Too Late for Regret novel Chapter 37

he Honest Truth

Chapter 37

Analise’s POV

I ran towards the pool house, stopping dead in my tracks. I could see through the window, and before I could stop them, my feet took me straight over. I hadn’t had s*x yet, but I knew what they were doing. Gretchen’s bikini bottoms were on the floor next to her feet, and she had pulled up her bikini top to uncover her breasts

for Holden.

She was older than I was, so of course, she filled out her bikini better than I did. I was about to turn

seventeen, but I was overweight by conventional standards. I knew Gretchen had a crush on Holden. She had been furious when our families decided to pair me and Holden together. Seth flatly refused to marry Tiffany when the suggestion had come up. I, however, foolishly believed what my mother and Naomi told me. That

Holden cared for me, and would one day be honored to be my husband.

Holden seemed okay with the arrangement, so I agreed to the arranged marriage as well. I was blissfully

happy waiting for the day that I would be able to marry him. But just like with all fairy tales, there has to be a

villain. Or in my case, several villains.

Holden was only focused on thrusting into her, and never once noticed me. Gretchen, however, took the opportunity to start moaning loudly. She knew no one, except for me, would catch them. She hadn’t been this loud before I arrived, but the moment she saw me, she launched into a p**n–star performance. I watched in horror as he cupped her breasts in his large hands before pulling her back into his chest. If you are reading this anywhere except Dreame/Stary Novel, it has been stolen from Kat Von Beck.

He nipped her neck and then started to suck on it. She reached up, tugging on his hair as he gave her a hickey, marking her skin as he continued to push into her. You would think that would be the worst of it, but Gretchen clearly wanted to finish me off. In her mind, only when I had totally given up on him and called off the marriage could he truly be hers. Holden groned out loudly, finishing a short time later. He pulled out of her and rolled off the condom, throwing it in the trash. Like this was just a normal situation. He pulled up his trunks and started to walk away. Gretchen stepped in front of him and stopped him. She didn’t try to cover

1. up.

She enjoyed his eyes skimming over her body, but I almost lost my lunch. He actually wanted her and enjoyed being with her the whole time. Disappointment filled me. I had to brace my hand against the wall. She smiled up at him and stepped forward to wrap her arms around his neck, and rubbed her breasts against his chest. She tried to sound seductive when she asked, “Up for another round, Holden?”

“No time. Seth and Ana will be here soon. If she sees you with me, she’ll be angry. Then I’ll have to listen to another lecture from my mother about not hurting Ana’s feelings. I don’t want to hear another b***h session again. They should never have done this. She’s still too young. They should have waited until we were older to try to put this kind of pressure on us.” Holden replied.

“So you were forced into accepting the arranged marriage?” Gretchen asked him as she straightened her suit and pulled her bottoms back on.

DOMENDE

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The Honest Truth

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“Yes. My mother told me that I would lose my inheritance if I hadn’t agreed to it. I wanted to pick out my own

wife, but my parents insisted I marry someone of their choosing. They said it was a great match because

Ana already liked me, and not because of my money. But I’ve only ever thought of Ana as a sister. This whole

situation is weird. I just don’t think of her like that, and I don’t want to. I won’t ever like her enough to be

willing to have s*x with her. Just the thought of it makes me sick. She’s just holding onto me because she

likes me. Eventually, she’ll have to give up and let me go. It would be the kindest thing she could do for me,”

Holden replied.

“Is there nothing you can do to break the arrangement? Gretchen asked with sympathy.

I wasn’t going to go through their house for Tiffany to come at me about my weight. Or worse, laugh because Gretchen just had s*x with Holden. I was in a low enough place as it was. I walked the two miles back home and went to take a shower. By the time I arrived home, I had realized that this whole thing had been a setup. I grabbed a shower and went to bed. I stayed up in my room for the night. I wasn’t hungry. I cried myself to sleep that night. Nobody cared enough to come check on me anyway. What hurt the most was that I felt my world had crashed down around me, but no one knew or cared.

Flashback Ends

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them than I did. I was told that I was too young to know what I wanted.

They didn’t like me pointing out that if that was the case, then why was I in an arranged marriage in the first place? Then, after Holden graduated, he left. Just like he said he would. That was it. I started actively avoiding not just my parents, but his as well. There was no way in hell that I was going to go through with the

marriage.

“And then I opened my mouth and got Mom and Dad on you. I was so worried about saving face that I made a horrible mistake. You don’t have to marry Holden, Ana. The marriage is off. We don’t need you to hurt my sister for a second more, Holden. How could you be so hurtful? The only thing she did wrong was fall for you, and look what you did to her. Have s*x with her bully, and talk bad about her. I already know those bitches made my sister’s life a living hell. If Tiffany hadn’t stopped me that day, I would have been there to help my sister. Those vindictive bitches, set us up. I’m not going to stop until the whole city knows what they’ve done,”

Seth snapped out.

“I don’t want everyone to know, Seth, but I’m sure Tiffany is going to fight when she gets arrested tonight. I told the police that I would bring in additional evidence soon. I wanted to give it to Rodney first. We’re also going to put in a request to my phone carrier to get printouts of the texts she and Gretchen sent to me,” I

answered.

“Seth is correct. The arranged marriage is over. I won’t force my daughter to marry you. You had nothing good to say about her, and acted like you were forced into it. Your mother never intended to take your inheritance away. But you were young and willful. My beautiful daughter doesn’t need you or your pity, Holden. I suggest you go home to try to comfort your parents. Tiffany won’t be getting out tonight. If I have any say in it, she won’t be able to get out for several days, not after what she did. You can tell Gretchen that we’re coming after her as an accessory. I won’t be letting this go. You should tell your parents what’s about to happen,” my father calmly told him. My father was dead serious. He spoke like this before he tore his competitors apart. He wasn’t going to go easy on them.

“Please, Ana, let me explain. I know what I said was wrong, but back then, I knew nothing about love. Seth, you did the same thing I did. We take what’s offered and agree with what they say while we’re with them. It didn’t mean anything. How could I have known that Gretchen had tricked me into saying all those things? If I had known you were there, Ana, I wouldn’t have said them at all,” Holden told me.

“Then answer me this, Holden. If you weren’t avoiding me, why did you leave the country after graduation?

Your business was completed over two years ago,” I asked.

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