Chapter 20
Things began to shift between Josiah and frittany ever since they ran into Priscilla and Maddox, jostalno longer indulged Brittany the way he used to
It started at that banquet when frittany therw a tantrum and demanded that he confort her.
Josiah had blurted out unthinkingly, “Can you stop being so difficili ? Why can’t you be more like Priscilla and behave a little more maturely?
It was like flipping a strange switch. The things about Brittany he used to find cute suddenly became frustrating. He found himself constantly and involuntarily. comparing her to Priscilla
whenever he went on business trips, Priscilla would always pack everything he needed–snacks, toiletries, and other miscellaneous items to make the journey easier. She always cared about whether he was tired or stressed
Tirittany, on the other hand, never helped him pack She would just dump her bags on him, treating him like a personal shopper.
ver, Brittany never
Back when Josiah lived with Priscilla, no matter how late it was, she would stay up and wall for him to return home before going to bed. However, I waited. She always told him to be quiet when he came in so he wouldn’t disturb her sleep.
It fell like everything in his life had started to fall apart the moment Priscilla left.
Josiah no longer found Brittany’s moods endearing. He saw her as selfish now as she constantly threw fits and dragged him into things he had no interest in just to keep her entertained.
And Brittany, ever since she realized that Josiah no longer treated her like before, couldn’t maintain her usual aloof attitude. She kept comparing him to how he used to be, convinced that he didn’t love her anymore.
They each got what they thought they wanted, only to stop valuing it once it was theirs. The tension between them only grew deeper with time.
At that time, Floyd started clinging to Brittany again. He just an happened to fill the gap left by the attention and thrill Brittany no longer received from Josiah Even so, Floyd couldn’t give her the kind of luxurious life she wanted. So they only saw each other secretly, going on dates behind Josiah’s back. Josiah, whose thoughts had drifted away from Brittany, didn’t notice anything unusual. He simply assumed that she was finally starting to mature since her tantrums had become less frequent. Then, once he heard the news that Priscilla was back in the city, his focus shifted even further from Brittany.
On the other hand, Brittany immediately recalled the bumiliation she suffered in Lindow when she heard Priscilla had returned. Josiah kept comparing her to Priscilla, over and over again, Josiah, who used to be her devoted admirer, now treated her like she wasn’t e was back, Brittany was determined to make her pay.
enough. Now that Priscilla
So, she casually mentioned to their college class rep, Vincent Wood, that she’d been wanting to catch up with everyone. The ever–devoted Vincent, who once had a crush on Brittany, eagerly took it upon himself to organize a class reunion
Priscilia initially didn’t want to attend. After all, she had no desire to cross paths with Brittany again. But Vincent kept urging her to come, and she couldn’t bring herself to say no.
Ultimately, she showed up. By the time she arrived, must of the guests were already there, but Brittany was nowhere to be seen.
Priscilla was about to sat down with a few familiar friends when Vincent spotted her and blunted, “Priscilla, is it true that you and Josiah got divorced?” The lively room fell into sudden silence.
“Yes, I’m divorced,” Priscillanswered calmly, taking the opportunity to make that lawledge public.
she figured that it was better to get it out of the way now than deal with whispers later.
“Why, though? jostal’s such an amazing guy. You actually let him go
“Tocompatible feelings,” Priscilla replied, not interested in giving any fisther explanation.
heard that Jostal’s with Brittany now. Is that why?” someone muttered quietly, having caught wind of the gossip.
No way. If Brittany really wanted to be with justali, what chance would Priscilla ever have?” vacetit chilmed lu, steering the conversations toward Josiah’s lingering feelings for Brittany
“Exactly. Everyone could see how much joslali adored Brittany. Priscilla coolla’t even compare
“It ii weren’t for Brittany playing matelomaker, Priscilla wouldn’t have ever had a shot at marrying Josiale”
“Honestly, Priscilla should be thanking Brittany.”
Everyone started caning in about how well jostal had treated Brittany completely gonting the fact that be’d been amated man at the time. No one spoed a thought for Priscilla’s dignity as his ex–wide. They feely criticized her, pointing out all the ways she supposedly fell short of Brittany.
They portended not to notice the pain their words caused her. A few people who felt uncomfortable with the conversation were quickly drowned out by the rest They glanced at Priscilla’s pale, si expiesaluti and quietly tried to urge the others to stugi.
Vincent looked at Priscilla’s strated expression and laughed “Priscilla, you’re not mad, are “We’re not making anything up, after all. It’s all nue. Don’t be so sensitive, Priscilla” What was supposed to be a casual class reunion had turned into a public trial against Priscilia.
