Chapter 2

Kristen exchanged rings with Leroy at their wedding the next month. Leroy held her hand in his and gently slid the diamond ring onto her finger.

The crowd below the stage held up their phones to record the moment while some others cheered them on and teased them loudly.

Kristen's cousin, Victoria Rivers, yelled out, "Kiss the bride! Kiss the bride!"

The other wedding guests, including the employees, business partners, and even Mitchell, began echoing after her.

"Kiss the bride! Kiss the bride!"

However, everyone's laughter died down the moment they caught sight of me at the door. Kristen's arms froze mid-air as she looked at me, her eyes lighting up for a bit.

"Joshua! You're here!"

Leroy turned to the side to glance at her and gripped her hand tightly.

"You're the one who invited me," I said. "You said that you'd know that there was still a chance for us if I came. But that chance is no more.

"I'm only here to return a few things to you."

I then pulled out a few items one after another.

The first item was an old silver ring. Seven years ago, Kristen had picked it out from a roadside crafts stall after choosing it for a very long time. Finally, she picked a simple design and slid it onto my finger, saying, "I'll switch it for a diamond ring once I earn my first pot of gold."

That night, we strolled along the river path for hours. She told me that I was her first investor.

Eventually, the company grew bigger and bigger, and I continued wearing the ring for the next three years. It eventually got loose, but she never brought up the diamond ring again.

Kristen looked down at the new diamond ring on her finger and subtly covered it with her other hand.

The second item was a pair of train tickets to Sanderton. Five years ago, she called me from a work event and said, "I don't want to do this anymore, Joshua. Let's go to Sanderton. Right now."

We ended up buying two tickets to Sanderton and spent 26 hours on a sleeper train. She leaned over in her hard bunk and insisted on peeling an apple for me. She then promised me that she would bring me abroad for trips at least once every year.

Eventually, the company got listed, and she never brought me elsewhere ever again.

The third item was a lucky amulet. Four years ago, I stayed late at work for two consecutive months working on a project and finally passed out at the office at 3:00 am one day. But when I woke up again, I saw Kristen sitting next to my hospital bed with reddened, puffy eyes.

The next day, she brought me to a chapel and prayed for me on her knees, asking the gods to keep me safe and healthy always. She stayed there for a long time until her knees gave out.

After getting back up, she pressed the amulet into my hands and said, "You can't fall, Joshua. You're the only person for me."

Now, Kristen's gaze landed on the amulet, and she said, "Those things are all in the past, Joshua."

Leroy piped up beside her and said, "Josh, I don't know what you're trying to do. These things… belong to your past, and since I was not a part of it, I will refrain from making any comments about them."

His voice then turned aggrieved as he continued. "But it's our wedding today. Don't you think that bringing these items along with you now… is rather disrespectful to me?"

The entire hall was silent for a few seconds.

Kristen leaned into Leroy's arms and gave me an accusatory glare. "Did you ever stop to think that your actions today would make things very awkward for Leroy? What did he ever do wrong to you?"

I looked at the hand she placed over his. It was the same hand that prayed for me, pushed the amulet into my hands, and peeled the apple for me. But now, it was resting atop another man's hand while she questioned me if that man had done anything wrong.

Leroy's eyes turned red with tears, and Kristen kept a firm hold on him, refusing to let go.

Mitchell then stood up from the crowd and said, "Joshua, you said that she made those promises to you in the past. But since she never brought it up again, then what was the point of you reminding her about them anyway?"

He stepped forward and said, "I know that you're a good person since you taught me all there was to know at work. So what? She chose Roy in the end. You can stand there and show her all those things from your memories, but she's not even acknowledging them at this point."

Victoria piped up. "Yeah. You've also treated me well in the past, Joshua, and I'll never forget it. But this is their wedding, and it's not something you can stop just because you want to."

Cindy then jumped to her feet from the front row.

"Joshua Carson! You lived under our roof for seven years, and we'd never treated you unfairly. I've also been allowing Kristen to shoulder the burden of your sister's costly medical fees all these years.

"Do you even know how many years your sister has been spending in the ICU? And have you ever stopped to think how much you owed the Fox family because of that?"

I stood rooted to the ground, staring at them. They were each telling me in their own way that I was the one making a scene here.

I set the three items down and said, "I don't want these promises anymore."

I no longer wanted to have anything to do with them.