Balfourâs words to her before had been nothing but a sweet lullaby!
If he didnât believe what he said, why not just come clean? Why give her false hope?
Why be so cruel, to abandon her when she needed him most, standing decidedly by another womanâs side?
Ivy clenched her fists, fighting to keep her emotions in check.
âForget her. She made her bed, now sheâs gotta lie in it. You donât need to shed tears over someone who doesnât matter.â
Balfour didnât even glance at Ivy as he uttered these words.
Someone who doesnât matter?
Oh, what an irony, Ivy thought.
Was she really someone who didnât matter?
Just yesterday, that man had cradled her head, comforting her with promises of belief and vows to clear her name.
Now he turned his back, coldly labeling her as someone who didnât matter.
Ivy let out a bitter laugh. She had been naive, taking Balfourâs words to heart.
Little did she know, they were just his casual way of placating women.
Yesterdayâs Balfour had comforted her, and today he stood in front of her, consoling another woman.
Oh Ivy, you fool, you were the only one who truly believed in this charade!
The others whispered among themselves, pitying Ivyâs downfall, even Mr. Howard seeded to have washed his hands of her.
âI always said it, just based on their names, Mr. Howard and Giselle are a match made i heaven.
Whatâs Ivy got to offer? No experience, no family name to speak of. And letâs be real, not every Cinderella gets to marry her prince!â
Ivy took it all in. Though it stung, she didnât argue. They werenât wrong.
After all, life wasnât a movie set, and she had gotten too caught up in the role.
If Balfourâs arrival had been the final nail in the coffin, his siding with Giselle was the hammer that drove it home.
What did it matter what anyone else thought? She was done fighting back.
It was all meaningless now.
âMan, Iâd been waiting for her to crash and burn since day one. Finally, my patience paid off.â The bespectacled woman adjusted her glasses, smug as could be.
Curious, someone asked, âHowâd you spot the rot in her so early? She did seem aloof, but she was the lead actress. Itâs understandable she didnât mingle much with us crew members. She didnât come off as evil.â
âOh please, you canât judge a book by its cover.â the bespectacled woman scoffed, basking in the spotlight, âThe fact that she wouldnât even spring for coffee says it all about her stinginess, doesnât it?â
Someone murmured in defense, âThatâs understandable, isnât it? After all, sheâs just a rookie.â
But the bespectacled woman overheard and loudly retorted, âWhen Giselle had her first big scene, she treated the whole crew to a feast, and she was a newcomer too! Itâs not about whether you foot the bill or not, itâs about the attitude. Ivy never intended to mingle with us, isnât that just looking down on us regular folks?â
Her voice grew louder and even Balfour sent a chilling look towards her.