The fury and bitterness she'd felt with such intensity on seconds ago remained beneath the surface of her grief, simmering like magma awaiting its next eruption. It rose minimally the longer she stared at him, her pain mounting with each passing second. She was managing decently normally. She could navigate conversations about her failed nuptials and how sometimes people simply got it wrong with family and friends when pressed, but she couldn't do this. She couldn't stand her with him looking at her as he did that night and not crumple completely.

"You wanted to hurt me, you succeeded." Rosie bit out, no longer looking at him. She wanted to rage and scream, to demand answers of why he pursued her so intensely when he harbored such a devastating secret, but there was no point now. All the love they shared had now devolved into hatred and sinking their barbs in where they could. More than anything, Rosie wished she could go back to that love for just one more day. Just so she could remember what it felt like to have his hand in hers without it being tainted by the knowledge of now.

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