Chapter 4

We had been together for so many years; even if I had to be the one to cancel the wedding, I had to do it face-to-face.

To give this sham of a relationship the dignified end it deserved.

But when I woke up the next day, the other side of the bed was cold.

On my phone screen, however, was a rare message from Carlo.

It wasn't the AI this time.

"Ava's in a mood. Taking her to the island for a bit. Be back."

I stared at the words for a long time, my fingertips growing cold.

I typed out a reply: "I told you last night, we need to talk about something very important today."

The response was almost instantaneous. "Don't make a big deal out of nothing."

I knew instantly that the person on the other end of the phone had been replaced by the cold AI again.

I let out a cold laugh, didn't reply, and instead pulled a suitcase from the bottom of the closet.

There wasn't much to pack.

In the five years I had lived in this house, everything that was truly mine fit into a single suitcase.

As night fell, Carlo's sports car did not pull into the garage.

At eight o'clock, I sat in the dark living room and scrolled to Ava's latest social media post.

I recognized the yacht. It was a gift to Carlo from the family for his birthday last year, docked at a private marina, never to be touched by outsiders.

The background was a deep blue ocean and a setting sun.

Her caption was breezy: "Sunshine, sea breeze, and the right company. The perfect getaway."

Someone commented teasingly, "Renting a yacht like that for a day can't be cheap."

She replied with a winking emoji: "My happiness is priceless, and besides, Carlo takes care of everything ;) "

Staring at the screen, I suddenly understood everything.

Carlo must have mentioned to Ava that I "had something to discuss," treating it like a joke.

So Ava was doing this on purpose. She knew I needed to talk to Carlo, so she deliberately chose this day to take him away.

She probably thought I was going to bother him with some trivial wedding detail again.

After all, ever since we started planning the wedding, she had always had an "emergency" at the most opportune times.

The day I went for a wedding dress fitting, she said her dress zipper was stuck and needed Carlo to help.

The day I went to book the church, she said a suspicious car was lurking outside the estate and needed Carlo to rush over.

The day I went to pick out invitations, she cried that she was thinking of her late father and was scared to be alone.

And so, Carlo never accompanied me to handle a single wedding-related matter. Every detail of the wedding was decided by me, alone.

But I did want to talk about the wedding this time.

I was going to tell him it was off.

For the next three days, I still didn't see Carlo. I sent him another message.

"Can you come back today?"

The reply: "Yeah."

"I have something very important to discuss."

"Noted."

"If you don't come back today, you'll have to bear the consequences."

"Don't make a big deal out of nothing."

Three messages, all from the AI.

By midnight, no further messages appeared in the chat.

By all rights, I should be in a dressing room right now, surrounded by a team of stylists.

Downstairs, a long line of black limousines should have been parked, their drivers all wearing white gloves.

Outside the door, family members and Carlo's men should have been standing around, smoking, laughing, and talking in low voices.

But at this moment, the house was dead silent, with only a lone suitcase by the door.

In the early hours of the morning, my phone suddenly vibrated.

It wasn't the AI. Carlo had replied himself.

"Ceremony is at noon. I'll be there."

"Don't wait up. Going for a run with Ava first, then I'll head over. The family doesn't care about the formalities, just don't be late."

Running with another woman on the morning of his own wedding.

Only Carlo.

This time, it was my turn not to reply.

I tapped on his profile picture, and without hesitation, I blocked and deleted him.

Then I picked up the suitcase I had packed days ago and walked out the door.

...

When Carlo arrived at the grand cathedral just before eleven with Ava and a group of family members in perfectly tailored black suits and polished leather shoes, something was off.

Strangely, there were no wedding decorations at the church entrance. No carpet, no floral arch, no welcome signs.

Carlo frowned and stopped a deacon hurrying past with a Bible.

"Which chapel is the wedding ceremony in today? We're with the groom's party."

The deacon looked stunned. He flipped through the appointment book in his hands and looked back up, puzzled. "Sir, we don't have any weddings scheduled for today."

He paused, then his eyebrows shot up as if he remembered something.

"Oh, wait. There was one. But the bride herself canceled it ages ago."