Chapter 3

The amethyst necklace resting on her collarbone was identical to the one Jack had just given me.

Only hers was shinier and far more eye-catching.

I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

The noisy room instantly fell dead silent.

Jack clearly hadn't expected me to show up. Confusion and irritation flickered in his eyes, his brow furrowing deeply.

It was his friend who quickly stood up to break the awkward silence.

"Emma, this is Violet. She and Jack grew up together. Her family moved away five years ago, and she just got back today. What a coincidence that she ran into our party, right?"

He kept darting sly glances between Jack and Violet.

It was obvious he had called me here on purpose to mock me.

If this had been the old me, I probably would have lost control and screamed at them.

I would have demanded to know why they brought her here right before our Mate Ceremony when they knew Jack loved her, and why nobody tried to stop them.

But now, I just offered a polite, empty smile.

When his friend started introducing me and muttered the words "intended mate," Jack suddenly burst into a coughing fit.

Violet smoothly handed him a tissue.

She naturally reached out and wiped the corner of his mouth.

After a moment, Jack's face flushed red as he mumbled, "She's... just a close family friend."

My eyelashes fluttered slightly under the mocking stares of the crowd.

I just nodded, playing along with his words.

My nails dug so hard into my palms that it hurt, but I forced my tears back.

He didn't want to make our relationship public. I was already used to it.

After all, even our Mate Ceremony invitations were just a mass Snapchat message.

There was no photo of us, and my name wasn't even on it.

I had always made excuses for him, foolishly trying to use our five years of history to bet on one last chance.

But time and time again, I ended up being the loser.

I forced a smile and greeted Violet.

"You're even prettier in person. And your necklace is beautiful."

The moment those words left my mouth, the room fell completely silent.

Perhaps fearing I would make a scene, Jack quickly grabbed a glass of alcohol from the table and pushed it toward me.

Seeing the dark chocolate cocktail, the smile on my face froze.

I said, word for word: "I can't drink anything with chocolate."

I had literally just told him this before he left the house, yet he forgot it in the blink of an eye.

An awkward look flashed across Jack's face.

Just as he was about to swap the drink for me, Violet reached out and took the glass.

"I'll take it. I'm not picky."

Anxiety flashed in Jack's eyes. "But it has lemon juice in it. Don't you hate that taste?"

At that moment, it felt as though something shattered violently inside my chest.

The shards pierced deep into my lungs, making every breath agonizingly painful.

He didn't have a bad memory. He just didn't want to waste his brain cells on me.

Violet giggled, reaching out to playfully pinch his nose.

"I drink it all the time when I'm out. I'm used to it. It's fine."

She set the glass down and stood up to go to the restroom.

Only then did Jack slide closer to me, whispering in a low voice, "I'm sorry, Emma. I really forgot just now. I promise I'll pay attention next time. But everyone's watching, would it really hurt to just take a sip? If anything happens, I'll go buy you some allergy meds later."

"And don't overthink this. She's just an old friend I haven't seen in forever. She doesn't know about our Mate Ceremony tomorrow, and it’s just too complicated to explain, so—"

Before he could finish, I simply nodded.

He never knew that in order to look my best for our Mate Ceremony, I had cut sugar out of my diet for months.

And I stayed far away from anything that would break me out in hives.

A tear escaped my eye and slipped down my cheek as I moved.

He thought I didn't know about his first love. He thought he had hidden it perfectly.

Fine. I would play along. Playing dumb was what I did best, anyway.

"Yeah, I get it. You don't have to explain."

He let out a visible sigh of relief.

Sensing the awkward tension, his friend quickly spoke up to change the subject, suggesting they play a drinking game.

When Violet walked back into the room, the empty beer bottle spun on the table and pointed directly at Jack.