Chapter 1

"He just slinked off the stage like that?"

"What else was he supposed to do? He was always just Charles's stand-in. Things are finally back where they belong."

"Look at them. They're perfect together."

Following the direction of the guests' gazes, I looked toward the stage.

Zara Moody and Charles Tingey walked side by side, their fingers tightly intertwined. They looked like something out of a fairytale. They were both stunning, a perfect match.

The ceremony hadn't started yet.

Staff members kept walking onto the stage, replacing the signs and decorations around the hall. They even handed out brand new invitations to everyone.

I got one, too.

When I opened it, the bride's name was still Zara.

But the groom's name had changed to Charles.

Zara noticed everything.

She knew perfectly well that Charles's earlier suicide attempt had just been a jealous stunt to get her attention. Still, she shot him an indulgent look.

"Charles, you're way too reckless," she said, half scolding. "You're not allowed to do that again. What if you actually hurt yourself?"

All her concern was focused on whether Charles might get injured.

She had completely forgotten that this wedding had been meant for me.

It was a reward she promised after I gave up my professional career.

She also didn't know that marrying her had been the wish I wrote down every year on my birthday and sealed inside a glass bottle, a wish I never had the courage to show her.

Only after every trace of me had been erased from the venue did the ceremony finally begin.

But when it came time to exchange rings, Charles suddenly refused to continue.

After Zara asked him several times, he finally spoke, his voice hesitant.

"I've been sick for years. I don't really have friends anymore. I wanted Joseph to be my best man, but I was worried it might offend him."

All eyes turned toward me.

I looked straight at Zara.

My wedding had already been taken from me. I had already become the evening's entertainment.

Did she really expect me to stand on that stage and watch her marry someone else?

When Zara saw the once bright, carefree boy standing there so nervously, her eyes reddened again. She looked at me with quiet pleading.

"Joseph, you already gave up the wedding," she said softly. "Being the best man shouldn't be a big deal, right?"

I almost forgot.

Charles had disappeared years ago after faking his death during the height of their relationship.

Zara chose me because she could never forget him.

I was just the substitute.

Now, the man she truly loved had come back.

And somehow, I still foolishly hoped she might love me, even just a little.

I swallowed the bitterness rising in my chest and asked her, "Does this count as one of the things I've done for you?"

Zara frowned, irritation flashing across her face, as if she felt she had forgotten something important.

She looked like she wanted to ask a question, but Charles looked so anxious that he was practically about to cry, so she let it go.

"Yes," she said. "It counts."

I nodded. "Alright. I'll do it."

Years ago, my grandmother and I only had each other.

When she fell gravely ill, Zara appeared out of nowhere. She hired the best doctors in the world and arranged the most expensive hospital suite.

Because of Zara, my grandmother lived another year. She passed away peacefully, smiling.

On the day my grandmother died, I asked Zara how I could ever repay what she had done. Her gaze lingered on my face for a long time.

"Just stay with me. That's enough."

But I could tell. She wasn't really looking at me. She was looking through me, at someone else.

"There should be a deadline, Ms. Moody," I said to her.

"Call me Zara."