Chapter 4

Caleb's POV

When I went downstairs, the car I had driven here was already gone. Tyra had taken it to the hospital, not bothering to ask whether I needed it or how I was supposed to get home in the middle of the night.

I tried calling a ride over and over, but no one accepted the request.

My finger was already swelling badly, so I gave up on going to the hospital and ducked into a small clinic instead.

When the tetanus shot pierced my arm, I clenched my teeth against the pain. Desperate for distraction, I opened social media. Jeremiah's latest post popped up first.

"First tetanus shot of my life. That crap hurts! Good thing someone took the pain away for me."

The photo showed Tyra's face in profile, complete with a bite mark. There was even a fond smile hanging on her lips.

She always said a perfect boyfriend was a man who knew how to be independent and take care of himself.

So, even when my gastritis pain was so bad I almost passed out, she ignored my pleas to go to the hospital. Instead, she sent me a link to order painkillers.

I thought that after years of her strict standards, I had built up a pretty high pain tolerance, but apparently not—my eyes still stung with tears.

The doctor paused, then gently pulled out the needle and told me to stay for observation. I nodded, but my eyes drifted back to the comments below Jeremiah's post.

"Didn't move a muscle during the shot. Perfect. 100 points for you. And here's the trip you've always wanted."

I opened the screenshot attached to the comment. It was a pair of tickets for a trip to Ritzland. My fingers hovered above the screen, frozen. For a long time, I couldn't bring myself to move.

This was supposed to be my honeymoon trip with Tyra.

Our wedding had failed for seven years, so that trip had also been postponed for just as long. She always said we could buy new tickets once the old ones expired, but we couldn't break the rules.

No one was allowed to let personal feelings get in the way of our perfect marriage.

Yet now, Tyra had turned our honeymoon into a prize and given it to another man. Could secondhand happiness still be called perfect? I had no idea.

I wiped away my tears and left a comment. "Have a safe trip. We're over."

All I knew was that I didn't want a secondhand honeymoon, and the same applied to the person.

The next second, Tyra started spamming me with calls. I kept rejecting her calls, so she went crazy with the messages.

"Was it fun making a scene under Jeremiah's post? Are you even reflecting on what you did?"

"He was generous enough to forgive you, so I gave him a trip as an apology. That's only fair. Don't make such a big deal out of it."

"Rule number one of the Perfect Boyfriend Handbook—always reply promptly. Minus five points."

Eventually, she seemed to compromise a little. "Be there at the airport at 10:00 am tomorrow. If you're on time, you can come with us."

I ignored her one-sided decision, then blocked and deleted both her and Jeremiah.

Then, I opened my client's message. "Our flight got moved up. We're leaving tomorrow morning."

"Okay."

I spent the night at the clinic, then took a cab back to the rental first thing in the morning. I grabbed my suitcase and headed straight to the airport.

While waiting for my flight, I spotted Tyra staring at me in disbelief. I glanced at my watch. It was only 7:00 am.

She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Jeremiah's excited voice came from behind her, "Caleb, are you coming with us too?"

He came rushing over with his suitcase, looking like he had barely made it there himself.

Tyra swallowed whatever she had been about to say and replied coldly, "No. He's late again."

As expected, her concept of time and punctuality was only lenient when it came to Jeremiah.

From the appointment she had pushed back by three hours to the blatant favoritism right in front of me, she had never intended to let me intrude on their little world.

After a brief pause, Tyra sighed helplessly. She pulled the wedding ring from her pocket, wiped it clean, and gently slipped it onto my ring finger.

"Be good. Jeremiah and I will be back in seven days. Get the wedding ready. I'll be there on time," she said matter-of-factly. "Now, don't be difficult. I won't dock you for being late either, okay?"

She still believed I was the same man who would foolishly wait for her, get jealous and throw a fit over her interactions with Jeremiah, and be easily placated by a single promise from her.

Unbeknownst to her, she was wrong.

Once I had made up my mind to leave, even an explanation felt like too much effort.

I watched them walk away. Then, I took off the ring and dropped it into the trash. After that, I turned and walked toward another security checkpoint, toward a future without her.

…

Third-Person POV

A week later, Tyra rushed straight to the wedding hall the second her plane landed. As promised, she arrived on time.

The moment she walked in, she froze. The hall was empty—no wedding, no guests. A wave of unease washed over her.

She hurriedly grabbed the venue manager by the arm. "Isn't today the Fishers' wedding? Where's everyone?"

The manager looked confused. "The Fishers? Mr. Fisher canceled all his upcoming wedding bookings a week ago. I heard he already left the country."