Chapter 3

Once I finished packing, Brielle ushered me into the back seat.

The entire drive, she played videos out loud and chattered nonstop, jumping from pets to clothes, gossip to manicures.

Callum patiently responded to everything she said.

I leaned against the window and tuned them out.

When we arrived, Brielle hurried off to buy the tickets.

The attraction was up in the mountains, with gondolas gliding over the valley below.

She waved excitedly at Callum. "Come on! I want the front seat!"

Just as we were about to board, an attendant stopped us.

"Sorry, each gondola only seats two. One of you will have to take the next one."

Callum pointed at me without hesitation.

"She can take the next one. She doesn't mind waiting. She'll sit there for three or four hours without getting mad."

For a moment, everything around me seemed to go quiet.

I thought back to our fifth anniversary.

I'd waited for him at the restaurant until ten that night, then stayed until closing.

I called him over and over.

He finally picked up on the thirty-sixth call.

"Where are you?"

There was a pause on his end.

"Sorry, Addie. Brielle suddenly wanted dessert from that place across town, so I went to get it for her. The line was really long, and I lost track of time."

The memory faded as Brielle playfully swatted his arm.

"Cal, don't say that. Why don't we vote instead? That way it's fair, and Addie won't feel..."

I cut her off.

"No need. You two go ahead."

As if they'd already agreed, they stepped into the gondola one after the other.

A little while later, the attendant approached me hesitantly.

"Ma'am, the next gondola is here. Would you like to..."

"No, thank you."

I sat down on a nearby bench.

Not far away, a guy was carefully picking every piece of cilantro out of his girlfriend's food.

For a moment, I remembered when Callum used to be like that too.

When we'd first started dating, he'd transferred to Bellshore just to be closer to me.

When we rented our apartment, he'd looked at seven different places before settling on one.

If I got my period in the middle of the night, he'd wake up half-asleep and press a warm hand to my stomach until the cramps eased.

Back then, I thought I was lucky.

Then Brielle moved in.

Little by little, she filled the space between us.

Callum bought her desserts and remembered everything she liked.

He'd play childish games with her for hours.

One little comment from her was enough to make him ask if something was wrong.

I'd confronted him.

I'd cried.

I'd fought with him.

But his answer was always the same.

"Brielle saved my life. If she hadn't pulled me out of that fire, you never would've even met me. Are you seriously jealous over that?"

Eventually, I stopped asking.

A little while later, Brielle came running over, her eyes bright.

"Addie! Why do you look so down?

"Haven't you always wanted to try on wedding dresses? We're all here today, so let's go!"

I thought about it.

The wedding was going to be canceled anyway. So I nodded.

The bridal boutique was right by the exit.

The moment we walked in, Brielle ran her fingers over row after row of dresses.

She finally stopped at a sparkling gown covered in rhinestones, with a long train.

She took it off the rack and held it against herself. "Addie, do you like this one?"

Before I could answer, she turned to Callum.

"Cal, Addie hates trying on clothes. And we're about the same size now. Why don't I try it on first so we can see how it looks?"

Callum nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Ten minutes later, the fitting-room curtain opened.

Several sales associates immediately gathered around her.

"You make such a beautiful bride! That dress looks like it was made for you!"

"It completely changes your whole look. You and the groom look perfect together!"

Callum stared at her with open admiration, as if he couldn't look away.

I stood about ten feet away, unable to name what I was feeling.

"Callum, we should break-"

He cut me off, his brows knitting together.

"Adeline, what is going on with you lately? We've already been trying to be considerate of your feelings."

His voice was edged with frustration.

"Can you stop making a fuss over everything? I get tired too."

Then he bent down and carefully straightened the train of Brielle's dress.

My phone buzzed.

My manager: [I'm glad you decided. I'll have someone book your flight for tomorrow. Just make sure you're there on time.]