A Dish Served Cold

As I walked out of the director's office, I ran into a few colleagues who greeted me with smiles and congratulations.

"Anna, congratulations! Looks like we'll be drinking at your wedding with Riley soon!"

"I heard Riley went to every florist in Citadel just to fill the whole place with your favorite May Bell flowers."

"Flowers are nothing. Back when we were doing a project in the Drylands, Riley risked his life to save her when she was injured and bleeding severely."

Their envy was obvious. I was feeling a little dazed as I touched the diamond ring on my finger.

A month ago, Riley Hershey had proposed to me. He had spent over three months planning the whole proposal himself, from the venue to every detail of the ceremony. I had been moved to tears as everyone stood as our witness.

He had even promised my parents and said, "Anna Hart, I will love you for the rest of my life. My blood flows in your veins… We're meant to be together forever. I'll never betray you."

At that moment, I really thought I would be happy forever. But the very next day, when I woke up, I found a strange earring under my pillow.

Riley's junior, Nelly Jones, then posted a picture of the earring on her Facebook on the same day, saying it was a gift from her crush and that she had lost the other one.

I didn't tell Riley. Instead, I reconnected the security camera to our bedroom. He had installed it himself when there had been a series of break-ins in Citadel, and he had been worried about something happening to me when I was alone at home.

The irony was that I was now using it to catch him cheating.

A few days later, I was asked to work overtime. My phone suddenly got a notification from the camera. When I checked, I saw Riley and Nelly naked in bed together.

Nelly had her arms around Riley's neck, pouting. "Be with me, Riley."

Riley, who was panting, suddenly froze as his eyes turned cold. "Wake up. I'll only ever love Anna. I told you. This is just for fun. Once I marry Anna, we'll stop seeing each other."

Nelly burst into tears. "I was greedy and fell for you. Are you really going to be this heartless?"

As soon as he saw her cry, Riley pulled her into his arms to comfort her. Soon, they were tangled together again, with those all-too-familiar sounds.

My hand trembled as I held my phone, tears blurring my vision. I could barely breathe as the crushing pain seemed to grip my heart.

By the time I got home after work, Nelly was already gone. Riley came out of the kitchen carrying a steaming bowl of pear pudding cake. "You must be exhausted from working late. Come wash up and have some supper."

When he saw my red, swollen eyes, he panicked, his face full of concern. "Anna, what happened to your eyes? Did someone hurt you?"

When I didn't say anything, he grabbed his phone, ready to call and confront my coworkers.

I stopped him. "No one bullied me. I just watched a movie tonight. The male lead kept saying he loved the female lead, but in the end, he betrayed her. I just felt bad for her."

Riley let out a huge sigh of relief. "Anna, movies aren't real. I would never let you get hurt."

"Riley, if one day, you stop loving me, just tell me. We can break up," I said.

He pouted and hugged me tightly. "Anna, I'll never leave you."

My eyes were filled with sadness as I smelled the scent of Nelly's perfume on his collar. I had given him a chance, but he hadn't confessed.

For the next month, whenever I worked late, my phone would buzz with more camera alerts.

Maybe because the wedding was getting closer, they became even more reckless.

My coworker's excited voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "Anna, Riley spoils you so much. He sends you flowers even on weekends when you work late."