Chapter 3

Chester glanced at me lying asleep on the bed and clicked his tongue. "I wish daylight didn't exist. I don't want to waste my time on her."

Felix patted his shoulder. "Chester, just hang in there for two more days. You'll be free soon."

Chester nodded. "Yeah, same for you. You don't have to force yourself through it anymore."

Felix froze for a moment, but Chester didn't even notice the former's expression.

…

When I opened my eyes again, Chester was perched at the edge of the bed, casually sipping his coffee.

"Time to get up. Don't you remember? We're trying on wedding dresses today."

I mechanically threw back the covers, quickly washed up, and followed him to the car.

The ride was silent. Chester seemed a little surprised. After all, I used to cling to him and make a fuss nonstop.

At the bridal shop, I wandered through the dresses absentmindedly, while Chester ignored me entirely, absorbed in his chat screen.

"Let's go with this one," I said, pointing randomly at a dress.

Just as the sales assistant was about to wrap the dress, a familiar voice cut through the air. "I like this one, too!"

The moment Giselle appeared, Chester's eyes snapped to her.

All the years of humiliation and resentment surged at the sight of her. I turned to the assistant. "Wrap it for me."

The assistants glanced at each other nervously. I threw my card onto the counter and pressed, "I said wrap it up. I saw this dress first."

Giselle said nothing. She just crossed her arms and watched Chester on the couch.

He put down his newspaper and approached me, pressing his hand onto mine. "It's only a wedding dress. If you don't have the patience for something this trivial, you're not worthy of being the lady of the Miller family," he said coldly.

The assistants had hesitated at first because they feared the Miller family's power. When they saw Chester siding with Giselle, they immediately smiled and handed her the wrapped wedding dress.

Just as she was about to pay, Chester stepped forward, snatched my card, and handed it to the assistant. "I'll take care of her wedding dress."

I stared at him in disbelief.

If it were the past, I would have broken down, unable to understand why he would side with someone who humiliated me.

Now, it was all perfectly clear.

After years of calculated closeness and endless lies spanning days and nights, giving up a single wedding dress meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I walked toward the door.

Suddenly, Giselle grabbed my hand and dropped the wrapped dress at my feet.

She looked down at me with a smug smile. "Looks like you really wanted this dress, so I'll be generous and give it to you. Stop crying. Men hate it when women just sit there and bawl. Am I right, Mr. Miller?"

Chester didn't respond. He simply instructed the assistant to pick up the dress bag and hand it to me. "Let's go. Don't make a scene out here."

That was it. I lost control and flung the dress bag straight at him.

Both Chester and Giselle froze in shock.

Chester was the first to recover. He ran after me. "Miranda, what are you doing? It's just a dress!"

I shrugged off his hand and stared at him through tear-filled eyes. "Just a wedding dress? Chester, ask yourself—was it really just a wedding dress?

"If you think I'm embarrassing myself, if you think I'm overreacting, then let's not get married! I don't need a wedding dress anymore. Fine by me, fine by you!"

Chester had never seen me like this. In the past, a single frown from him would make me immediately submit.

For the first time, panic flickered across his usually stoic face. He reached out and grabbed my shoulder. "Calm down!"

I shrugged his hand off.

"Miranda!"

Frustration laced his voice, but I didn't look back, leaving him only with the sight of my resolute back.

Having lost my parents early, I had always been starved for love, and Chester was the first person to give it to me. He mattered to me, even more than myself.

I had always obeyed him. Even when he asked me to do things I didn't like—like the strange games he liked in bed—I went along with them, just to make him happy.

It was clear now—Chester and Felix had always expected me to follow their every command. I wasn't going to do it anymore.

Chester's frown deepened. "Didn't they say she was dutiful? Looks like she's not exactly obedient."

Giselle linked her arm with his and said softly, "Chester, I know you love me, but it's clear you don't like her. Just put up with it for a couple of days for my sake."

Chester nodded slightly and turned his gaze away. "I'll handle it. We'll stick to the plan."