Chapter 4

After leaving the hotel, I took a taxi home.

My phone vibrated almost the entire ride, but I never checked it. I simply turned it off, closed my eyes, and leaned against the window.

The moment I stepped inside the apartment, reminders of the wedding were everywhere.

Wedding streamers and decorations covered the living room walls, while several potted plants sat out on the balcony. Alyssa had bought them from a nursery after noticing that I'd been in a bad mood.

She'd told me the apartment felt warmer with more plants around, and that looking at something green might help me relax.

I went straight to the bedroom, crouched beside my suitcase, and started packing.

When I opened one of the drawers, I found a photo album tucked underneath everything else.

Upon flipping it open, I realized that the first picture had been taken on the day we'd moved into this apartment.

I was standing in the middle of the living room in a white shirt, while Alyssa hugged my arm and smiled brightly at the camera.

"Gordon, we finally have a home of our own," she'd said.

I couldn't bring myself to turn the page.

I closed the album, put it back exactly where I'd found it, and returned to packing.

I was only halfway done when I heard the front door open.

Alyssa rushed into the bedroom, still wearing her wedding dress, the long train dragging behind her.

The moment she saw what I was doing, she strode over and grabbed my wrist.

"Where are you going?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

I gave her a humorless laugh, a mocking glint flickering in my eyes. "Your mother has made it pretty clear she doesn't want me around, so I'm moving out. That'll make things easier for you and Lyle."

Her expression immediately darkened.

"Gordon, are you seriously doing this? How long are you planning to drag this out? Do you have any idea how many people are still waiting at the hotel while you're here packing your bags? Are you really determined to blow up the entire wedding today?"

I stared at her without saying anything.

She took a breath and seemed to force herself to calm down, but what she said next cut deeper than anything she'd thrown at me so far.

"When your mom cheated on your dad, he stayed with her, didn't he? He even raised you and her bastard son. If your dad could get past something like that, why can't you get past this?"

My body stiffened.

"Say that again."

She turned her face away, already sounding irritated. "Am I wrong? Your dad forgave your mom, so why can't you forgive me—"

"Shut up!"

Even my voice was shaking now.

"My dad stayed because he was too kindhearted to walk away, and because he wanted to protect me. Do you have any idea how miserable he was for the rest of his life?

"I'm not going to make the same choice he did. I promised him that I would build a life where I was actually happy."

Alyssa was about to answer when footsteps hurried toward the bedroom.

Lyle appeared in the doorway with the baby in his arms, panting.

The second he saw me, he came over and grabbed my arm.

"Gordon, don't leave. This is my fault, so I'll go! I'll stay out of your lives from now on. I'll give everything back to you—"

"What's the point of saying all that now?" I retorted.

I tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip.

"You slept with her, and you have a child together. Do you actually expect me to pretend none of that happened and go right back to treating you like my best friend?" I questioned.

He shook his head frantically, his fingers digging painfully into my arm.

"Gordon, no. That's not what I mean. Please, just listen to me…"

"Enough. Let go of me!"

I yanked my arm free.

Lyle lost his balance and stumbled backward, hitting the floor so hard that he cried in pain.

"Ah!"

The baby immediately started wailing.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Gordon?"

Alyssa shoved me aside.

She did it hard enough that I staggered backward before my lower back slammed into the edge of the desk.

A sharp pain shot through me, and even so, Alyssa didn't even glance in my direction.

She was already crouching beside Lyle, helping him sit up before taking the crying baby from his arms.

"Lyle, are you okay? Where does it hurt?"

He leaned against her, struggling to catch his breath. "My back… I hit my back. The baby's startled…"

"It's okay. I'll take both of you to the hospital."

Alyssa helped him to his feet while holding the baby securely in her other arm.

As she passed me on the way out, she stopped.

"Gordon, whatever happened between the two of you, Lyle was still your best friend. You went way too far. We'll call off the wedding for today. Once you've calmed down and gotten your head straight, we can reschedule it."

With that said, she slammed the door behind her.

The bedroom fell silent, leaving only the sound of my breathing in the stillness.

I braced myself against the desk and slowly rose to my feet, my lower back still throbbing from where I'd hit it.

When my eyes landed on our engagement portrait hanging on the wall, I laughed.

But somewhere along the way, my eyes started burning.

I tilted my head back and forced the tears away before they could fall.

Then, I picked up my suitcase and walked out of the apartment without looking back.

When I climbed into a taxi, the driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror and asked, "Where are you headed?"

I turned and looked back at the apartment one last time.

"The airport," I said, my tone icy.