Chapter 16 One Day You’ll Regret It
Joanna flinched as if she had been shocked, her gaze hesitant as her face shifted. “Why does it have to be you?”
Mathew saw the look of rejection in her eyes and felt an odd unease settle in his chest.
He set the tissue aside. “Who did you think it would be? Rhys?”
Joanna scowled. “Don’t bring him up.”
Mathew smirked, thinking he’d hit a nerve. “Didn’t you enjoy your night with him after the last party? Why do you want to
pretend now? If you’ve chosen that life, don’t act like you’re some angel.”
The sound of a slap rang out.
Joanna’s hand met his face with firm resolution.
“If you can’t speak like a decent person, then just shut up!” she said flatly, turning to walk away.
“Not so fast!” Mathew yanked her wrist, his face twisted with anger, and the mark of her slap seemed to burn even
brighter.
“Did I say something wrong? We were together for three years. Don’t you remember how I treated you? Sure, I didn’t have
much, but I wanted you to have everything. For every birthday, every holiday, I worked all sorts of jobs to buy you gifts.
When you hugged me and said you felt sorry for me, I believed you. When you promised to build a future with me, I
believed that too. And then what happened? You made me the butt of everyone’s jokes at school! After all the games you
played with my heart, don’t you feel a bit guilty?”
By the end, Mathew was nearly yelling.
His voice came out rough, filled with anger, hurt, and a deep sense of betrayal. His eyes were red, tears barely held back.
Even though she no longer loved him, Joanna’s heart skipped a beat at his words.
She knew these were the things he had been holding in, the things he couldn’t say in the hallway that day. All the hurt he
had kept buried inside.
Her voice softened without her meaning to. “Mathew, I never toyed with your emotions.”
Mathew scoffed. “Do you really think I’d fall for the lies from someone like you?”
Joanna raised her hand, her voice steady and serious. “I swear, if I ever thought of betraying you–even for a second–may
my life never go right!”
Mathew’s eyes flickered with emotion. He gripped Joanna’s wrist harder, his hand shaking as he demanded, “What really happened that night?
“It doesn’t matter anymore, Joanna replied coldly.
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Chapter 16 One Day You’ll Regret it
“No!” Mathew refused to let it go. “You promised you wouldn’t betray me. I have to know everything!”
Joanna looked at him for a long moment, then sighed deeply. “That night, Norene set me up. At the time, I…”
“That’s impossible!” Mathew cut her off sharply. “Norene is a sweet girl. Last time, when you said she spread rumors about you, I asked her about it. She never did it. And after you misunderstood her, she didn’t hold a grudge—she even helped
clear things up for you. There’s no way she would have set you up!”
A cold shiver ran through Joanna, freezing her to the core.
For a moment, she had almost believed that Mathew would trust her, but now it felt utterly foolish.
Mathew didn’t notice her shift in mood and kept going. “Joanna, I think you’re misunderstanding her. If you two could just
talk, I’m sure you’d get along…”
་་
“Enough!” Joanna snapped, losing her patience. “If you keep defending her, you’ll regret it!”
Mathew’s face twisted in anger. “Joanna, how did you turn into this?“.
“I’ve always been like this!” Joanna’s stare was intense. “Mathew, listen to me–this is the last warning. Norene isn’t who you think she is. If you keep trusting her, one day you’ll regret it!”
Joanna yanked her wrist free from Mathew’s grip and stormed off.
Mathew stood there, watching her walk away, his heart heavy with pain and confusion. How had Joanna turned into this?
But a small part of him wondered if he might regret it later.
Suddenly, Joanna sensed someone watching her. She froze.
Turning around, she saw Owen leaning against the wall, his eyes fixed on her.
He was absentmindedly turning the ring on his finger, his gaze dark and unreadable.
Joanna’s stomach dropped.
When had he arrived? What had he seen? How much had he heard?
