Jackson's eyes locked onto mine, deep and unwavering.
"I once promised my ex-girlfriend that if I ever had children in this life, it would only be with her."
My lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Oh? How devoted of you, Mr. Gilbert. But tell me —"
"How did she become an ex-girlfriend?"
Jackson went quiet.
"She passed away."
"I loved her. More than I've ever loved anyone. I thought we'd have a home together soon."
"But that year, something happened to her family. They lost everything overnight. Her parents divorced. She couldn't take the shock, got into a car accident, and her life ended forever in the summer she turned twenty-four."
Liar.
I swallowed the disgust rising in my throat. The smile on my face didn't waver — flawless, impenetrable — as I watched him.
Men were such vile, slippery creatures.
He was the one who betrayed me first, and yet here he was, performing grief like a widower at a funeral. All the sympathy, all the admiration for his so-called devotion — he'd collected every last drop.
And me? I got nothing. Just the word tragic stamped on my name, and then I was forgotten.
"What a shame."
I rose from my seat.
"Excuse me. I need to use the restroom."