Chapter 2

Winnie Jewel's POV

Caleb took me back to our future home. The walls, still emblazoned with wedding decals, seemed to mock all my years of unrequited devotion.

He turned to me, his eyes as soft as ever. "Winnie, our wedding is just one week away. I still can't believe you're about to become my wife."

I desperately wanted to put on a happy face, but I couldn't even manage a stiff, fake smile.

I remembered that six months earlier, when Caleb had taken me to meet his friends to discuss possible wedding dates, Kevin had suggested that we set the date for April Fool's Day.

I hadn't understood why at the time. Only now did I realize that it had probably been part of their prank.

Caleb had dismissed the idea. He claimed not to believe in superstitions, yet he still hired a fortune teller to choose an auspicious date for us.

Looking back, I realized that he had probably planned to switch the bride at the altar. After all, Vivian's wedding deserved to be held on the perfect date.

Fortunately, his phone rang, and he stepped aside to answer it.

I couldn't hear what the caller said, but his eyes lit up. When he looked back at me, his gaze was full of practiced tenderness. "Winnie, I want to take you somewhere."

Before I could even think of refusing, he took my hand and led me to the car.

Moments later, we pulled up in front of an exclusive bridal boutique. The staff opened the doors for me and gushed enthusiastically, "Ms. Jewel, you haven't heard about it, have you? Mr. Smith's custom-designed wedding gown for you is ready."

Caleb held my hand and led me inside. In the display window stood a pink wedding dress, its enormous skirt encrusted entirely with diamonds.

The sales assistants helped me into the gown, then slowly drew back the fitting room curtain.

The moment Caleb saw me, he rushed forward, took my hand, and pressed a soft kiss to my fingers. When he looked up, a single tear slid down his cheek and fell exactly on my fingers.

"I love you."

His tender gaze made my eyes sting with unshed tears.

I wanted so badly to ask him why he had chosen to say those words that day of all days. Was it because anything spoken on April Fool's Day could be brushed off as a lie?

My lips parted, but in the end, nothing came out.

Just then, spectacular fireworks lit up the sky outside the window. He dropped to one knee, his voice deep with affection. "Winnie, will you marry me? I promise that I'll spend the rest of my life making you happy."

I nodded, accepting his proposal.

After all, nothing said on April Fool's Day counted.

After the fitting, Caleb drove us away. He opened the passenger door and placed a cushion on the seat before walking around to the driver's side.

As the heir to the Smith legacy, he had countless chauffeurs at his disposal. But because of my motion sickness, he always drove himself whenever I was in the car.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed violently on the center console. He grabbed it fast, but I still caught the contact name—"Vivi".

He slammed on the brakes so hard that the tires screeched, and my head nearly slammed against the window. Before I could even ask what was happening, his panicked voice cut in. "Winnie, I need you to get out of here. Something urgent just came up at the company."

Leaving me standing on the curb, he sped off, not even sparing a thought as to whether I could catch a cab.

I watched his taillights fade into the distance until they disappeared completely. Then I pulled out my phone, only to see a post Vivian had made just ten minutes earlier.

It was captioned, "Does someone really think a few fireworks will cheer me up?"

The attached photo showed the exact fireworks I'd just watched from the bridal boutique.

I roughly wiped the tears from my face. Just minutes ago, those fireworks had made my heart flutter. However, it turned out they were meant for someone else.

I caught a cab to the beach and walked along the water, trying to pull myself together.

Suddenly, cheers erupted nearby, followed by a crowd chanting in unison, "Say yes! Say yes!"

I looked over to see a young man on one knee, roses in hand, confessing his love to a young woman.

I hadn't witnessed anything this sweet and youthful in ages. I almost smiled—until I heard a young man in the crowd mutter to his cheering girlfriend. "A confession on April Fool's Day? There's no way he's serious."

The words left me frozen. It was as if the universe were screaming the truth in my face—Caleb's love for me had been a lie.

He didn't come home that night. I found out from Vivian's social media that he had gone to the Jewel estate with her for dinner.

The photo she posted showed all four of them smiling like they were a real family.

He didn't come back until almost midnight the following night. He walked in carrying a bouquet of roses. "Winnie, you love roses, don't you? I had these flown in specially for you."

The roses in his hands looked dewy and delicate. They were clearly freshly cut.

Because I loved roses, he always brought me a bouquet after business trips to make me happy.

If anyone else had seen this scene, they would have praised him for his devotion, but I knew better. He had gifted Vivian an entire rose garden.

I managed a faint curl of my lips, carelessly set the bouquet on the table, and went straight to the bedroom.

Normally, roses could lift my whole day. This was the first time I had ever been so cold toward him.

He panicked and followed me like a lost puppy, his voice tight with worry. "Winnie, what's wrong? Are you feeling down? Or did the car make you dizzy again?"

He climbed into bed beside me and gently massaged my temples.

He had learned a set of massage techniques specifically because I often suffered from motion sickness.

I couldn't understand why anyone would go to such lengths for a prank. He was so convincing that even though I knew that it was all a lie, I still found myself drowning in the sweetness of his deception.