Chapter 3

With my travel plans settled, I headed straight for the exit.

Behind me, I heard Eric's footsteps quicken as he hurried after me.

"Cody, hold up!"

A moment later, Denise's heels clicked against the floor.

"Eric, slow down. You're gonna trip!"

As we passed through the venue, guests and staff members greeted us with smiles and congratulations.

"There's the handsome groom!"

"Look at you two! What a beautiful couple!"

At first, Eric seemed a little caught off guard by the compliments. Soon, he was laughing along and teasing Denise for making such a fuss over him.

I noticed he wasn't in much of a hurry to catch up with me anymore. He even stopped a few times when people asked to take pictures.

Denise seemed perfectly happy to play along. She slipped her arm through his and smiled for the cameras.

I never knew she enjoyed taking pictures so much.

Whenever I tried to post a picture of us on our anniversaries, she refused. She wouldn't even let me share a photo with her hand in it.

Once the last group of guests moved on, Eric finally caught up and threw an arm around my shoulders.

"Come on, man. You're not seriously still mad, are you? Denise only gave me your ring because she thought it was too plain for you. Don't read too much into it."

He lowered his voice.

"Besides, wait till you see the wedding rings she picked out. She flew to five different countries just to find the right stones."

I turned to Denise. She shifted uncomfortably and looked away.

"Remember that ruby you liked on our seventh anniversary?" she said. "I figured I'd go all out and get you something special."

Then she quickly added, "And don't worry. Eric helped me double-check everything. There's no way I mixed anything up this time."

I looked at her for a long moment, fighting the sting in my eyes.

"Okay," I said quietly.

Eric immediately perked up and urged Denise to show me the rings.

"Seriously, Cody, she's got great taste. You should see the quality of that stone. The way it catches the light is..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

Inside the box sat two cheap plastic rings, each topped with an oversized fake diamond. They looked like something you would win from a vending machine.

Eric's smile disappeared. He turned to Denise, clearly rattled.

"Wait, what? These aren't the right rings. How'd you mess this up again?" He pointed at the box. "Aren't these those cheap souvenir rings we picked up in Flintwyn? What are they doing in the wedding ring box?"

Denise went pale. She glanced at me, then quickly looked away.

"I… I was checking the sizes and forgot to put them back. I must've left the real rings at home..."

Denise stumbled through her explanation, but I barely heard a word. Something Eric just said caught my attention.

"Wait. When did you two go to Flintwyn?" I asked.

Eric answered without hesitation. "Last month, when you were away on business. Remember? Denise won that trip for two to five countries, so she invited me along."

I turned to Denise, stunned.

What Eric didn't know was that Denise never won that trip. I did.

At our company's midyear awards ceremony, the grand prize was an all-expenses-paid, seven-day vacation for two, with stops in five different countries.

I had worked myself to the bone for six months to win it.

I stayed late almost every night, volunteered for extra assignments, and attended countless business dinners where I was expected to drink with clients. I even ended up in the hospital more than once after drinking too much.

I had done it all because I wanted to take Denise on the honeymoon she deserved.

But last month, while I was away on business, Denise sent me a message. She claimed she got the tickets mixed up and accidentally used our travel vouchers.

I never imagined she took the vacation I worked so hard to earn and brought my best friend instead.

Eric was still telling Denise to hurry home and get the right rings, but I couldn't bring myself to care anymore.

Eight years of trying to make this relationship work finally caught up with me. I was tired of the arguments, the excuses, and constantly coming second.

Suddenly, I didn't even have the energy to be angry.

"Don't bother," I said.

I turned and walked away.