Chapter 3

The more I thought about it, the more nauseating I felt. I closed my eyes, suppressing my urge to throw up.

When I opened my eyes again, the first thing I saw was his graduation photo on the bookshelf—one where he wore a dead serious look.

Unable to hold myself back, I walked over, took down the graduation photo, and tore it apart.

The monastic miracle doctor? What an irony.

However, a thought crossed my mind as my gaze swept across the two shelves of trophies beside it.

This wedding wasn't just about the two of us. It was a calculated exchange between the Fowlers and the Hudsons.

I couldn't just think about myself.

After a moment of consideration, I tossed the shredded pieces of the photo into the trash can before returning to my bedroom to make some calls.

…

The next morning, I heard a key turning in the lock as I stepped out of the bedroom. However, it wasn't Edward who came in—it was Winnie.

"Morning, Sarah. I'm here to grab that pup's razor. I can't stand seeing that scruffy beard of his," she said.

Winnie then walked right into the master bedroom's bathroom and took the electric razor like she knew exactly where everything was.

I glanced at the key ring dangling from her fingers. It wasn't Edward's set.

This was the marital home we bought just last year, and I'd only moved in a week ago—yet her set of keys looked more worn out than mine.

By the time Winnie walked out, I was waiting for her by the doorframe with my arms crossed in front of my chest. I raised a brow and asked, "So this is where you usually hold lessons for my fiancé, Ms. Spencer?"

She was momentarily stunned, then turned away quickly. Almost under her breath, yet loud enough for me to hear, she mumbled, "Here we go again. Women are always so troublesome—jealous over nothing."

As Winnie walked past the guest bedroom where my lacey wedding dress was hung, she let out a laugh. "Why did you pick such an ugly wedding dress, Sarah? It's way worse than the set I bought with that pup last year!"

I narrowed my eyes just as Edward walked in. "What's taking you so long? Didn't we make plans to go to the bridal shop today?"

His words made me laugh.

"Who did you make plans with? It shouldn't be me, considering I was the last one to know about the postponement of the wedding," I replied.

Edward frowned when he caught the edge in my tone. He then gestured for Winnie to step out.

She shrugged and gave him a kick as she walked past him. "Don't start a fight with Sarah. I'll break your leg if you dare to upset her!"

"Alright, alright. You win, okay?" Edward all but ushered Winnie out.

However, his expression hardened as soon as the door closed behind him. "Haven't you made enough of a scene? Can't you take a joke? You ruined our mood last night, and you're planning to drag it into today as well?

"Don't forget, the Hudsons are banking on our five generations of medical prestige to grab half the healthcare business in the country. Keep this up, and you'll blow the deal and walk away with nothing!"

The way Edward was quietly threatening me now was a far cry from the doting act he'd just put on for Winnie.

This was the first time I'd ever seen his abrupt change of mood.

Edward first added me into his friends' group chat three days ago. He said that they were all buddies he grew up with.

At first, I thought it was normal for married couples to learn of each other's friend circles. As such, I'd even introduced my own friends to him without hesitation.

I wasn't expecting Edward's buddies to be different from my friends.

They went wedding dress-shopping together and fooled around with sex toys to the point of being admitted into the hospital. They could even make a celebrated, elite school-trained doctor drop to his knees and roleplay as a dog.

Upon revisiting that thought, I couldn't help but clutch my stomach. I nodded to him and said, "You're right. I was being immature."