Chapter 5

I took a deep breath, lifted my foot, and stepped firmly over the shattered bracelet.

…

In the days that followed, I moved back into the Bennett residence and threw myself into wedding preparations.

Three days before the ceremony, I finalized all the details with the hotel. The coordinator told me the roses had been replaced with sunflowers.

"Mr. Henderson said sunflowers are your favorite. He wants you to have only the best."

Warmth swelled in my chest. I sent a message to Scott, who was still abroad.

[The sunflowers look beautiful. I love them. Thanks.]

At the same time, Gerald's social media had a new update. It was a photo of him vacationing at the beach with Belinda.

Golden sunshine and a white sandy beach. It was the seaside trip I had begged him for over five years and never once received, yet Belinda had gotten it without even asking.

Two days before the wedding, Scott sent over the full guest list. The extensive yet clear list showed me just how much he valued this day.

Elena texted me, too, saying she had not been able to reach Gerald for an entire day.

On the final day before the wedding, Scott spent a fortune flying in a diamond-studded gown from overseas.

Under the light, I brushed my hand along the dreamy fabric and, all of a sudden, felt a flicker of excitement for tomorrow.

Then my phone lit up. It was a message from Gerald.

[The code lock at home died. Do you still have a spare key?]

The chat window was mostly filled with green message bubbles, each one a message from me to him. The last time he had texted me was two months ago.

I smiled faintly, then set the phone down and let the notification chime continue doing its own thing.

…

On my wedding day, luxury cars crowded the hotel entrance. Reporters from over a hundred media outlets camped outside, eager for the first scoop on the Henderson family wedding.

I sat before the vanity mirror as the makeup artist painted my face into perfection, layer by layer. It felt like the pain and shadows of the past were being slowly stripped away with each brush stroke.

Meanwhile, my phone was still going strong with message notifications coming from Gerald.

[Nessa, how did you string the bracelet you gave me? What if a bead breaks?]

[Don't get me wrong. I didn't pick it back up. I just want to make one for Belinda as a gift.]

[Nessa, answer me!]

[When did you learn to play hard to get?]

…

The notifications kept chiming nonstop.

Without hesitation, I picked up my phone, erased our entire chat history, and blacklisted his contact.

Over at the Cooper residence, Gerald stared at the undelivered message flashing on his screen. He wanted to throw the salvaged bracelet back into the trash but could not bring himself to.

His hand clenched tighter around the beads, his heart growing reckless, out of control.

Just then, Elena came downstairs in full makeup, dressed elegantly. She paused at the sight of her brother standing frozen.

"Gerald, why aren't you dressed yet? You're not seriously planning to show up at Nyssa's wedding like that, are you?"