Chapter 2

Only after making sure Eric was comfortable did Denise finally turn to me. Her tone was firm, almost accusing.

"If you switch suits, Eric will have to get his hair restyled and his whole look redone. He's already ready. We can't make him go through all that again. Besides, we're running out of time. Just wear what you have for today. I'll buy you a nicer suit afterward."

So she knew we were running out of time.

I was the groom, yet I was standing there in a uniform that made me look like part of the cleaning crew.

I arrived at the dressing room early that morning, expecting Denise to bring my suit and the stylist so I could get ready before the ceremony.

As the hours passed, neither of them showed up.

I called her dozens of times and sent hundreds of messages. She didn't answer a single one.

Two hours later, a security guard finally told me Denise had arrived ages ago. She had taken the entire styling team straight to the groomsmen's lounge.

When I went to find her, Eric was already dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, his hair neatly styled. He looked more like the groom than I did.

I demanded to know what was going on, but Denise acted like it was no big deal.

"I mixed up the rooms, so I figured I'd get Eric ready first. Besides, I had my notifications turned off. If you needed me that badly, why didn't you call?"

I grabbed her phone and opened her call history, showing her all 36 missed calls. Only then did she give me an awkward smile.

"Sorry. I thought those were spam calls."

We had been together for eight years, and she still hadn't even saved my number.

Once again, she expected a casual excuse about mixing things up to make everything alright.

It didn't matter how much time or effort I put into making things work between us. Whenever she let me down, she expected me to brush it off.

If I refused, she would promise to make it up to me next time.

Next time, she would make sure I got ready first. Next time, she would buy me a better suit.

Next time, she would pay more attention and stop getting things mixed up.

I had heard those promises so many times that they meant nothing anymore.

Now, I finally understood.

Denise hadn't been mixing things up all these years. I was the fool who believed she actually wanted to marry me.

Well, I was done waiting for her to get it right.

Eric opened his mouth, apparently ready to smooth things over again, but Denise reached for the ring he was holding and slipped it onto his finger.

"Don't bother arguing with him. You needed something to finish off your look anyway. Since he doesn't want the ring, you might as well wear it."

The simple silver band slid onto Eric's finger without any trouble. It fit him perfectly.

I glanced down at my own hand, where the ring left a deep red mark around my finger.

Denise gave me that engagement ring two years ago, when she finally agreed to marry me. She got the size wrong, but I wore it anyway because I didn't want to make her feel bad. It was so tight that it dug into my skin.

For two years, I put up with the discomfort without saying a word. Even after all that time, the ring never stopped hurting.

I finally understood that wearing a ring for years wouldn't make it fit any better, and that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't force a relationship to work when it was never right to begin with.

I left without another word and texted my boss.

[I've decided to take the project in Marovia.]

He replied almost immediately.

[Aren't you getting married today? The flight leaves in three hours. Should I push it back?]

I glanced through the open doorway and saw Denise standing close to Eric, fastening a luxury watch around his wrist.

It was a limited-edition timepiece with a black diamond-studded bezel, worth a small fortune.

I recognized it immediately. It was the exact watch I had wanted for years.

I had mentioned it to Denise countless times, hoping she would surprise me with it someday. She always brushed me off, saying it was ridiculously expensive and a complete waste of money.

Apparently, it wasn't too expensive for Eric.

I turned away and typed my reply.

[No need. I'm leaving today.]