Chapter 20
Things began to shift between Mason and Brooklyn ever since they ran into Celia and Tihan, Mason no longer indulged Brooklyn the way he used to
It started at that banquet when Brooklyn threw a tantrum and demanded t
ded that he comfort her
more maturely?”
Mason had blurted out unthinkingly. “Can you stop being se difficult? Why can’t you be more like Celia and behave a little m
It was like flipping a strange switch. The things about Brooklyn he used to find cute suddenly became frustrating. He found himself constantly and involuntarily comparing her to Celia
Whenever he went on basiness trips, Cella would always pack everything he needed–snacks, tolletries, and other miscellaneous items to make the journey easier. She always cared about whether he was tired or stressed.
Brooklyn, on the other hand, never helped him pack. She would
ild just dump her bags on him, treating him like a personal shopper.
Back when Mason Lived with Celia, no matter how late it was, she would stay up and wait for him to return home before going to bed. However, Brooklyn never waited. She always told him to be quiet when he came in so he wouldn’t disturb her sleep
It felt like everything in his life had started to fall apart the moment Celia left]
Mason no longer found Brooklyn’s moods endearing. He saw her as selfish now as she constantly threw fits and dragged him into things he had no interest in just to keep her entertained.
And Brooklyn, ever since she realized that Mason no longer treated her like before, couldn’t maintain her usual aloof attitude. She kept comparing him to how he used to be convinced that he didn’t love her anymore.
They each got what they thought they wanted, only to stop valuing it once it was theirs. The tension
between them only grew deeper with time:[]
At that time, Flynn started clinging to Brooklyn again. He just happened to fill the gap left by the attention and thrill Brooklyn no longer received from Mason. Even so, Flynn couldn’t give her the kind of luxurious life she wanted. So they only saw each other secretly, going on dates behind Mason’s back.
Mason, whose thoughts had drifted away from Brooldyn, didn’t notice anything unusual. He simply assumed that she was finally starting to mature since her tantrums had become less frequent. Then, once he heard the news that Cella was back in the city, his focus shifted even further from Brooklyn.
On the other hand, Brooklyn immediately recalled the humiliation she suffered in Lindow when she heard Cella had returned. Mason kept comparing her to Celis, over and over again. Mason, who used to be her devoted admirer, now treated her like she wasn’t enough. Now that Cella was back, Brooklyn was determined to make her pay!!
55, she casually mentioned to their college class rep. Vincent Wood, that she’d been wanting to catch up with everyone. The ever–devoted Vincent, who once had a crush on Brooklyn, eagerly took it upon himself to organize a class reunion
Celis initially didn’t want to attend. After all, she had no desire to cross paths with Brooklyn again. But Vincent kept urging her to come, and she couldn’t bring herself to say no
Ultimately, she showed up. By the time she arrived, most o
of the guests were already there, but Brooklyn was nowhere to be seen.[]
Celia was about to sit down with a few familiar friends when Vincent spotted her and blurted, “Cella, is it true that you and Mason got divorced?
The lively room fell into sudden silence
“Yes, I’m divorced.” Celia answered calmly, taking the opportunity to make that knowledge public ||
the figured that it was better to get it out of the way now than deal with whispers later]
“Why, though? Mason’s such an amazing guy. You actually let him go?”
“Incompatible feelings, Celia replied, not interested in giving any further explanation.||
“I heard that Mason’s with Brooklyn now. Is that why? someone muttered quietly, having caught wind of the gossip |
“No way. If Brooklyn really wanted to be with Mason, what chance would celia ever have?” Vincent chimed in, steering the conversations toward Mason lingering feelings for Brooklyn ||
Exactly. Everyone could see how much Mason adored Brooklyn. Cell couldn’t even compuur ||
“If it werent for Brooklyn playing matchmaker, Celia wouldn’t have ever had a shot at marrying Mason. “Honestly, Celia should be thanking Brooklyn
Everyone started carrying on about how well Mason had treated Brooklyn, completely ignoring the fact that he’d been a married man at the time. No one spared a thought for Celia’s dignity as his ex wife. They freely criticized her, pointing out all the ways she supposedly fell short of Brooklyn.
They pretended not to notice the pain their words caused her. A few people who felt uncomfortable with They glanced at Celia’s pale, strained expression and quietly tried to urge the others to stop
the co
conversation were quickly drowned out by the rest
Vincent looked at Celia’s strained expression and laughed “Celia, you’re not mad, are you? Were not making anything up, after all. It’s all true. Don’t be so sensitive, Cella.
What was supposed to be a casual class reunion had turned into a public t
a public trial against Celia.
