how hard this was. Emotions battered at his put-together facade. Sadness, regret, love. They all tried to hide behind his forced smile. But he shouldn't be the only one apologizing right now. Jenn could feel the water falling gently down her cheek.
"No, Chris, I should be sorry." Her tears spilled freely, and every word came out in hiccups. "I hope you know I didn’t mean most of the things I said. I've been cruel because it was easier than admitting I was hurt. Which is why it was harder to accept why you would even say you love me in the first place. I've hurt you—"
Chris was already shaking his head before she'd even finished. "Don't apologize, bella." She looked up at him. Christopher Sturniolo had always carried himself like a man impossible to shake, but right now he looked heartbroken. "I just want you to be happy, and I've accepted that if he makes you happy, then that's enough for me."
It was a lie.
They both knew it. But he clearly wanted it to become true.
"If you ever need anything, you can always call me, okay?" They both knew she wouldn’t call. "Whether it's next week or ten years from now. You'll always have me."
Jenn's face crumpled. God, he was making this so hard.
"You don't stop being important to me just because..." His gaze drifted to the ring on her finger. "...life turned out differently." He inhaled slowly before forcing another small smile. "Tell Braxton, I said congratulations. He doesn't know how incredibly lucky he is to marry a woman as extraordinary as you."
His eyes returned to her.
"You look beautiful, Jenn."
His gaze lingered on her for one heartbeat longer than it should have. Slowly, quietly, he took her in. As though he were committing every detail to memory. He gave the smallest nod to himself, as if he'd finally seen enough to carry with him. His eyes were filled with so much emotion it almost frightened her.
He took one slow step toward her and lifted a hand with agonizing care, as his palm settled against her cheek. She instinctively leaned into the touch despite herself. His thumb brushed a tear before it had the chance to fall. Slowly, the other hand came up to cradle the opposite side of her face.
He simply looked at her, for what felt like years, before he leaned forward and placed an achingly soft kiss on her forehead. One that carried every I love you he no longer had the right to say.
He pulled away.
"Be good to each other, Bella."
That was the last thing he said before he let his hand fall. The absence of his touch was agonizing as Chris took a single step back, then turned and walked away from her until he was gone.
She stared at the closed bedroom door as if it might open again. As if he'd tell her none of this was real. Then her body moved before her mind caught up. She rushed toward the door, her hand already reaching for the handle.
Her heart pounded so violently it hurt.
Go after him.
Her eyes dropped to the diamond resting on her finger. Reality came crashing back. Braxton. The guests. Her parents downstairs. Her engagement party. The life she'd already chosen.
Painfully, she let go of the handle, and a strangled sound escaped her throat.
Instead of opening the door, she locked it before her knees gave out. She crumpled to the floor, her back against the door, as sob after sob tore its way out of her. Each one ripped through her chest so violently she struggled to catch her breath.
Maybe Christopher had never been the problem. She had been. She'd spent so long convincing herself that he'd betrayed her, but she knew he did it because he knew she felt second to him. She was insecure. Her life was a product of every decision she'd made, and now marrying Brax no longer felt like a choice—it felt like the consequence of all of them.
Chris had always come back no matter how badly they argued or stubborn they both became. He always found his way back to her.
Even if she didn’t want to agree with her mother, Jenn had also always believed that no matter how messy things became, she and Chris would eventually find their way back to each other.
Yet, this time it felt final.
There had been no pleading, which meant he wasn't going to fight for her anymore. He was letting her go. She felt hypocritical crying about it. She was the one who begged him to move on. Yet the moment he finally seemed ready to do it, it felt like someone had reached into her chest and torn something out.
She met Chris when they were young and he was everything she hated, and lost him when she realized she loved him, and he was everything she wanted.
ceyana’s note: keep the theories coming! i love you, mwah <3
quick question: have you read the twisted series by ana huang???
also..any books recommendations? i’m actually desperate for a good read
anywaysss, love you🤭🩷
hiiii eva luvvv !!! i have most DEFINITELY read the twisted series (rhys larsen my husband) , in fact i’ve read everything by ana huang except her god of the games series !! 🤍
i’m in a mafia romance era right now soooo i would say to read “the made” series by danielle lori AND the “sinners anonymous” series by somme sketcher !! (and a personal fav book of mine with is called “a thousand splendid suns” by khalid husseini. this isn’t a romance but i love it and it’s so heartbreaking !!)
what was chris and jenn’s first ever interaction like ???????????
jenn and chris met when jenn graduated from her undergrad and chris happened to be at her grad dinner !! i won't spoil more details right now because it will be a scene later on!! <33
When jenn said that she makes love to him every night does she actually have sex with him that often And….. is it good or would she rather it be someone else 🤨😏😗😗😗😗
they dont have sex every night, but they do 😭 i think i hinted at the fact that their encounters lack connection. butttt i cant confirm of deny that they are thinking of other people hehe
how do you feel about haunting adeline becoming a movie?
disgusted. genuinely disgusted. i’ve never read it myself, but I’ve seen enough and heard enough about it to know what it’s about. no matter how people try to spin it, that book straight-up glorifies sa and r@pe. there is nothing romantic about it, and honestly, it’s alarming to think that this adaptation could be used by some flipping men to normalize or justify that kind of behavior :( "its just fiction, its not that deep." no its not. its the reality of so much people everyday. so yeah, it is that deep.
