Chapter 2

Anger flashed through Eileen's eyes, and then she gave a cold little laugh.

"Max, since your wife doesn't want me here, let's just take the party somewhere else."

"Come with your buddies or stay and babysit a woman, your call. But I'll say this now: pick her, and you and I are done."

She led the rest of them out ahead of her.

Max raked a hand through his hair, irritated.

"Nadia, everyone came in good fun to celebrate, and you had to get jealous and make a scene until nobody could save face?!"

"Eileen and I grew up together, running around bare-assed as kids. To me she's no different from one of the guys. We really are just good buddies, or you wouldn't be the one standing here as the bride tonight."

I was sick of him hiding behind that word every single time. Buddies.

I slapped him across the face.

"Then get out of here with her!"

Max's special ringtone kept going off, like it was hurrying him.

Five years, and Eileen's number was the only one he'd ever set to a special ringtone.

I'd asked him why once. He always brushed it off.

"Come on, I spoiled that girl rotten when she was little. If I miss her call, who knows what kind of fit she'll throw."

And yet I was the one who could never reach him.

Sure enough, Max fired off a few messages first, and only then looked at me.

He worked his jaw, gave a cold smile, and threw out one line.

"Eileen was right. All you do is ruin the mood. No wonder even your own best friend can't stand you."

He grabbed his coat and walked out without looking back.

I couldn't stand to go back into that disgusting master bedroom, so I curled up on the couch and let the bitter tears fall.

Earlier, when I'd believed Melinda had really slit her wrists, I'd rushed out into the rain to find her, forgetting an umbrella.

The chill must have gotten into me. Deep in the night the fever hit hard, until I didn't even have the strength to sit up.

I forced myself to take my temperature. A hundred and three.

And there wasn't any fever medicine in the apartment yet.

I called Max.

More than ten calls, and no one picked up.

So I sent him a message.

【Max, I'm burning up and can't get out of bed. Every pharmacy is closed at this hour. Can you come back and take me to the hospital?】

Ten minutes later, he finally replied.

【Fine.】

But I waited a full hour and more before the door opened.

The one who walked in wasn't Max. It was Melinda.

She looked down at me.

"Eileen had too much to drink. Max was worried her stomach would hurt tonight, so he went to her place to look after her, and told me to come check on you first."

"Tsk. Face all flushed, quite the convincing act. You pressed a hot water bottle to your cheeks before I got here, didn't you?"

As she spoke, she picked up the phone that was still on a live call.

"Hey, Max, relax. Nadia's perfectly fine. She's just faking it."

"You know how she is. Always the jealous type. Just take good care of Eileen."

I stared at her, unable to believe it.

Gritting my teeth, I snatched the phone. "Max, she's lying, I'm not—"

Max cut me off, impatient.

"Nadia, are you ever going to stop? Eileen guessed it exactly. You really did want to fake being sick to trick me into coming back. Even your own best friend says so, so what are you still arguing about?"

"If you hadn't gotten jealous and embarrassed Eileen and ruined her whole mood, she wouldn't have drunk too much and gotten this sick throwing up."

"If you still want to get the marriage license with me, you're going to have to accept that being with you doesn't mean I'll abandon my buddies. That's it. I have to take care of Eileen. Do some serious thinking about yourself, and dial back the possessiveness from now on."

The call ended without mercy.

Before she left, Melinda didn't miss the chance to sneer at me.

"Nadia, hey, no offense, but a country girl like you landing a blue-chip catch like Max is your good fortune. You're going to be Mrs. Henson either way, so why fight Eileen over who comes out on top?"

"Max cares so much about Eileen. Keep her happy and your married life will go easy. All I did just now was say Eileen was more generous than you and had a better figure, and Max handed me a hundred grand as a reward. That's the smart play. Don't be stupid."

After Melinda left, the fever had me blacking out in waves.

The phone rang out of nowhere. That familiar number.

I pressed answer and asked weakly.

"Are you still overseas?"

"Of course. You've gone and held a wedding with someone else, so am I not even allowed to go clear my head... Nadia, your voice is off. What's wrong?"

Hearing the man's voice tighten in an instant, I tugged at the corner of my mouth.

"The wedding happened. But we haven't gotten the license yet."

The man went silent for a second. "Nadia, are you saying..."

Before the dark swallowed me completely, I said,

"Fly home right now. The spot to get the marriage license with me is yours."