After He Became My Brother-in-Law Chapter 07
Leanna’s POV
Long before I found out Estrella was my sister, I tried telling Christopher that it was me who saved him when we were kids.
He refused to buy it.
I gave him every detail, right down to the exact number of tiny diamonds on the ring.
He just glared at me with absolute contempt.
“Did Estrella feed you that?” he asked.
“You don’t have to copy everything she does.
“Trying this hard just makes you look pathetic.”
I fumbled through an explanation, but it only pissed him off.
“Can you just shut up?
You’re annoying me,” he snapped.
“I’m not buying a word of this unless you show me the ring.”
Defeated, I shut my mouth.
The other kids at the orphanage had snatched that ring from me years ago, and I had no idea where it ended up.
It wasn’t until some recent renovations at the facility that Adeline found it in a corner and mailed it back to me.
But by the time it arrived, I’d already gotten Estrella’s audio recording.
Having the ring just didn’t matter anymore.
“You’re the one who refused to believe me,” I said, wiping my eyes.
My voice was hoarse.
“You don’t get to bother me about this now.”
Christopher stood completely frozen.
Looking bewildered, he traced the ring that meant so much to him.
He was wearing it on his right middle finger, just across from his engagement ring for Estrella on his left.
Exhausted, I looked away.
“I’m not going back with you,” I said.
“I refuse to be the other woman.
“And I don’t want to go back to a house where I’m not even allowed to keep a potted plant.
“Go home and get married.
“I’m staying right here to work as a gardener.
“Let’s just never contact each other again.”
I turned to Garrett, who was watching us, his expression unreadable.
“It’s fine,” I told him.
“Let’s go.
I’ll take you to the clinic to get checked out.”
Before I could even take a step, Christopher grabbed me.
He pulled me hard against his chest, locked his arms around me, and spoke right into my ear.
“Don’t go with him.
“Come back with me.
I’ll build you a massive, beautiful garden.
You can grow whatever you want, arrange it exactly how you like.
“If you just come back, I’ll buy you the rarest flowers.
“We can take our time figuring out the marriage situation, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy with the setup.
“Lea, we’ve spent so many years together.
“Couldn’t you see how I really felt?
“I just never said it out loud!”
I closed my eyes.
When I opened them, I felt completely detached.
One by one, I pried his fingers off me, stepped out of his arms, and faced him.
“Mr. Prestley, I used to mean absolutely nothing to you,” I said.
“And that hasn’t changed, because you still plan on marrying someone else.
“I had so little self-respect back then that you figured I’d just take whatever you threw at me.
“Well, not anymore.
“I’m not putting up with your terrible treatment any longer.”
Christopher struggled to keep his temper in check, his jaw tight.
He rubbed his forehead, still desperately trying to win me over.
“Why are you so hung up on the marriage?” he demanded.
“Do I really have to spell it out for you?
“Fine, I love you, Lea.
“I fell in love with you without even realizing it.
“Are you happy now?
“But I’m not just some average guy.
“Eventually, I have to marry someone with the same social standing.
“You’re an… orphan.
I can’t marry you.
“I looked into it – Estrella is your biological sister.
“Me marrying her should make you feel a lot more secure than if I married a total stranger, right?
“She’ll just be a wife on paper.
“You’re the one I actually love.”
I listened to his selfish rationalizations, feeling completely numb.
I honestly wondered why I’d ever liked him in the first place.
He was just an awful scumbag.
I sighed and shook my head.
“We’re done,” I said.
“If you had just stayed away, I might have held onto some tiny shred of affection for you.
“But you insisted on coming here, and you’ve completely killed whatever feelings I had left.
“Christopher, I truly do not care about you at all anymore.
“Just leave me alone.”
