Chapter 3

Back in the bridal suite, the whole room's wedding cheer stung my eyes until they ached.

Tonight should have been the sweetest moment for Ian and me, but instead I was spending it here, completely alone.

My phone kept buzzing in my bag. I pulled it out, and three messages from Ian sat on the screen.

"I was impulsive today, and my tone was bad."

"But you were in the wrong too. Today was our wedding day, of all days, and you had to make a scene at an occasion like this, leaving everyone with nowhere to hide."

"The guys are all laughing at me right now. If you really want this to work, go apologize to Bianca and smooth it over, so we can all get along from now on."

I stared at those lines, my fingertips going cold.

Think of the bigger picture? Even now, he was still telling me to let it go, convinced I was making a mountain out of a molehill and getting jealous over nothing.

I laughed out loud in anger, but my eyes burned scorching hot.

Just as I was about to type a reply, a contact request suddenly popped up at the top of the screen.

The profile picture was a cartoon cat in a pink dress, with the nickname Bianca.

The verification message was just one line: "Sis, here are a few keepsake photos from today for you."

I tapped accept.

Almost the next second, three photos came flying over.

The first showed Ian half-kneeling on the floor to put shoes on Bianca. The background was the wedding dressing room, and his profile looked unbearably tender.

The second showed Ian taking out the diamond ring he'd prepared to use at the wedding, almost reverently sliding it onto Bianca's finger.

The third was from the hospital corridor just now, Ian holding her hand while she looked up at him, smiling, his eyes full of worry.

Right after that, text messages jumped up one after another.

"Natalie, today was on purpose. I just didn't want Ian to marry you, so what?"

"If you know what's good for you, get lost on your own. Don't come between us brothers. Who do you think you even are?"

"These seven years were nothing but Ian taking pity on you."

I gripped my phone hard, my knuckles white, and strangely, the fire in my chest went cold instead.

I took a screenshot and forwarded it, along with those photos, all at once to Ian, wanting to see how he'd react.

The screen showed "typing" for a full five minutes, then went silent.

After a long moment, a call came through.

I answered. Ian's voice was tired, like he'd been weighing his words for a while.

"Nat, I saw all those messages. I honestly didn't know Bianca would say things like that."

"But I promise she didn't mean any harm, really. We've been friends since we were little, I know exactly what kind of person she is. I think she just can't accept that I'm getting married right now, got carried away, and said some things out of spite."

He paused, his tone turning careful, a little probing.

"Actually, I was thinking at the hospital today. Isn't it maybe a little too soon for us to get married right now?"

I held the phone, my voice absurdly calm.

"We've been in love for seven years. Is that too soon?"

"Ian, I'm giving you one last chance. If you insist on putting off the wedding for Bianca's sake, then we're done."

As if he'd seized on something, his voice suddenly rose, and he cut me off, impatient.

"It always comes back to the same thing, you just can't stand Bianca. Natalie, we're still young, what's the harm in waiting? Are you in such a rush to get married?"

"On top of that, you made that whole scene with my buddies at the wedding today. A marriage isn't just about the two of us. I have to think about my family and friends' feelings too, don't I?"

"We've already been together seven years. What's one more year going to matter?"

Suddenly a nurse's voice rose in the background on his end: "Where's the family for bed 3? Bianca Cobb's family, come sign some papers!"

"Coming!"

Ian answered her, then said to me, "Fine, we'll talk about this later. I'm hanging up now."

The dial tone sounded, and standing in the middle of that red-filled bridal suite, I finally gave up on this relationship for good.

With a swipe of my finger, I booked a plane ticket, and I looked around the room without a shred of attachment left.