Chapter 5

I ignored Rebecca's guilt trip, keeping my gaze locked on Alisson.

"First off, the fire wasn't big. The smoke was bad, but we would've found the exit ourselves. You rushing in was nice, but you didn't 'save our lives.'

"Second, insignificant things? In your book, what actually counts as significant? When Rhett wanted you to celebrate his birthday, you canceled our long-planned graduation trip. Was that insignificant?

"When Rhett felt down, you ran over to comfort him in the middle of the night while I was hospitalized with acute appendicitis. Was leaving me alone like that something insignificant?

"When Rhett needed inspiration, you put on the custom wedding dress I paid for, brought your bridesmaids, and got down on your knees commando for him. Was that insignificant?

"Rhett convinced you to go missing on our wedding day, leaving me waiting at the altar all day to be mocked by every single guest. Was that insignificant?"

With every question, Alisson's face drained of color.

"Alisson, look me in the eye and tell me. All these years, you chose Rhett over me again and again, leaving me hurt every single time. Do you really think none of that mattered?

"Let's put ourselves in each other's shoes. If I brought my childhood female friend and her friends, skipped our wedding, and took photos like those, how would you feel?"

Alisson's eyes darted around. Her lips quivered, but she couldn't find a real comeback. She could only force a weak defense.

"That's completely different! What we have with Rhett is pure artistic expression! Your mind is just filthy! When you're dirty, everything you see looks dirty!

"We were just postponing the wedding, not canceling it! What's the huge deal? If Rhett didn't turn in his graduation project, his advisor would tear him apart! Do you have any idea how important that was for him?

"You don't get art! You don't understand Rhett's genius! All you know how to do is make money! Strip that away, and you're nothing!"

She grew more worked up by the second, acting like she was the one who had been wronged.

"I didn't do anything wrong! None of us did! You're the one in the wrong for being so petty!"

As I watched her get completely lost in her delusion, I almost found it funny.

I simply nodded along. "You're right. Postponing a wedding really isn't that big of a deal."

Alisson clearly didn't expect me to yield so easily. The rage on her face froze, replaced by a flash of shock and relief.

She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the storm had passed.

I looked straight at her, enunciating every word slowly and clearly. "So, let's call off the engagement entirely. We haven't registered our marriage anyway."

The hurt in Alisson's eyes was finally gone, replaced by genuine panic.

She grabbed my arm with a desperate grip. "Call off the engagement? Terrence Chaney, are you out of your mind? Over a couple of photos? Over a stupid little misunderstanding?

"You're really just throwing away all the years we've spent together? You're overreacting! You're being too sensitive! I told you, it was art! Nothing happened between us! You can't destroy everything we built over something so insignificant!"

She was still trying to convince me, or perhaps herself.

In her eyes, betrayal and deceit really were just "insignificant matters".

I didn't bother arguing with her anymore. We saw things so differently that there was no way to bridge the gap anymore.