Chapter 3

I didn't go to Fiona's birthday party, but Asher, of course, did.

It was a grand event. A mutual friend FaceTimed me from the venue.

"Chloe, why aren't you here today? Fiona is totally stealing the spotlight. I just heard some people joking about how good she and Asher look together."

"But seriously, Asher is crossing the line. She's his stepsister, they have no blood relation. They should keep some distance. They're literally wearing matching outfits! If I didn't know better, I'd think they were the ones getting engaged!"

A royal blue suit and a light blue princess gown.

They did look perfect together.

I stared numbly at the screen.

Someone who had drank too much joked that today looked like their engagement party.

Asher didn't get angry. Fiona, appearing slightly tipsy, snuggled into his chest, and he didn't pull away.

"Asher, do you know what my birthday wish is today?" she asked, her cheeks flushed, looking adorable.

Asher looked down at her with pure indulgence. "What is it?"

"If I tell you, will you make it come true?"

"Have I ever missed making one of your birthday wishes come true? Tell me, what do you want this time?"

"Then... I want you to kiss me. Is that okay?"

Fiona didn't whisper this. Even though my friend wasn't standing right next to them, the audio on the call was crystal clear.

Asher's face stiffened for a second.

In the next moment, he seemed to notice someone was filming him.

His eyes locked onto my friend's phone camera.

"Chloe, I know you're watching. If you call right now and apologize to Fiona, I won't do it."

My friend looked incredibly awkward and whispered an apology to me.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe. I didn't know he'd notice I was FaceTiming you."

"It's fine. I'm actually busy. I have to go."

"Wait! Chloe, what he just said..."

I hung up and looked at the wedding dress in my hands.

I didn't care who he kissed. It had nothing to do with me anymore.

Because I wasn't going to marry him.

Right after the FaceTime ended, Asher called me directly.

"Chloe, how long are you going to keep acting like a child? What you said the other day was wrong. I only asked you to apologize to Fiona, and you..."

"You honestly disgust me, Asher."

"Ha, fine!"

With that, he hung up, looked down, and kissed Fiona on the lips.

My hands clenched around the delicate fabric of the wedding dress.

Suddenly, a warm hand gently pried my fingers open. Julian took my phone, blocked Asher's number, and deleted him from my contacts list.

"Fiancée, do you need me to handle this trash ex of yours?"

"No need."

He looked skeptical. "Are you really letting him go just because his stepsister mixed up a room number?"

Was it really just because of that?

I dazed for a moment.

No. It was a buildup of so many things.

He had hurt me for Fiona's sake more times than I could count.

Asher and I once had a massive fight. We didn't speak for over two weeks.

Eventually, he stood outside my door all night. The moment I opened the door, he wrapped his arms around me, his voice soft and broken.

"Chloe, let's not fight anymore. I've been so miserable these past few weeks."

I had been miserable too.

Going from being inseparable to strangers was agonizing.

So, when he offered an olive branch, I took it. For the next few days, he treated me like royalty, and it felt like we were back to the beginning.

He even planned a surprise adventure trip for me.

He took me to a firefly reserve on a secluded island with no cell service. We were completely cut off from the world, blissfully happy.

Until the boat ride back, when he got a call from Fiona.