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Chapter 4

作者: Fortune Paws
"The entire chat is gone. What happened?"

Ivy hurried over from Mrs. Carver's side, pressed her hands together, and smiled at Simon in apology.

"Sim, I'm sorry.

"I used your phone to play a game last night and accidentally deleted Maren's chat. It shouldn't matter, right?"

Simon laughed helplessly.

"If it's deleted, it's deleted. What's the big deal?

"You accidentally formatted my whole phone before, and I didn't say anything then either."

Ivy giggled and hid back beside Mrs. Carver.

I sat there as my fingertips slowly went cold.

This was the man who wouldn't even let me pick up his phone to check the time.

Yet now he could casually hand his phone to another woman to play games.

Even when all his phone data had once been wiped by mistake, he had brushed it off with one light sentence: It's fine.

Simon turned to look at me.

"What did you send last night? Say it now, since we're here."

Suddenly, I changed my mind.

For three years, he had never once given me the treatment a girlfriend should have had.

And at the very end, I had still wanted to notify him properly.

How laughable.

I lowered my eyes and said lightly,

"Nothing. It wasn't important."

Simon frowned but didn't ask again.

Instead, Mrs. Carver smiled and spoke.

"Maren, how's your bridesmaid arrangement going?

"Can you make one spot for Ives?"

She patted Ivy's hand, her tone intimate.

"Yesterday, she and Sim spent the whole night picking and finally found a dress she especially liked.

"She wants to wear it at the wedding."

My fingertips curled slightly.

Simon couldn't even spare the time to accompany me to try on wedding dresses.

Yet he could spend an entire night helping Ivy pick out a bridesmaid dress.

Now that there was no wedding, what did it matter who the bridesmaid was?

I didn't say much. I only gave a soft mm.

After a pause, I added,

"I have work to handle. I'll leave first."

After getting permission to leave, Mrs. Carver didn't even make a polite attempt to stop me.

After leaving the Carver home, I took another cab back to the hotel.

When the manager heard I wanted to cancel the wedding, his expression visibly changed.

"Ms. Royce, the wedding is this Saturday.

"At this point, many fees may not be refundable."

I nodded.

"I know.

"Deduct whatever needs to be deducted."

He looked at me standing alone at the front desk and, in the end, didn't say anything else.

After all, in what family did a wedding get handled entirely by the bride alone, from beginning to end, without the groom's parents ever showing their faces?

By the time I signed the final cancellation agreement, night had fallen completely.

I returned the pen to the manager. Just as I stepped out through the revolving door, my phone vibrated.

It was a message from the secondhand marketplace.

[Hello, is this wedding dress still available? I'd like to buy it.]

I opened it. The buyer had already paid.

Soon, he sent a long message.

[Sorry if this is a little abrupt.]

[My wife and I have been together for three years. We're getting married this Saturday.]

[My salary isn't high, so I couldn't afford to buy a dress. I could only take her to rent one first.]

[She said it was fine, but I know she must have felt regret.]

[When I saw your dress listed at such a low price, I wanted to buy it and give her a surprise.]

[Thank you.]

I stood by the road, reading those lines, and my eyes suddenly grew hot.

The same three years.

The same wedding this Saturday.

Someone, even with limited money, still wanted to give his beloved a decent surprise.

Someone else would rather spend a huge budget elsewhere than buy his fiancee one wedding dress.

I lowered my head and replied,

[Happy wedding.]

The other party quickly sent a smile.

[Thank you. I hope you find happiness too.]

I stared at that blessing for a long time.

Then I smiled softly.

I will.

Only my happiness would have nothing to do with Simon Carver anymore.

After I returned to the apartment, I took the dress out of the garment bag.

Its white skirt spread across the bed, glittering faintly under the light.

It really was beautiful.

Beautiful enough that I once thought the day I wore it and walked toward Simon would be the fullest, happiest day of my life.

Now, I only felt relieved.

Relieved that I had never worn it.

The courier arrived soon after.

I handed over the wedding dress and watched that large box get carried away.

The moment the door closed, the room suddenly felt empty.

I didn't stay any longer.

I lifted the suitcase I had packed long ago, turned off the lights, locked the door, and walked out of the complex gate.

The ride I ordered was already parked by the curb.

The driver helped me put my luggage in the car and asked, "Miss, where are you going this late?"

"The airport."
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