Chapter 3

Lewd whispers and Oliver's laugh just kept creeping in.

My stomach flipped. I bolted to the bathroom and puked.

"Cecelia, are you okay?"

He was suddenly behind me, rubbing my back.

He looked concerned—but his fly was open, shirt half-on, and there was lipstick smeared across his chest.

I gagged and threw up again.

Oliver panicked, reaching for his phone to call a doctor. I waved him off. "Let's just go home."

I'd seen everything I needed. No more unfinished business.

"Okay." He never said no. He pulled me in, soft. "But I've got one last gift. Just a little more time, yeah?"

He tied a blindfold over my eyes and led me out, our fingers laced.

But as we got closer, the scent of cheap perfume hit me—I sneezed.

Oliver shrugged off his jacket, trying to cover me.

I stepped back. "Don't bother."

A moment later, I pulled off the blindfold. Oliver was grinning like a kid.

Then his arms lifted—and behind him, dolphins burst from the waves, all sparkles and fairytale vibes.

I'd sworn I was over him, but my eyes still stung.

Memories I thought were gone started crawling back.

The night I fainted from a fever—he felt something was off, climbed three stories, and broke in to save me.

When I got jumped for turning down some popular guy, Oliver had my back, no questions asked.

But those sweet memories crumbled fast—replaced by the image of him slouched in a chair, breathless, while two women crawled all over him.

My tears blurred everything as Oliver dropped to one knee, eyes locked on me.

"Cecelia Cervini, will you marry me?"

I looked at him, trying to figure out how someone could be so split. Who was the real Oliver?

He kept pushing. "Cecelia, don't you like it? I trained these dolphins for you. You said you loved the ocean, loved dolphins. I don't remember saying it, but I found my old journal—pages full of stuff you like.

"I promised I'd give you everything you ever wanted. I meant that."

I kept my voice steady. "Does it mention the part where I said—if you gave it to someone else, I'd never want it again?"

He didn't miss a beat. "Obviously. Who else would I go this far for?"

I shut my eyes, gave a cold laugh. "Really?"

Oliver opened his mouth to say something else—then fireworks burst behind him, lighting up the sky.

I locked eyes with him and, under all that sparkle, said flatly, "No, I don't."

He wrapped me in a tight hug. "I'll love you forever."

The fireworks drowned everything out. He thought I'd said yes.

I wasn't about to correct him. He'd find out soon enough—once he opened my gift tomorrow.

***

On the flight back, a new video popped up from Katy.

I opened it without thinking.

Oliver was out there training the dolphins. Katy's voice cut through the breeze. "Baby, you're amazing. You rented the whole island just for Perry and me, and now this? I love you so much!"

My grip tightened around the phone.

So I wasn't his only. Wasn't even the first to see the dolphins.

Back home, I started packing.

Turns out Oliver wasn't the only one with journals—I had stacks of them, filled with our memories.

I dumped them into the fireplace and lit a match.

The flames flickered. Our past went up in smoke.

Then I grabbed my suitcase, walked out, and didn't look back.

Once I was on the plane, I sent Oliver one last text.

[Oliver, congratulations on your wedding.]