Chapter 2

That evening, David still came over to comfort me.

When he pushed the door open, I had just shoved my suitcase into the closet.

He saw it, but didn't pay it any mind. Instead, he wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"Still mad?"

I said nothing.

He turned me around, the pad of his thumb brushing against the corner of my eye. "About the ring, Eva went over the line. But she was just worried about you, too."

I raised my eyes to look at him.

David paused, his voice softening. "If you really don't like it, I'll have someone remake it tomorrow, engraved with only your name. How's that?"

If this were the past, I probably would have been swayed by those words. Now, all I felt was pure exhaustion.

He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Come home with me tomorrow. You ought to meet my parents before the wedding."

My instinct was to refuse. However, I knew that if I brought up leaving now, it would only trigger a wave of questions and obstacles from them.

There were still twenty-six days left before my program started. All I needed to do was go through the motions, and when the time came, I could leave quietly without a trace.

So I nodded. "Okay."

Before heading out the next day, I made sure to buy gifts. I picked up the pastries David's mom, Mary, loved, the wine David's dad, Henry, usually drank, and a tennis bracelet for his grandmother. After being together for so many years, even if it was ending, I wanted to end things with dignity.

Yet when the car pulled up to the Morenos' house, I saw Eva already out in the yard, accompanying Grandma Moreno to enjoy the sun.

The ring on her hand hadn't been taken off. In the bright sunlight, it gleamed glaringly.

Mary came out of the house, chuckling affectionately at her. "You silly girl, you're so thoughtful."

Eva’s eyes crinkled as she smiled. "Mary, you're flattering me so much I'm getting embarrassed."

After she spoke, she acted as if she had just noticed me. "Leah, you're here!"

Carrying the gifts, I walked over and greeted everyone politely. Mary took the bags without so much as a second glance, pulling Eva along with a warm smile. "You said you wanted barbecue ribs earlier, so I told the cook to add it to the menu."

Eva looked at me sheepishly and said with an apologetic tone, "Leah, please don't take it the wrong way. I really didn't mean to take your place. I was just worried you'd be nervous for your first visit, so I wanted to test the waters first and see if Henry and Mary were easy to get along with."

She paused, then broke into another smile. "They took to me right away, so I'm sure they'll love you just as much!"

I nodded smoothly. "That's great."

Her expression froze for a split second, clearly not expecting that I wouldn't be upset.

During dinner, Mary insisted that Eva sit right next to her, with David on Eva's other side, while I sat across from them.

In the middle of the meal, Mary suddenly asked, "Have you picked out your wedding dress yet?"

David glanced at me. "We haven't settled on one yet."

Eva chimed in instantly. "Leah has such fair skin. She'd look gorgeous in satin. I tried it on for her already."

As if remembering something, Mary turned around and had the housekeeper bring out a velvet box. "This is an heirloom piece passed down from David's grandmother, originally meant for our future daughter-in-law."

She opened the box to reveal a diamond tennis bracelet. Then, completely naturally, she reached out and pulled Eva’s hand toward her. "Try it on for Leah first, just to see if it fits."

Eva's fingertips trembled slightly, but she didn't pull back. The diamond tennis bracelet slid over her wrist—a perfect fit.

Grandma Moreno couldn't stop smiling. "Oh my, look at that! A perfect fit."

Mary was taken aback for a second before laughing softly. "It really does look like it was made for you."

Eva blushed before looking over at me in a panic. "Leah, don't overthink this! I'm just trying it on for you."

I looked at the ring on her hand, and then at the diamond tennis bracelet on her wrist. Suddenly, the entire scene struck me as absurdly hilarious.

David frowned. "Leah." He was probably terrified I would throw a scene right then and there.

Instead, I simply put down my fork and said calmly, "It fits really well."

The entire table fell silent for a moment. Eva’s eyes welled up with tears again, and David’s gaze turned cold as he shot me a warning look not to embarrass her.

However, I didn't care anymore.

After dinner, Mary saw us to the door. I was walking behind them when I heard her lower her voice to David. "Honestly, Eva is such a sweet girl. If you weren't set on marrying Leah, I'd really love to have her as my daughter-in-law."

Eva heard it, too. She turned around abruptly, her face going slightly pale. "Mary, please don't say that. Leah will feel hurt."

Mary smiled and patted the back of her hand. "Her health is fragile, and she overthinks things easily. Be more considerate of her in the future."

On the drive back, David finally broke the silence. "My mom was just talking off the cuff."

I stared out the window. "Mm."

"I'll give you the bracelet later."

"Mm."

Seemingly irritated by my total calm, his tone hardened. "Leah, can you stop acting like you're the most wronged person in the world?"

I let out a cold laugh, keeping my eyes fixed on the flight booking screen on my phone.

It was almost time to leave.