Chapter 4

I slowly gathered the few belongings I planned to take with me.

Shortly after I finished packing, I received a message from the real estate agent I'd contacted earlier. He wanted to stop by the following day to photograph the property for the listing and asked if I could tidy the place up beforehand.

And so, that was the last thing I needed to take care of before leaving.

I grabbed my keys and headed to the house I'd spent months designing and furnishing, choosing every detail with care.

But the moment I opened the front door, I froze.

Only Wallace and I had keys to this place.

He'd insisted that we wait until after we'd officially registered our marriage to move in together, saying our first night here should mark the beginning of a new chapter in our lives.

Yet the living room looked as though a party had just gotten out of hand. The sofa cushions were scattered, and the covers lay in tangled heaps.

The coffee table was buried beneath takeout containers, barbecue skewers, and greasy trash. Empty liquor bottles littered the hard tile floor.

Then I heard a sound coming from the master bedroom.

I approached quietly and peered through the half-open door.

There, Wallace and Emma were lying side by side on the bed I'd chosen for our wedding night. Their clothes were disheveled, and they were curled up in each other's arms, sleeping as intimately as a married couple.

My heart plummeted.

Instinctively, I reached for the door, ready to throw it open.

Right then, laughter and conversation erupted behind me.

Kate and the others had returned.

The moment they realized what I was about to do, their expressions changed in alarm. Someone lunged forward and yanked me backward with such force that I lost my balance.

The back of my head slammed against the wall.

Pain exploded through my skull, and I staggered, my vision going black for a moment. Before I could recover, someone clamped a hand around my wrist and dragged me away from the bedroom.

Through my blurred vision, I caught sight of Kate slipping quietly past me. She closed the master bedroom door with painstaking care, as though protecting the sleeping couple from the slightest disturbance.

When I finally steadied myself, I found the others staring at me with open disapproval.

"Why are you following my brother around like this?" Luisa frowned at me. "Can't you be a little more understanding? You're going to spend the rest of your life with him. Can't you let Emma have a few days with him?"

Alvin immediately nodded in agreement.

I said nothing.

Kate stepped forward, wearing an expression of exaggerated sympathy.

"Miley, it's only a few days. Can't you just pretend you don't know what's going on? It will be better for everyone if you let this go."

She pulled out her phone and shoved it in front of me. "Look. This is our group chat. Wallace specifically warned us not to send anything to the wrong chat by accident. The entire group is full of updates about his time with Emma."

I stared at the endless stream of messages filling the screen.

Suddenly, the pieces fell into place. No wonder the group chat I'd created had grown quieter and colder over the past few weeks.

They hadn't stopped talking. They'd simply moved their conversations somewhere I couldn't see them.

Kate stepped closer, took my arm, and led me through the house as if she were giving me a tour.

"Do you know what everyone does whenever you and Wallace fight? We come here to hang out. This place is our secret base."

She paused, then delivered the final blow with a faint, almost pitying smile. "When it comes to love, the person who isn't loved has no right to fight for anything."

I looked around the house I'd poured so much time, money, and affection into.

My wedding photoshoot. My wedding ceremony. My marital home. Even my fiancé... One by one, Emma had taken everything that should have belonged to me, while the people I trusted most stood by and helped her do it.

I looked at their familiar faces, but I couldn't find a single reason to argue with them anymore.

I simply slipped the engagement ring from my finger—the very ring Wallace had knelt before all of them to place on my hand. Then, with the little strength I had left, I hurled it into the trash can.

"Fine. I'll step aside and give you all exactly what you want. From this moment on, I have nothing to do with any of you."

No one stopped me as I turned and walked out.

Back at my apartment, I grabbed my luggage and headed straight for the airport.

"Wallace Romano," I whispered to myself, "I hope we never cross paths again."

...

Wallace woke late that afternoon, finally sleeping off the alcohol from the night before.

After showering and changing, he stretched and glanced around at the others.

"That should wrap up our little get-together. Miley has probably calmed down by now. I'll head home and smooth things over with her."

He failed to notice the uneasy glances the others exchanged.

The moment he stepped into the apartment, however, an oppressive silence settled over him. Something about the stillness felt wrong, stirring an unfamiliar sense of anxiety in his chest.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

Assuming I'd forgotten my keys again and come back, he hurried to open it.

Instead, a courier stood outside with a package.

"Mr. Romano? These are the wedding invitations Ms. Lawrence asked us to deliver this afternoon. Please sign here."

Wallace relaxed a little. He signed for the package, then casually opened one of the sample invitations.

The moment he saw the names printed on it, he blinked and rubbed his eyes, thinking he'd misread them. He took a closer look, but the words were unmistakable.

"Bride: Emma Berry? What is going on?"