Chapter 2

I looked up at her and answered calmly, "Okay. Got it."

Claire, I'm done acting in this love triangle.

My wedding really is still on. The bride just isn't you anymore.

Hearing my lukewarm answer, Claire started lecturing me, irritated. "I'm busy every single day. I don't have time to cater to your moods. If you don't want to get married, then don't. Let's just cancel the wedding."

With that, she left me alone at the mall and drove herself home.

What she didn't know was that the wedding really had been canceled. And I really didn't want to marry her anymore.

I opened my phone. Our chat still ended in a red exclamation mark indicating the message failed. I tried sending another message. Red icon again.

She hadn't even unblocked me. How could she talk about marrying me?

In the past, I would've talked myself into trying harder, into winning her back.

But I was done lying to myself. Her heart had never been with me.

I was about to call a ride home when I got a call from Rachel Moore, the woman I was actually going to marry. She asked me to meet her at a new café.

When she saw my empty hands, she asked, puzzled, "You didn't get the rings?"

I smiled helplessly. "Nothing felt right."

She suddenly pulled out a ring box and set it in front of me. "I brought these back from France. I wasn't sure you'd like them, so I never had the nerve to show you."

I opened it. Inside was a pair of carefully designed matching wedding bands. The men's ring was engraved with my name, the women's with hers. When the two rings were fitted together, their cutouts formed a heart.

It was a love meant for me and me alone—something I'd never had before.

I was so moved I nearly cried. I was about to slip the ring on to show her how grateful I was when Claire called.

"Hey, where are you? I'll send the driver to pick you up so we can get the license."

After the scene we'd just had, she could still talk about getting the license with me.

She was sure I'd forgive her.

Before, whenever we clashed, she always went for the silent treatment first. But within half a day, we'd make up.

Mostly because I caved.

I caved so far that I let Noah come on our dates. I let the passenger seat carry a "Noah's Seat" sticker. I let the car fill up with his figurines.

Everything Claire wore, ate, and used was picked out by Noah. There wasn't a trace of me left on her.

And even that wasn't enough for Noah.

Once, just because Claire was in a meeting and didn't answer his call, he jumped from the second floor of the house and broke his leg.

When Claire found out, she walked away from a deal worth tens of millions and rushed back to be with him.

Then she blamed it all on me—just because I hadn't dropped everything to go look after Noah.

She demanded I apologize to him. When I refused, she berated me for a full day and night, then made me kneel outside Noah's hospital room and repent before she'd forgive me and go through with the wedding. Otherwise, she said, we were over.

I loved her too much back then. I couldn't bear the thought of losing her. So I agreed.

But love shouldn't be ground down like that. Once someone's been hurt enough, they leave.

Thinking back on all of it, I smiled bitterly to myself.

I hung up without a word, put the ring back in its box, said goodbye to Rachel, and headed home.

But the moment I reached the curb, Claire's driver pulled up in front of me.

Claire rolled down the rear window and eyed what I was holding. "What did you just buy?"

I was afraid she'd see the ring box.