Chapter 2

I didn't go back to the private room. When I got home, I sat on the couch for a long time.

Dawn was approaching when I finally remembered to take off my engagement ring.

The moment I slipped it from my finger, I noticed a string of numbers engraved inside the band. It wasn't my birthday. It was Benjamin's.

…

After sunrise, I took the ring to the jewelry store.

The employee checked their records, and his expression turned awkward. "Mr. Wilson, Miss Natalie personally confirmed the engraving. She said it was a very important date."

I stared at the numbers as my fingertips slowly went cold.

The employee continued explaining in a quiet voice, but I couldn't hear another word. Tears burned my eyes.

I had worn this engagement ring for so long, yet another man's birthday had been engraved inside it.

On my birthday that year, Natalie had suddenly gone to the countryside with Benjamin because he needed to clear his head. She had only sent me some money and told me to buy whatever I wanted.

That night, I had sat alone in a restaurant until closing. When the server asked whether I wanted to take my cake home, I had said no.

But Benjamin's birthday? She remembered it perfectly. She had even had it engraved inside my engagement ring.

As I walked out of the jewelry store, the wedding planner happened to call and ask me to confirm the final rehearsal that afternoon.

I was about to cancel everything outright, but I stopped myself. Suddenly, I wanted to know how many other things about this wedding had been kept from me.

…

When I got home, the living room TV was still connected to the livestream from last night's bar. On the screen was a photo of Natalie and Benjamin standing side by side at the little quickie wedding chapel.

They held up their marriage certificates between them.

The comments kept pouring in.

Veronica: [Now that's what I call a perfect match. They look so much more natural than they did in those pre-wedding photos.]

Kayden: Ben is seriously so handsome. I wish he could be my brother.]

Then he added: [Unlike my actual brother. He's always walking around with that miserable look on his face. It's exhausting just looking at him.]

Benjamin: [Don't say that about your brother. He's just a little sensitive.]

Natalie didn't say anything, but she liked the photo.

I stared at it for a long time before opening the album it had come from.

They had another group chat dedicated to the wedding preparations. It was called "Wedding Surprise Planning Team."

Hannah, Kayden, Veronica, Benjamin, and even my parents were in it.

The only person missing was me, the groom.

My mother had once written in the group: [Logan has always been sensitive. Don't ask him about everything. If you ask too much, he'll just get anxious.]

My father had replied: [Getting the wedding done is what matters. Don't give the relatives anything to laugh about.]

I stared at those two messages, my chest tightening until I could barely breathe.

When I was little, whenever Kayden broke something, my parents always told me to let it go. Now, even when it came to my own wedding, they still expected me to give in.

Just then, the door opened.

Natalie had brought Benjamin back to pick up his bag.

The moment he walked in, he glanced at me and smiled as if nothing had happened. "Hey, are you still mad? I told you last night. It's just a piece of paper.

"Natalie and I have been buddies for years. We were just messing around."

He patted Natalie on the shoulder. "You'd better comfort him later. Don't actually make him mad enough to leave."

He walked over to the coffee table, picked up a sample of my wedding bouquet, and studied it for a moment.

"White roses would actually look more elegant, but whatever. If you like lily of the valley, then lily of the valley it is.

"I'm just saying. Don't think I'm trying to interfere with your wedding again," he claimed.

My fingers went still.

I was allergic to rose pollen. A bad reaction could leave me covered in a red rash, and Natalie knew that.

But she avoided my gaze. "He's always had good taste. Switching to white roses isn't a bad idea."

Benjamin immediately gave her a playful tap. "Don't get me in trouble. Your hubby will think I'm picking on him again."

The two of them played off each other as if my discomfort were nothing more than another example of me making a big deal out of nothing.

I looked at Natalie. "Is this my wedding, or are you two planning Benjamin's wedding?"

Natalie's brows immediately furrowed. "Logan, why are you talking like that?

"Benjamin was only trying to help. Do you really have to assume the worst about everyone?"

With that, she left with him, clearly impatient.

The wedding planner called again.

He sounded hesitant. "Mr. Wilson, I just wanted to confirm something. Should we continue altering the backup suit Mr. Henderson tried on last night so it fits him properly?

"Our notes say it's the backup suit for the wedding reception activities."

I tightened my grip on the phone, suddenly unable to speak.

So after they got married last night, they'd already prepared a wedding suit for him too.