Interest - Alt Ending

I asked for permission, roughly three month ago after several other people said two weeks wasn't enough time.

Interest by Oshaw never rang true to me that he would take back a cheater, let alone one who waited until her life fell apart and was running out of money. He spent his whole life plotting revenge against that family.

I asked for permission as the guidelines demand, and attributed the original author, and my title makes quite clear it is an alternate ending

....

"Look, Staci, I haven't had as much practice at this as you have, but perhaps I can do better," I said.

Before it registered with her, I had slid out of my chair and I was kneeling before her. My hand went into my pocket and gripped the object.

Now as it sunk in Staci cried, "Oh my God! OH MY GOD, TROY!!"

Tears of joy sprung from her eyes and her hands went unbelieving to her mouth as I opened the jewelry box and presented the ring for her view.

"Staci Ellen Buckman"

"Yes!" She screamed.

"Will you-"

"Yes!!"

"fuck off-"

"Yes!! Yes!! Yes!! Wait what?!?"

"Staci," I said snapping the empty box closed and rising to my feet, "you cheated on me with my best friend while were were planning to get married, long before I ever proposed. "You never really loved me, you only think you do because between me and the abusive asshole you left me for I am the better option."

I paused and looked at her with pity, then continued. "Up until the moment he first hit you you may have felt guilty for fucking me over, but you weren't SORRY for cheating on me until after that first beating, and even then you were only sorry because of how your life turned out, not for how mine did."

"What, no, no you dont und-" she sputtered.

"Yes sadly I do understand," I said, cutting her off.

"You've lost all you money, you've lost your family and most of your friends, all you have in the wreckage left of your life is a few happy memories of your time with me. But that is only because you refuse to admit to yourself those happy memories are a lie, after all if you really were happy with me, REALLY in love with me you never would have cheated on me. You never COULD HAVE cheated on me."

"No, I love you," she cried, tears leaking from her eyes.

"Bullshit you love me," I retorted angrily. "Name one thing you ever did for me from the moment you ran out. One thing you did to stop your father from running mine into an early grave. One thing you did to try and stop him from trying to do the same to me."

"One thing you did to stop these spineless assholes," at this point I paused to wave my had at all the club members watching this spectacle, "from joining in on your fathers plan to destroy my family over the years. You are a narcissist, you only care for me NOW because you vaguely remember how I used to make you feel"

I paused a moment to glare at her before continuing, "Christ, you couldnt even be bothered to make your approach until after you father killed himself. Even with him crushed and powerless you cared more for his feeling than mine, you just had to wait to declare your love because even with him broken you still couldnt go against him. Would you even be here if he were still alive," I asked her?

She didnt respond, just stood there looking at me with a mix of longing and despair.

"You dont love me," I said sadly, "I doubt after being raised by a man like that that you are even capable of love, so please end this farce, by your actions over the years you have proven you dont love me - and I certainly feel nothing but disdain and pity for you, besides, my steak is getting cold." And then I turned my back on her.

Did I lover her? In some sense I did, though after unloading my rant I realized I was in love with a childish ideal of her, an image I had formed while in school of who I thought she was. I certainly did not love who she had proven herself to be. Behind me I heard sobs as she was led away and I also heard that jackass Fred tell his dining partner I was always an asshole.

Tomorrow is a new day I thought to myself, and tomorrow I am going to start taking a very close interest in Fred's life. A mans got to have a hobby, and my new hobby was going to be making Fred's life very difficult indeed. And after him one of the other assholes in this town who reveled in my family's misfortunes. And after that someone else. I think I'm going to like tomorrow very much indeed.