Gavin was completely dazed.
He stared in shock at the woman he thought he knew—now crying uncontrollably, her face twisted in anger. Selena was nothing like the soft, gentle person he'd known. Her face was smeared with tears and smeared makeup, her usual warmth nowhere in sight.
He'd never seen Selena like this.
To him, she had always been calm, poised, and kind. She'd been his steady, kind-hearted wife, always supportive.
He looked at her in disbelief. “Selena… did you ever love me?”
Selena's sobs paused, and she looked up at him. For a moment, her expression was one of surprise, but then it turned to scorn. “Really, Gavin? At a time like this, with everything going on, that's what you want to know?”
But Gavin's gaze stayed firm. “Yes, I want to know. Did you ever love me? Or was it just because I'm a Cobb?”
Selena laughed bitterly. “What do you think? Did you imagine I was drawn to your charm? Or your money? Or maybe your talent? If you weren't a Cobb, Gavin, why on earth would I have been interested?”
Gavin staggered, taking a step back as if the words themselves had pushed him.
Selena glared at him. “I told you already—I'm just the daughter of some random nobody. Ever since I was young, I dreamed of coming back to the Horton family and being seen as a real Horton. But my father? Sure, he spoiled me with some gifts and attention, but he'd never give me a proper status in the family. No, because his SON—his son can carry on his legacy! But I don't matter. Just a daughter to be handed a bit of pocket money, that's it. It didn't matter how much I tried to prove myself!”
Tears streaked down her face. “Why should Jake be better than me? Just because he's a boy?”
Her voice broke as she buried her face in her hands. “So I swore that I'd show them, make them see my worth. I was going to make the Horton family beg to accept me back! You know how proud my father was when I told him I was dating someone from the Cobb family? Said he'd make sure I married back in as a ‘Cobb daughter.' But then…” She shot a glare at Lewis. “Then Uncle Lewis had to come back and take over the Horton Group, and suddenly my father didn't think the Cobb family was such a big deal. And you, Gavin—you, what did you do for me then?”
She turned on Gavin, seething. “I asked you to come home with me once—just once—to meet my parents, and you said the Cobb family likes to stay out of outside affairs, that your ‘brother' wouldn't approve! What are you, Gavin? A grown man or some boy still taking orders from his big brother?”
She turned on Gavin, seething. “I asked you to come home with me once—just once—to meet my parents, and you said the Cobb family likes to stay out of outside affairs, that your ‘brother' wouldn't approve! What are you, Gavin? A grown man or some boy still taking orders from his big brother?”
Gavin opened his mouth to explain, but his words failed him. “I… I…”
Ryan spoke up, coming to Gavin's defense. “That's how the Cobb family operates. If you'd used Gavin's influence, he'd have been kicked out of the family. The Cobb family has always stood apart.”
“Standing apart? Give me a break,” Selena spat, looking more disdainful than ever.
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