Chapter 9

Christian arrived on time for their dinner date on the eve of their wedding. He even brought an expensive bottle of red to add a touch of class to the evening’s dinner.

Just as the pair took a seat, notifications flooded Christian’s phone.

The next thing Christian knew, his phone blared with a call.

Christian glanced at the caller and rejected the call, but the ringing was persistent.

Tabitha observed Christian in composure.

“You should take the call.”

Christian stood up, his phone in hand. A brief moment later, he returned in a rush to grab his jacket and keys.

“Tabitha, I need to take care of some urgent business. Enjoy dinner. Don’t wait up.”

With his fading footsteps in the background, Tabitha smiled wryly to herself.

She finished her cold steak one bite at a time and took a couple of sips of the red wine.

Later, she checked her social media. Sure enough, Kelsey shared a new update.

Her post featured a photo of Christian on the rooftop, his eyes glistening with tears at the fireworks.

Kelsey posted, “A spectacular fireworks display for my loved one. I’m so glad he came.”

Tabitha locked her phone and rose to her feet.

She stared at the house, filled with three years of memories with Christian, then pulled out several large boxes to pack.

The whole process took her three whole hours.

The belongings carrying their three years of memories were sorted into three big boxes.

She burned everything without so much as batting an eyelash.

Throughout the night, Tabitha compiled all the messages Kelsey had sent and shared on social media onto a USB drive.

By the time she finished, it was the break of dawn.

Tabitha grabbed her stuff and set out for the wedding venue.

The venue had been transformed into a blooming garden, and joy filled the place.

Christian had gone out of his way to invite numerous media outlets to document the happiest day of his life.

Tabitha, dressed in white perfection, approached Christian. In contrast to Christian’s tearful eyes of anticipation, Tabitha felt nothing.

She took the microphone and handed the USB drive to the officiant.

“I’d like to present a gift to you before the ceremony, Christian.”

Christian grinned widely.

He was curious about the surprise.

As the officiant plugged the USB drive into the laptop for projection, his nerves got the best of Christian.

The content began to play on the massive screen.

Christian froze.

The screen didn’t show the sweet moments between him and Tabitha.

Instead, his chat logs and intimate photos with Kelsey were for all to see.

Reality fell on Christian like a bolt of lightning.

His eyes darted to Tabitha instinctively. He had some explaining to do.

However, the media were on him like sharks drawn to blood, snapping photos and pressing for answers.

Christian searched for Tabitha desperately until his eyes settled on one spot.

Tabitha watched in silence from across the crowded room as the mob swarmed around Christian.

She opened her mouth.

The words cut through the room, reaching Christian’s ears.

“It’s over between us, Christian.”