Chapter 3

That weekend, Jewel took me to try my suit at the boutique.

I had waited three full months for that suit. I had checked every detail repeatedly, from the original design to the hand stitching.

Of all the milestones in those eight years of my youth, this was the one I had looked forward to most. Even if I was no longer going to marry her, I still wanted to try it on once.

I fastened my seat belt as the navigation prompt came through the car speakers. "At the next intersection, turn right."

Jewel kept one hand on the steering wheel and her eyes straight ahead. The car moved into a straight lane.

I said, "You took the wrong route. The boutique is on the right."

Jewel did not even slow down as she said, "The next U-Turn is too far away. We're not going back. You can try on the suit anytime. There's no point wasting time over one wrong turn."

I gripped the edge of my seat belt and looked at the storefronts passing by.

The red letters of Brightwell Pharmacy stood out sharply under the gloomy sky.

Three years ago, the road had looked just as gloomy.

That was the first time I had brought her to meet my mother.

My father was a domestic abuser, and my mom had worked three jobs on her own, enduring hardship after hardship to raise me. Her greatest wish was to see me find a good partner and live a peaceful, happy life.

But Jewel had left the gifts we had prepared for my mom at home, and twenty minutes after leaving our neighborhood, I begged her to turn back for them.

She had simply pulled over and spoken in a final tone. "Turning back for a few boxes of gifts is completely inefficient. If we forgot them, that means they weren't meant to be given today."

I was getting nervous. "Just this once."

I wanted my mother to know I was doing well. Instead, Jewel had unfastened my seat belt and told me to get out of the car. "I'm not going today. Explain it to her yourself."

That day, my mom prepared a whole feast and waited until evening, but only I showed up.

-

"Beau, what are you staring at?" Jewel's voice dragged me back to the present.

I asked her, "If we're not going to the fitting, where are you taking me?"

Jewel kept her eyes on the road, perfectly calm. "Since we're already on this road, we might as well keep going. Jason's place is on the way.

"Jason has felt guilty ever since he accidentally hurt you at the hospital yesterday. He said he prepared a surprise and wants to apologize properly. The suit isn't going anywhere, but we need to clear the misunderstanding between friends."

She refused to turn around for my mother, but she could casually change our plans for Jason.

The car stopped outside Jason's apartment building. Jewel then came around and opened my door. "Stop looking so grim. Jason put a lot of thought into this for you."

The moment I opened the apartment door, Jason hurried over to greet me. "Beau, you're finally here!"

He threw his arm around my shoulder and dragged me toward the living room. "Close your eyes. I promise this surprise will move you to tears!"