"You were borderline committing treason. Getting your parents to reel you in was my final act of charity."
"And if they can't stop you, that's not my circus anymore."
"You should be thanking me, Wyatt. I'm stepping aside so you two can live happily ever after."
While Wyatt was terrified of his parents' wrath, a part of him was thrilled that Wendy was finally walking away.
"You always do this! You act like you're doing what's best for me, but you're just a controlling freak!"
"I told you, our relationship falling apart has absolutely nothing to do with Melanie."
"It's because you constantly suffocate me!"
"You aren't my mother! What gives you the right to dictate my life?"
"Do you have any idea how much you get on my nerves?"
"You forced me to enter that academic decathlon, banned me from the basketball tournament, and wouldn't even let me order garlic bread at dinner!"
The resentment had clearly been building up for a long time, and Wyatt unleashed all his petty grievances at once.
Unfazed, Wendy dismantled his complaints one by one. "I signed you up for the decathlon because I actually believed in your potential."
"You spent every waking hour in the library. Even if you lacked the raw talent, you put in the hours."
"You sprained your ankle ten days before the basketball tournament! It was so swollen it looked deformed. How exactly were you supposed to play?"
"And as for the garlic bread-have you ever heard of bad breath? What girl wants to kiss a guy who reeks of garlic?"
Wendy shifted her gaze to Melanie, feigning utter astonishment.
"Wait, does she let you reek of garlic?"
Wendy smiled, a picture of mocking admiration. "She must have zero standards.
Honestly, you two are soulmates. Please stay together forever."
"Dumping you was the best decision of my life," she added, visibly relieved.
Wyatt looked like he was about to blow a gasket.
The surrounding crowd, including Claire who was watching the drama unfold,
realized the situation wasn't entirely black and white.
Wendy genuinely thought she was helping him, but Wyatt was an adult who wanted his own autonomy.
However, demanding to eat garlic when your partner couldn't stand the smell was just completely inconsiderate.
They were fundamentally incompatible.
The irony was that Wyatt's family adored Wendy. They loved that she kept him in check, and since they were both top students at The Cabinda University, they looked perfect on paper.
Melanie's smile faltered, but she quickly smoothed her features into a mask of gentle mnocence "Wendy, really don't understand why you're being so hostile."
"Wyatt and I are entirely platonic."
"I never meant to intrude on your relationship."
"He just felt smothered by you and needed someone to vent to."
"If you just gave him some breathing room, maybe things wouldn't have ended like
this."
Melanie's soft tone was perfectly calculated to sound reasonable, but
it made Wendy want get
fake sympathy right off her face.
Smothered?
What on earth had she actually done wrong?
Wyatt was the one acting like an overgrown man-child.
And now he was publicly cheating on her emotionally!
Wendy wasn't traditionally stunning, but she was far from ugly.
She had a sharp, commanding aura that made her impossible to ignore.
While she lacked Melanie's delicate, curated beauty, she radiated the unapologetic confidence of a woman who knew her worth.
"I don't give a damn what kind of relationship you two have. I'm taking the trash out."
"I'm not just giving him breathing room, I'm cutting him loose entirely. Are you happy now?"
Melanie opened her mouth to reply, but Wyatt stepped protectively in front of her. "Back off! Leave her out of this!"
"Even without Melanie in the picture, I'd never marry a controlling shrew like you." "We're done. Stop taking your bitterness out on innocent people!"