Chapter 4

When Saturday came, I still went to the dress fitting.

Not for the wedding.

But because Michael’s mother had called me three times.

"Sharon, I know you young people are going through a rough patch, but you don't throw a marriage away over a silly argument.

“Just come over, get your measurements finalized, and don't make a scene in front of outsiders."

Outsiders.

I looked over at Gina, who was sitting on the couch sipping herbal tea.

She was wearing a white satin dress, her hair swept up elegantly.

It looked like she had tried on several outfits already.

Michael stood right behind her, gently zipping up the back of her dress.

Catching my reflection in the mirror, Gina spun around in a panic.

"Sharon! Don't get the wrong idea. The stylist said I needed to try on the bridesmaid dresses."

The stylist offered an awkward smile.

"Actually, that one is a reception dress from the bridal collection."

Michael shot the stylist a warning look. "She didn't know. You handed her the wrong one."

Gina’s eyes immediately welled with tears. "I really didn't know. Let me take it off right now."

Michael pressed his hands onto her shoulders. "You're already wearing it. It's fine."

I stood at the doorway, clutching a small velvet box in my hand.

Inside was a jade pendant my grandmother had left me.

Before she passed away, she told me to wear it on my wedding day so she could be there to watch over me.

Michael’s mother hurried over to greet me. "Sharon, sweetie, go try on the main gown."

Her smile stiffened slightly when she glanced back at Gina.

"Gina, you look lovely too. We'll have to take a few solo photos of you later."

Gina nodded obediently.

"Thank you, Mrs. Banks. I just wanted to help Sharon see how the silhouette looks."

I stepped into the fitting room.

The wedding gown fit perfectly.

Except the waist had been taken in by an inch.

The stylist whispered apologetically, "Mr. Banks brought Miss Gabriel in for measurements a few days ago.

“He said your measurements were almost identical."

I stared at myself in the mirror.

Almost identical.

Our fears were almost identical.

Our clothes were almost identical.

Even the care we received from my fiancé was almost identical.

No.

She always got a little bit more.

---

When I pulled back the curtain to step out, Gina was holding my velvet box.

She placed the jade pendant in her palm, asking with her eyes widened, "Oh, this is absolutely stunning! Can I borrow it for a quick photo?"

I walked straight up to her. "No."

Gina’s hand trembled.

The jade pendant slipped through her fingers, crashing onto the tiled floor.

A sharp, brittle crack echoed through the room.

It had shattered into two clean halves.

The air in the room instantly evaporated.

Michael’s mother gasped, jumping up from her seat.

Gina went deathly pale, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm so sorry, Sharon! I didn't mean to, I swear. I really just wanted to look at it."

I knelt down, my fingertips brushing against the fractured edges.

It felt freezing cold.

Michael stepped forward, immediately pulling Gina behind him. "If it's broken, I'll pay for it."

I looked up at him. "You'll pay for it?"

He frowned, clearly uncomfortable under my gaze.

"It's just a piece of jade. I know it has sentimental value, but Gina already apologized."

Gina started sobbing.

"Michael, please don't defend me. It's my fault. Sharon can scream at me, she can hit me. She can do anything she wants to me."

Michael’s voice hardened. "She won't."

I stood up slowly. "And how do you know I won't?"

He froze, caught off guard.

Michael’s mother rushed over to grab my arm.

"Sharon, there are so many people here today. Don't make a scene.

“Broken jade is bad luck anyway, I'll buy you a much better one later."

I looked at her. "Can you buy me another grandmother, too?"

Her hand stiffened on my arm.

Gina cried even harder now.

"Sharon, have you hated me this entire time? Ever since the company party, you've been targeting me.

“But I'm just so terrified of losing the two of you. I've had no one to love me since I was a kid, you know that!"

Michael sighed heavily. "Sharon, stop upsetting her."

Suddenly, the sheer absurdity of it all washed over me.

My heirloom was the one shattered on the floor.

Yet, in the end, Gina was the one who couldn't handle being upset.

---

The stylist softly intervened, "Mr. Banks, the photographer has arrived. We can start with a few test shots of the gown."

Michael looked at me. "Let's take the photos first. We'll handle the jade later."

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" I asked him.

His expression turned icy. "The wedding is in two weeks. Stop acting like a spoiled child."

Gina whimpered, tugging at his sleeve. "Maybe I should leave. Sharon doesn't want to see me."

Michael leaned down, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Stay."

I stared at his hand.

And suddenly, I didn't want to ask any more questions.

I reached up, unpinned the veil from my hair, and laid it quietly on the sofa.

Michael’s face shifted. "Sharon, what are you doing?"

I bent down, picked up the broken pieces of my grandmother's pendant and placed them back into the velvet box.

"I'm not doing the photo shoot."

He reached out to grab my wrist.

"If you walk out of here today, what will happen to the wedding?"

I looked back at him. "It's canceled."

Michael stared at me, dumbfounded. "What did you say?"

Gina froze as well.

I slid the engagement ring off my ring finger and placed it on the coffee table next to the velvet box.

"Michael, I'm not marrying you."

For a split second, panic finally flickered in his eyes, but he quickly masked it with anger.

"Over a piece of jade?"

I looked at the triple-pane mirror behind him.

In the reflection, Gina stood right by his side in her white dress, her eyes still red from crying.

They looked exactly like a devoted couple I was trying to tear apart.

I smiled faintly.

"No. I'm canceling the marriage because I finally realized that from the beginning till now, you never got me right.”