Chapter 3

The air went still for a moment.

Lydia let out a relieved sigh and laughed.

"I know you're in a hurry to get married." She nodded to herself before continuing. "But if Evan is upset, I won't agree to the wedding. Your priority right now is making Evan happy."

Evan walked over and looked at me with a cold, distant gaze.

"James, I know you're desperate to get married, but you don't need to come after me. I'm different from you. I have my own goals. My mind isn't filled with love and romance all the time."

After a pause, he sighed.

"Forget it. You wouldn't understand even if I explained it. You don't need to apologize. Come with us to the DMV now and transfer the car to my brother's name, so he won't feel awkward driving it later."

I stopped listening and walked away.

Their angry shouts followed me, but I pretended not to hear any of it.

-

After that, I rented a small apartment for myself.

I had just laid myself down when a call came in. It was from the nursing home in Easton.

"Mr. Gomez, Mrs. Shaw added thirteen high-end care services this month for a total of seventy-three hundred dollars. There's also next month's fee. Would you like to pay by card, or..."

Three years ago, Lydia's mother was admitted to a nursing home because the muscles in her legs had wasted away. Lydia had just changed jobs and said she was short on money, so I linked my credit card to the account and paid for three full years, right up to today.

"Please contact her daughter Lydia Shaw directly for all of her expenses from now on," I said.

The person on the other end froze, but I ignored it.

"Also, send me invoices for every bill for the past three years."

The next day, I went to the hotel and spoke with the person in charge about canceling the wedding party.

He looked troubled. "Sir, the bride's guests have already arrived. They've already started eating."

I froze. At that exact moment, the elevator doors opened, and Lydia rushed straight toward me. "Why are you so late?"

She frowned, then gave an order. "Go settle the bill first! Also, add two more private rooms. Evan's family came to the banquet too."

The hotel manager immediately handed over the bill. Twenty-seven thousand one-hundred and thirty dollars.

I pushed it away and looked at her. "What's this supposed to mean?"

Lydia sighed and gave me a quiet look. "James, all of this is because of you. You upset Evan yesterday. When he got back, he cried in front of my mother, and it broke her heart."

She frowned, as if she truly had my best interests at heart.

"You crossed your future mother-in-law before the wedding, so I had no choice but to invite them here for a meal and make it right. Apologize in public later properly. As long as Evan accepts it and my mother is happy, you're still part of the family."

The clink of glasses and lively chatter came from the banquet hall.

I looked at Lydia and took a deep breath. "Maybe I wasn't clear enough, so I'll say it again. Lydia, we don't have a future."

I looked at her and spoke each word clearly.

"When I sold the house, it meant we had already broken up."

Lydia's expression turned especially dark immediately. Before she could speak, a scoff came from the entrance of the banquet hall.

"I don't think you have the right to end this."

Evan walked out from the banquet hall and stopped in front of me with a faint smile on his lips.

"Lydia told me your parents were killed during a home invasion, and you were held captive for a month too. You developed PTSD and became mentally unstable."

The entire lobby erupted. Every stare felt like a needle pricking my skin from every direction as I could feel my body turned cold.

Evan lifted his chin.

"James, you're just a fatherless, motherless lunatic. Lydia's willing to overlook your past and accept you. You should be grateful. I don't understand why you're still putting on such an act. You came here to play hard to get and talk about breaking up, but really, you just want to control Lydia, don't you?"