Chapter 3

I dragged my suitcase to Rowena's office.

Three years ago, I'd given up a government job to become her assistant. She'd said she needed me, and that was all it took for me to work for her.

Now, I stood outside the HR department and handed in my resignation.

As I passed Rowena's office on my way out, I noticed the door was slightly ajar.

Lucas was sitting on the edge of her desk. He casually tore a page from one of the reports, folded it into a paper airplane, and sent it sailing across the room.

He knocked over a cup of coffee, spilling it all over a contract.

Rowena didn't even frown. She simply watched him with a smile.

Last year, I'd accidentally gotten a single drop of ink on a contract, and she'd chewed me out in front of the entire office.

Yet now, she simply bent down, picked up the soaked paper airplane, and told Lucas indulgently, "Careful. Don't give yourself a paper cut."

So much for her high standards, her rules, and all those boundaries. Apparently, they had only ever applied to me.

Lucas coughed a few more times, and Rowena immediately held a glass of water out to him.

"The doctor told you to stick to warm water. Stop drinking everything ice-cold," she chided.

"I'm not that fragile. When I was overseas, I never made a big deal out of little things like this."

"Quit pretending you're fine. In a couple of days, your stomach will start acting up again."

"You still remember?"

The tips of Rowena's ears turned pink, but she didn't answer.

My heart sank.

The first time I'd ever seen her blush had been after we'd slept together. She'd held me in her arms and promised, "Hansel, I'll always be yours."

I'd believed that someone as distant and reserved as Rowena had slowly begun to soften because of me.

Now, I finally realized that I hadn't changed her at all. I'd only been a placeholder, someone to fill the space while she waited for the person she truly wanted to come back.

I turned around and left.

When I reached the lobby downstairs, Lucas caught up to me.

"I heard you're quitting. What happens to the wedding if you leave?" he asked.

I studied him for a long moment. "Isn't that exactly what you wanted?"

Without warning, Lucas threw himself backward and landed flat on the pavement. His elbow scraped across the concrete, leaving a dirty gray streak across the cuff of his suit.

Then, he looked past me. "Rowena, don't be mad. I'm sure Hansel didn't mean to push me."

Rowena came rushing toward us, her eyes already red.

I instinctively stepped back, only to catch sight of a car speeding straight toward us from the corner of my eye.

Rowena saw it, too. Panic flashed across her face. She grabbed my wrist and yanked me toward the side of the road, throwing me clear of the car's path.

But she didn't manage to get out of the way herself. The sickening thud of the car hitting her felt like a physical blow to my chest.

I stared at Rowena lying in a pool of blood, too stunned to know what to do.

Three summers ago, I was traveling through the mountains near Jevora when a landslide struck.

A rock came tumbling straight toward me.

Back then, Rowena had thrown herself at me and shoved me out of the way, taking the impact against her spine instead.

She spent three months in the hospital, and the doctors told her she would never be able to go mountain climbing again.

I'd asked her why she'd risked her life for someone she'd barely known. She'd reached up and touched my face.

"It feels like I've known you forever."

I'd thought meeting her was fate, but I knew better now.

When she'd looked at me, she'd been seeing someone else.

The ambulance arrived, and Lucas immediately grabbed Rowena's hand, crying so hard that he could barely get the words out.

"This is all my fault. I was too impulsive. I never should've gone abroad to study. I should've stayed here with you. Please don't die, okay? If you die, I don't want to live either…"

Rowena struggled to open her eyes. "Why are you crying? No one's dying."

Standing there beside them, I felt like I didn't belong.

Once I knew Rowena's life wasn't in danger, I turned to leave. That was when a sharp slap cracked across my face.

"You jinx!"

My cheek burned as I clutched it with one hand and looked up.

It was Elena who had slapped me.

"Do you have any idea how much my daughter has suffered since she got together with you? Three years ago, she spent three months in the hospital, and now she's here again! Ever since you came into her life, it's been one disaster after another!"

I lowered my head. "Don't worry, Mrs. Jennings. I'm not marrying her anymore."

Elena froze for a moment before letting out a cold laugh.

"Is that supposed to be a threat? Do you really think Rowena can't live without you? Let me make something clear. You were never the man I wanted as a son-in-law. If Rowena hadn't insisted on marrying you, I never would've agreed to this wedding."

Before she'd even finished speaking, Amelia came rushing over with a gift basket in her hand.

"You pushed Lucas, and now you've gotten Rowena hurt, too! Hansel, do you have no shame?"

Rowena's friends arrived soon afterward. Within moments, everyone was talking over one another, passing judgment as though my guilt had already been decided.

I kept my head down and said nothing.

Then, Anthony posted every private conversation we'd ever had in the bridal party group chat. Everyone immediately burst out laughing at their phones.

As the things I'd trusted him with became entertainment for the entire group, Anthony gave me a faint smile.

"Sorry, Hansel, but you're not my best friend anymore. I want Lucas to be happy, so I have to do this. I'm sure you understand, right?"

So this was what it felt like to be abandoned by everyone I trusted.

The pain became so overwhelming that eventually, I couldn't feel it anymore.

I clicked on the group chat and left.

"Laugh all you want. I'm not your friend anymore either."