Chapter 9

Third-Person POV

Renee stumbled back a step, shaking her head in disbelief. How could the wedding be off?

When Joshua had proposed just two months ago, the joy on his face had been so obvious. He couldn't have hidden it even if he'd tried. How could he have called everything off?

The friends and family standing around her were just as confused. They hadn't gotten the date wrong. Why were they suddenly being told the wedding was canceled?

Mariah double-checked with the staff and confirmed it really was Joshua who'd called off the wedding. Swallowing her anger, she dragged Renee aside.

"What is going on with Joshua? Didn't you two lock in the date ages ago? He didn't show up today, and he canceled the wedding on top of that. What the hell does he mean by this?"

She grew angrier when she saw just how stunned Renee was. It was clear the cancellation was news to her, too.

She knew Joshua and Renee had known each other for 20 years, and she could clearly see how he felt about Renee. That was why she'd been willing to hand Renee over to him without worry.

Yet on the day that was supposed to be their wedding, Joshua not only didn't show, but he'd actually called off the whole thing half a month ago. And none of them had known!

"Call him now and ask him if he even still wants to get married!" Mariah hissed.

Renee finally snapped out of her daze and fumbled for her phone to call Joshua. Her hand trembled as she dialed, but Joshua was already on a flight to Fairfield. The call never went through. All she got was a cold, mechanical voice.

Renee's heart sank. Everything had been fine just yesterday. Why couldn't she reach him now?

She couldn't take it anymore and rushed home, still clinging to a sliver of hope. But when she pushed the door open, the place was quiet and empty. It was obvious Joshua wasn't there.

Only then did she notice something—the framed photo that used to sit on the table was gone.

Inside that frame was one of the very few pictures of the two of them together. Joshua had always treasured that photo, wiping the frame clean every day.

But now, the razor in the bathroom, his clothes in the closet… Everything that had to do with him was gone.

Renee suddenly remembered thinking that the apartment already felt a lot emptier when she and Chad had returned from their trip. It hit her that that was when she'd stopped seeing the photo on the table.

Back then, she'd only vaguely felt like something was missing, but she hadn't taken it to heart, especially since Joshua told her he'd just cleared out some unnecessary stuff.

Only now did she get it—he hadn't thrown out "unnecessary stuff". He'd cleared out everything that belonged to him and every trace of their relationship.

And now, he himself had disappeared without a trace.

Renee stood there, feeling lost. Where had Joshua gone? Why had he done this?

Her gaze kept roaming the room, stubbornly refusing to give up. Just then, she spotted writing on the desk calendar. She hurried over and picked it up.

A single line was scrawled on it. "We're over, Renee."