Chapter 4

Edwin and I had been together for five years now. Even though I'd unilaterally called off the wedding, I still thought it was only right for me to tell him about it in person. It would at least serve as a proper and respectable ending to this pathetic excuse of a relationship.

But when I woke up the next morning, Edwin wasn't in the house. For once, though, he'd actually sent me a message.

"Mellie wants to spend the day at the newly opened hot springs resort. I'll accompany her for a while and come back to the house this afternoon."

I stared at the message for a long time before replying, "Didn't I tell you last night that I needed to tell you something?"

A response came right away. "Don't make such a big deal out of it."

That was all I needed to know that it was the AI program, not Edwin himself, that was responding to my messages again.

I didn't bother answering. Instead, I got out of bed and started packing my things. There really wasn't much to pack anyway. Despite having lived in this apartment for five years, the things that were truly mine could fit into a single suitcase.

Afternoon soon passed into night, and Edwin still wasn't back. A little after 8:00 pm, I saw Melissa's social media update.

She'd posted a picture of the resort taken at night, the lights sparkling in the background as she flashed a peace sign at the camera. The caption read, "It's so fun here! I can't bear to leave. I'm so glad Eddie is here to keep me company."

Someone commented, "I heard a room at the resort costs a few grand per night. You really splurged, huh?"

Melissa responded with a shy emoji, saying, "Nothing's worth more than my happiness! Besides, Eddie's paying."

As I stared at the screen, everything suddenly made sense to me. Edwin must've told Melissa that I wanted to talk to him about something. That was why she picked today of all days to ask him to take her to the hot springs resort.

She probably assumed I was just going to bother Edwin with the wedding plans again. As it was, she'd been doing that ever since we started planning the wedding.

On the day of our menu tasting, she had a stomachache. When we were supposed to choose our wedding invitations, she said her computer broke down.

And when we toured wedding venues, she said there was a power outage at her apartment, and she was scared to be alone.

Over time, Edwin simply stopped participating in anything related to our wedding planning.

Well, I was indeed going to tell him about something involving the wedding. Only this time, I was going to inform him that the wedding had been called off.

…

Even on the next day, there was still no sign of Edwin.

I texted him. "Are you coming back today?"

"Mm-hmm."

"I've got something extremely important to talk about."

"Got it."

"If you don't come back today, there will be consequences."

"Don't make such a big deal out of it."

All three responses I got were the automated ones sent by the AI program.

Even after midnight, there was still no new message from Edwin.

If things had proceeded according to plan, I should've been asleep in a suite at the hotel by now, getting a good night's rest so I would look my best for my wedding tomorrow. My wedding gown should've been hung up in the closet, and the hotel ballroom would've been fully decorated for the ceremony.

But instead, I was standing alone in an empty apartment, my suitcase leaning against the door.

My phone lit up.

At last, Edwin sent me a message.

"I'll arrive at the hotel ballroom on time tomorrow. I don't have a lot of time to spare in the morning. I need to join Mellie on her morning run. Let's keep everything simple and skip all the unnecessary fluff, like the groom's first look and the photo session. Just make sure you're there on time, too."

Even on his wedding day, he still planned to go running with another woman. Edwin was probably the only man who'd do something like that.

This time, I was the one who didn't reply. I blocked his number and deleted it. Then, I grabbed the suitcase I'd packed long ago and called a cab, heading straight to the airport.

I'd booked a flight out of Rivermere five days ago, the same day I canceled all of the wedding bookings.

In the last five years, if Edwin had so much as prioritized me just once, perhaps the flight ticket might've gone unused.

Alas, he didn't.

To put it precisely, not once throughout the past five years did he ever prioritize me.

…

When the flight landed in Crestshire, I got myself a hotel room and had a restful sleep.

Meanwhile, back in Rivermere, it was almost 10:00 am when Edwin arrived at the hotel with Melissa and his relatives from the Howell family.

But there was nothing in the hotel lobby that made it seem like a wedding was happening at the hotel today—no flowers, no welcome sign, and no portrait of the wedding couple.

Frowning, Edwin stopped one of the hotel staff and asked, "Which ballroom is the wedding ceremony in? We're with the groom."

The hotel staff member froze and checked the records in confusion.

"We don't have a wedding scheduled today."

Then, she remembered something and smacked her forehead. "Oh, there was one, but it was canceled five days ago."