Chapter 4

Outside the door, Ivor and Kate were laughing about what to wear to the concert.

I leaned back against the door and slid slowly down to the floor, staring at the scars on my hands.

The truth was, I used to take great care of my hands.

But three years ago, Ivor and Kate got it into their heads to go camping in the mountains, got caught in a downpour, and lost all contact.

I drove into the mountains through the night, risking mudslides, and clawed apart the rockslide blocking the road with my bare hands, ten fingers dripping blood, until I finally found the two of them safe and sound inside their tent.

Back then, Ivor looked at my hands, filthy with mud, trembling and bleeding, and his first reaction wasn't concern.

He turned to Kate, raised an eyebrow, and smiled.

"See? I told you she'd come find us no matter what. You lose."

Now, looking at scar after scar on my hands, I suddenly saw how pitifully stupid the old Willow had been, throwing her life away for love.

The next few days, the apartment settled into an eerie calm.

Ivor was sure I was just throwing a tantrum, and to force me to cave first, he dropped the pretense entirely.

He came and went openly with Kate, and even set Kate's toiletries right next to mine.

He assumed I'd do what I'd always done: cry, throw her things out, and beg him to change his mind.

But I didn't.

I simply stepped calmly over the things they'd left strewn across the living room, and packed away what was mine, piece by piece, and shipped it out.

Friday morning, Ivor was still fast asleep in the bedroom.

I put on a comfortable pair of sneakers and set the diamond ring, the one I was supposed to wear at the engagement party, gently on the shoe cabinet by the entryway.

No argument, no tears, no goodbye.

I pushed open the door and stepped out into the morning breeze.

Saturday morning, I was sitting in the airport lounge, reading over the studio materials my senior classmate had sent me, when my phone was suddenly overrun with calls from Ivor.

The second it connected, his voice came through, barely holding back his fury.

"Willow, what the hell are you playing at? It's the engagement party today. Where are you?!"

"Do you know the relatives and friends are almost all here? Even if you want to fight with me, you have to know your limits!"

I looked out the window at the view, my tone lighter than it had ever been.

"Ivor, isn't disappearing your favorite game? Betting on how long it'll take me to come find you?"

His breath caught, as if he hadn't expected me to bring that up.

"What's that supposed to mean? Do you not understand what day it is, how important today is?"

"Nothing. It doesn't mean anything."

"I just think that game got too boring. I don't want to play with the two of you anymore."

"From now on, you can take all the time you want."

With that, I hung up, and dragged his number and his messenger account, along with these five years of my youth, straight into the blocked list.

...

On the other side, in front of the downtown banquet hall.

Ivor gripped the phone she'd hung up on, his face black with rage.

Kate tugged at his sleeve. "Is Willow still upset? Why don't I call and apologize for you?"

"Apologize for what? She's doing this on purpose, to leave me standing here with egg on my face!"

Ivor gritted his teeth and let out a cold laugh. "Don't bother with her. If she doesn't show today, then she can beg me later, and I still won't marry her!"

He straightened his suit, took Kate's arm, and, under the puzzled eyes of the gathered relatives, pushed open the doors of the banquet hall.

But the instant the doors swung wide, the cold smile froze on Ivor's face.

The huge banquet hall was covered wall to wall in balloons of every color, and on the big screen up front, giant letters scrolled past.

【Happy 10th Birthday, Little Aiden Reyes!】

A crowd of kids in little red party hats was chattering and racing around the stage.

Ivor's mind went off like a bomb. He grabbed the hotel lobby manager passing by. "What is wrong with you people?! This hall is booked for my engagement today!"

The manager took a good look at his face, then politely pulled his hand free. "Mr. Dickerson, Ms. Simmons came in five days ago and canceled the booking herself."

"She settled and collected the entire deposit and balance, so naturally the venue was rented out to someone else."