Chapter 4

By the time I took a cab back to the hospital, Mom's anesthesia had worn off.

Seeing me return alone, she asked, "Why didn't Ruby come with you?"

As I hesitated, trying to come up with an excuse, Mom let out a quiet sigh. "Lennon, the doctor said my recovery is going to take a while. What if you and Ruby push the wedding back?"

When she saw my stunned expression, her eyes welled up with tears. "You can't get married without family there. If you end up getting mistreated, there won't be anyone around to back you up."

A wave of bitterness washed over me.

Mom was just a regular person with modest means. She had always felt that dating Ruby was a step-up for me.

Because of that, the first time Ruby visited our home, Mom had cooked a massive feast and prepared a 200-dollar allowance for her.

But when Ruby arrived, she complained that the food was too greasy and refused the money. She said our relationship was strictly 50-50, and accepting cash meant she'd just have to pay it back later, which was a hassle.

That was the first time I ever fought with Ruby.

I thought she was completely heartless, and the thought of breaking up even crossed my mind. But noticing how genuinely angry I was, Ruby backed down for once and bought a box of high-end liquor as an apology for Mom.

Mom had saved those bottles ever since, insisting on keeping them for my wedding day.

But now, as I looked at her lying in that hospital bed, still worrying that I'd be mistreated, it hit me.

We didn't need to push the wedding back. We just didn't need to have it at all.

After comforting Mom, I stepped out of the hospital room with my mind made up.

Just as I was about to text Ruby, her figure flashed past me down the corridor.

I caught up and followed her, only to watch her help Kobe's father, Tyler Boyle, into a luxury private room that cost 300 dollars a night.

Ruby froze when she saw me. "What are you doing here? Are you following me?"

Inside the room, Kobe gasped with exaggerated surprise. "Lennon, don't get the wrong idea! My dad fell ill today, and my fiancee is stuck working out of town, so Ruby was just helping me bring him to the hospital.

"As for the ring and the suits… If you're upset about them, I can return them right now…"

"You don't need to return anything!" Ruby snapped, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"Lennon, how I spend my money and who I spend it on is my choice. You have no right to tell me what to do. Pull a stunt like this again, and the wedding is canceled."

I looked past her at Kobe, who was practically beaming with smug delight, and smiled. "Fine. Then, let's not get married."