Chapter 4

My calm, easygoing manner sometimes irritated Laura in a strange, sulky way. She'd stare into my eyes and ask, "I haven't spent time with you in days, and you haven't even bothered to look for me. Are you sulking, or are you actually fine with it?"

I soothed her without a trace of real feeling. "Just been busy lately. As long as I still have a place in your heart, that's all that matters."

She didn't think twice before burrowing into my arms. "As long as you know it, that's all that matters. I just worry you don't."

She even teased me once, half joking. "The three of us living well together beats everything else."

I smiled back, feeling nothing.

Even the night before the wedding, Maxwell called her away to sleep with him again. Less than two hours later, sounds of Laura in distress came from their room. Maxwell called out for me.

"Kyle, you're a doctor. Come check on Laura."

When I went in, Lorraine was already sitting at Laura's bedside, holding her hand and soothing her.

"You'll be fine. Just relax."

Laura looked at me, pitiful and fragile, the moment she saw me come in. "Kyle, you're here. Thank you for coming."

"We're family," Lorraine said. "No need to be so polite about it."

Maxwell pressed me. "Kyle, hurry up and see what's wrong with Laura."

I walked over without any feeling showing and checked her stomach.

"What exactly hurts, and how?"

She made a show of being too embarrassed to say. Lorraine caught on immediately and gave her the nerve to speak.

"Don't be shy. Just say it."

Only then did she force out, bashfully, "Maxwell was a little too rough, and it hurts down there. And I've been feeling some discomfort in my stomach. I'm scared it might affect the baby."

Maxwell looked stricken. "That's on me."

I examined her and found nothing wrong. "The baby's fine, but this kind of thing shouldn't happen again."

Maxwell, deliberately resting a hand on her stomach, said, "But Laura really is in pain. I'm worried something could happen to the baby out of nowhere."

Then, carefully, he added, "Would it be too much trouble to ask Kyle to sit with her a while and keep watch?"

Lorraine backed him up. "Kyle, just sit by the bed and watch over her. Let's get through the night safely first."

I looked at Laura. She didn't object, and told me gently, "Thank you for this."

I answered without any change in my expression. "Fine."

In the dead of night, I sat on a stool by their bed and watched Laura curl up asleep in Maxwell's arms. He shot me a smug, challenging look.

I kept my watch, calm as ever, all the way past midnight. Laura woke up, and seeing how unnervingly composed I still was, sitting there without a flicker of feeling, she finally couldn't help herself.

"You're watching me sleep with another man, and you're not even a little angry?"

I gave her a faint smile. "Not angry. Don't wake Maxwell up."

Her expression turned even uglier, the kind of ugly that came from feeling like I didn't care about her at all. But she didn't say anything else. Her eyes told me she understood me less and less.

I kept my eyes open and stood watch the whole night, yawning again and again, worn down to exhaustion.

When morning came, I forced myself upright and put on my groom's suit. It was the day Laura and I were getting married. She was in good spirits, running a hand over my exhausted face.

"Once the wedding's done, I'll hold you and let you sleep as long as you want."

I gave her a hollow smile and nodded.

Outside, the guests had gathered in a sea of color and celebration, the whole place buzzing with excitement. Just as the ceremony was about to begin and I was heading up to the stage, a wave of dizziness hit me, along with a sudden stab of pain in my stomach.

Laura's eyes filled with worry as she caught me. "Don't be scared, I'll take you to the hospital."

Lorraine and Maxwell rushed over and stopped her.

"The ceremony's starting. The bride and groom can't both just disappear!"

"Kyle's health comes first!" Laura said, frowning.

Lorraine cut in. "I'll have someone take him to the hospital. The wedding can't be canceled. Maxwell can wear the groom's suit and go up on stage. We can't let our family become a laughingstock!"

Laura fell silent, weighing it, and finally let one of her assistants take me to the hospital instead. She bent down and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"Kyle, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you."

Maxwell leaned in close, putting on a show of concern, and said something only the two of us could hear.

"Kyle, you lost. The position of the Marano family's son-in-law is mine now. I'm the only one who'll be Laura's rightful husband."

With that, he made a show of hurrying my assistant to get me to the hospital as fast as possible. He and Laura went on to hold the wedding as groom and bride.

As Maxwell walked toward Laura, taking her hand and walking up onto the stage, beaming, I walked up too, still in my own groom's suit, marriage certificate held high, and spoke into the microphone as forcefully as I could.

"I'm sorry. My wife's and my wedding has to be canceled due to a sudden health issue of mine."