“Shut up!” Flossie cut him off.
“I don’t want to hear anything right now, especially not from you two.
Stay away from me!”
She was visibly upset, almost like a frightened kitten, acutely aware of everything happening around her.
Seeing her distress, the two men exchanged worried glances, deciding it was best to let her cool off.
The car settled back into silence.
After a while, Flossie, her voice shaking, turned to Benny and asked, “Why did you hurt Stella and Matthew?”
Benny paused before responding honestly, “Matthew and | are half- brothers...”
He explained his long-standing feud with the Clark family and Matthew, his voice neutral, as if he were
recounting a story that wasn’t his own.
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It seemed that having achieved his revenge earlier that day, the bitterness that had once consumed him had
eased somewhat.
Flossie, disbelief etched across her face, then turned to Edmund.
“You knew about this too, didn’t you? Were you involved in his revenge today?”
Edmund remained silent, his face saying enough.
At that moment, Flossie realized she had been the last to know, kept in the dark by the very people she was
with, possibly even aiding their revenge without knowing it.
She now understood why Benny always had such complex expressions whenever Stella was mentioned.
What had once been mysterious was now painfully clear.
She smiled sadly, tears streaming down her face.
She lifted her hand to wipe away the tears and looked at Benny, saying slowly and clearly, “What do you take me
for?”
Benny remained silent.
Nothing he could say would make Flossie believe him at this point.
“Benny...” Flossie’s emotions overwhelmed her.
Clutching her chest, she continued, “I've always been open about my friendship with Stella.
You knew she was my close friend, yet you plotted to ruin her wedding and harm her husband.
Did you seeas a fool?”
“No,” Benny responded firmly.
“I'm aware of how much Stella means to you.
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| kept this from you because | didn’t want to add to your worries.
“So you think protectinginvolves havingwatch my boyfriend attempt to hurt my best friend's husband at
her own wedding? Is that your intention?” Flossie retorted.
“If something happens to Matthew, how am | supposed to face Stella? How can | ever make it right with her?
Benny, did you ever think about how | would feel when you planned all this?”
His silence met her barrage of questions.
Flossie, sobbing, grasped Benny's clothes tightly and pleaded, “Say something.
Why are you silent...”
Edmund held Flossie’s arm, her tears threatening to overwhelm her.
“We understand how devastated you are, which is why we kept this.
But now that it’s happened, getting angry won't alter the from you.