Chapter 2

The teasing remark sent the already noisy private room into an uproar, and countless eyes turned toward me.

I glanced at Gillian instinctively, but she didn't even look at me. Instead, she was staring at Jude as if begging him for help.

My chest clenched. My lashes fluttered as I looked away in embarrassment.

How could I have forgotten? Gillian had married Jude, not me.

Seeing how excited everyone was, I killed the mood in an instant. "Why look at me? I'm not the groom. Jude is."

A heavy silence fell over the room. Everyone knew what was going on between Gillian and Jude.

Gillian's expression darkened. "Thomas, why would you say that? I already told you. Jude and I are just trying this out for you. He's my brother. Are you seriously getting jealous of him?"

There was nothing but annoyance in her eyes, as if I were the one making a scene for no reason. But after all these years, was I really the one being unreasonable?

She always said Jude was just her brother, so sleeping in the same bed with him even as adults was apparently nothing unusual.

She would hold his hand in public, let people mistake them for a couple, and never even bother to correct them. That was fine, too. So was giving him her engagement ring, wearing her wedding dress for him, and marrying him.

What was left that wasn't okay then?

Was it wrong for me to hold a grudge? Was it wrong to feel hurt or angry? Obviously, I wasn't even allowed to tell the truth anymore. How ridiculous.

My eyes stung, so I quickly turned away, blinking back the tears.

I was about to say something when Jude spoke up, "Gill, I was only trying to help. I didn't mean to upset Thomas."

He kept his eyes down, a strained smile on his face. "I really didn't mean anything by it. I just didn't want you to regret it later. If Thomas isn't comfortable with it, we can just get a—"

"No, Jude," Gillian immediately cut him off. "You didn't do anything wrong. We agreed to do it for three days, so three days it is."

She sighed and looked at me. "Thomas, you agreed to let my brother try this for you. So why are you taking shots at him now? Show him some respect and apologize. Then, we can put this behind us."

She made it sound like I was doing myself a favor by letting me apologize to Jude. I couldn't help but laugh. This wasn't the first time she'd expected me to back down.

In the past, I would have argued with her for hours to make her understand that I deserved to be defended too.

Every time, she'd end up hugging me, crying with guilt, promising she'd never take Jude's side again. But every time, she broke that promise all the same.

After eight years of arguing over this, I didn't want to do it anymore.

I pressed my lips together, took a deep breath, and stood up. "Fine. I was wrong."

I was wrong for not seeing sooner how much she favored Jude. I was wrong for believing, time and time again, that she would change.

Fortunately, I'd come to my senses before it was too late.

Gillian froze. She'd gotten the apology she'd asked for, but for some reason, it left a bad taste in her mouth.

While she was still standing there, dazed, I grabbed my phone and headed for the door. She quickly snapped out of it and tried to follow, but Jude caught her by the wrist. "Gillian, everyone's waiting for…"

I didn't catch the rest of what he said. When I turned around, I saw him cup the back of Gillian's head and pull her close. She didn't push him away.

My hand froze in my pocket. A sudden ringing filled my ears, and for a moment, my mind went blank.

A hollow ache had settled in my chest, making it hard to breathe.

Gillian suddenly stepped back. The confusion in her eyes vanished the instant she saw me. She rushed over.

"Thomas…"

I stepped back, dodging her hand. Just hearing her voice made my stomach turn. I tossed a bank card onto the table, cutting her off before she could say anything. "Consider this a wedding gift for you and Jude."

The card contained the money Gillian had set aside for our wedding. Now, I was returning it to her, untouched.

Without waiting for a response, I walked out of the room like I couldn't wait to get away. The moment I stepped outside, tears spilled over.

Behind me, frantic footsteps came rushing down the hall. "Thomas Sawyer!"