Chapter 28

Chapter 28
Marianne went looking for Dylan, on the second day. She had not seen him at all since their conversation with Vivienne and it seemed like neither did anyone else. He could have left the hotel or even the country for all they knew. She had asked the staff if they had seen him but got negative answers from all. There were a lot of empty rooms in the hotel since the guests took up around a third of the space.

Two days was long enough to calm down and think things through properly. But with a situation as complicated and dense as this, Marianne wondered if he would need more time. But all the times in the past when he was willing to break up with Vivienne should help with his decision-making. It would take some time if this were a new thing. If Vivienne and Dylan had a normal relationship for all the time they were together and then he just found out that she was a fake person, then that would take a while to process, but since it was no news that Vivienne was not the best person, it should be easier for him to come to terms with whatever he wanted to do.

Marianne guessed that he was angrier at the fact that he fell for her lies than the fact that she lied in the first place. It was hard to digest. Head so much hope for her and was so excited that she had finally decided to make a change in her behavior, but in the end, it was all a lie. If it was anyone, they would be mad that they were made a fool of and ignorantly went along with what Vivienne said just because of love. So it was obvious that that was what he was feeling.

Vivienne had been moping around the hotel since that day. It was obvious what conversation took place in the room. With the shouting and crying and Dylan storming out afterward, the news that the wedding was probably being called off spread fast. And of course, it did not stay just between the people in the hotel. Videos of their arguments also made it social media and the response was honestly the same way that Marianne was feeling. Everyone is tired of their relationship and seeing it go up and down.

There were comments detesting the fact that they were still together others suspecting that they were doing it just for attention because no one would be that stupid to stay in the relationship. A lot of people just stated that they were sick of them and that they did not care anymore and others said that Dylan was doing it to himself and that he was ruining his own happiness.

Marianne honestly did not want to agree with any of them but she did nonetheless. It was a mystery why he stayed, and even though he claimed that he loved her and wanted to see her get better, it was not enough to sacrifice your very own wellbeing for. It was not like he knew her for his entire life. This was all for a two-year relationship. Vivienne must have something big on Dylan. That was where her mind went in terms of theories.

Marianne looked for Dylan. And she found him. In her office. Now, Marianne had been out of her office for the day, looking for him but it seemed like he had only needed two days to make his decision and came to her instead. She wondered who saw him.

"Mr. Carter. It seems like you found me. I was out looking for you. No one had seen for a while and I was a little worried."

His appearance told him all she needed to know about how the thought process went. His clothes were wrinkly and just messy. His hair was unkept in every way and his face sagged, his eyes even sunk in a bit. He definitely did not look like the son of a CEO.

"I'm fine. I'm fine. Just some heavy thoughts here and there." his voice was also hoarse.

"And in those thoughts, was there a final decision. Do you know how you will handle things now?"

"I'll break it off before things get even worse."

A wise decision really.

Marianne sighed deeply as she sat on the couch opposite him. "That is going to be one heck of a conversation."

Dylan let out a humorless chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. But this is for the best. Vivienne is not a good person to be in a relationship with and so I want to end it before it gets even worse. I was so blind because I loved her and wanted to be happy with her. To be honest, I loved the way she loved me. She gave me her undivided attention and it made me feel so special, but it got to be too much as time passed, and now I kind of regret it."

"That's completely understandable. Everyone is different and can only handle a certain level of affection and attention. So I get it. Vivienne is someone with love to give. She just does not know how to express it properly. I'll not go into details since it's her business but I know why she acts like that and I'm prepared to do what it takes to help her out of it. When you left, I told her that being with you was probably to prepare her for relationships in the future and that it was all destined to happen. I really do hope that she will be able to be truly happy with someone who can handle her. And after all, she's done and been through, I hope someone will want to be with her. Genuinely."

"I'm sure there are many people here that would be ready to swoop in if I left her."

"And there are people here ready to swoop for you as well."

Dylan smiled. "I am nowhere near ready for another relationship. After this, I will focus on myself and my work. I'm sure my father will finally like me again once I tell him that I am done with Vivienne."

"It sucks that your father does not like her," Marianne mumbled. "I mean I get it. But getting married to someone whose parents don't like you is sure to make everything harder."

"You seem to be focused on the wrong things." he chuckled. "You still have compassion for someone who has done so much wrong about you."

"What else can I have but compassion?" Marianne shrugged.

"Vivienne is such a difficult person to deal with. And yet through it all, you have stayed graceful and forgiving. It would have been better if I had thought of marrying you instead of Vivienne. My father would have been through the roof if he heard I was with you. Or someone like you."

Marianne waved her hand. "I'm no more special than the next person."

Dylan got off the couch and came to her side. "I am serious. Life would have been easier if I had met you first. Maybe if I sought out therapy for my personal problems, then maybe things would be different."

It was not the first time she was hearing something like this. But it was the first time that someone was saying that they would have wanted to be in a relationship with her. Usually, it would be mothers or fathers who came in with their significant other and tried to convince Marianne to be with their kids and even grandkids. She had always declined nicely, not wanting to screw up the relationship and create a negative image of herself in the eyes of her client.

"Well, there is no use in maybes. We both went different paths and met where we did for a reason. That reason was Vivienne, and I want to help her. Our paths will end shortly, but Vivienne's and yours will go on."

Dylan hummed and nodded. 'I'm sure. But you are a pretty interesting person. Maybe we could be friends in the future. And I will still come to see you for therapy. I'm sure there's something inside of me that needs fixing."

"Well, my services will always be available."

Marianne knew what was going to happen next. She just knew. From the way he worded his last words to the look he was giving her. It was a moment of weakness and it all had not registered by the time it happened.

Dylan kissed her. His hand found her cheek, and he leaned against her as he did it. There was a moment of nothing. The shock was too great and therefore, she froze, but once she was back into it, realizing what was happening, Marianne reeled back and slapped Dylan. Hard.