"I was going to wait until tomorrow and buy you a few similar ones as an apology gift. But you just had to—"
Fury surged through me. I couldn't stand to hear his voice for another second.
I hung up, walked out the door, and hailed a cab, giving the driver Elise's address.
I grabbed Benjamin's luggage on my way out.
During the ride, my phone buzzed nonstop. Text messages from Benjamin.
"I got a little worked up just now. I said some things I shouldn't have. Maud, I'm sorry."
"How about this—I'll return the bracelet tomorrow, but you have to come to the wedding and be Elise's bridesmaid."
"Think about it. We were supposed to get married, and then I suddenly went and got my marriage license with Elise instead. That doesn't look good for a young woman's reputation."
"If you show up tomorrow as the bridesmaid, nobody will think Elise came between us. And if anyone asks about what happened with us, just cover for me... Tell them you cheated, that you fell for someone else, that you'd been wanting to break things off for a while. Just don't drag Elise into it."
I stared at his messages, and a laugh escaped me. The sheer absurdity of it.