Chapter 3

On the other end of the line, Summer’s timid voice filtered through. “Tyler, you should check on Lea. What if something really happened to her? I’ll be fine here on my own.”

Tyler sighed, his tone turning cold. “Lea Spencer, haven’t you had enough? Summer is experiencing chest pains, and you’re making up a lie about being in a car crash just because you’re jealous?”

The pain was so bad that every breath made me tremble, and blood was flowing down my inner thighs.

The next second, the line went dead as he hung up on me. The phone slipped from my hand into the pool of blood, and I lost consciousness.

…

When I woke up again, a nurse was putting a cast on my left leg.

Seeing me open my eyes, she said apologetically, “You were six weeks pregnant. The car accident caused severe hemorrhage, and we couldn’t save the baby. Where’s your family? Why isn’t there anyone here to sign the papers?”

I instinctively reached out and touched my flat stomach. Seven years of love, along with that unborn child, had died together in last night’s storm.

Just then, my phone vibrated. It was the final digital invitation sent by the wedding planning agency. Written on the screen were Tyler’s name as the groom and Summer’s as the bride.

With a blank face, I swiped the message away, opened the app where I booked my flight to Suisse, and rescheduled my ticket—originally scheduled for two weeks later—to eight o’clock the next evening. That entire night, Tyler didn’t send me a single message.

Early the next morning, I leaned on my crutches and dragged my freshly cast leg down to the first floor to pay the bills. As I passed a VIP room, I saw Tyler combing Summer’s hair through the half-open door.

Summer tugged weakly at his sleeve. “Tyler, it’s been all night. Maybe you should go back and check on Lea. I’m worried she’s mad at you.”

Tyler sneered, looking annoyed. “She’s just putting on an act. Why bother with her?”

My grip tightened around the crutches.

Just then, Tyler turned his head abruptly, and our eyes met. His face darkened instantly, and he strode toward me.

He demanded harshly, “Lea? I can’t believe you actually pretended to be sick just to stalk me to the hospital?”

As he spoke, however, he looked over to my deathly pale face and the cast on my left leg. Then, his voice suddenly caught, and he was momentarily stunned.

He opened his mouth and was just about to ask a question when a few of his buddies came rushing down the hallway.

“Hey, Tyler! How’s Summer doing?”

The guy in the lead, Luke Graham, pushed the door open, practically shoving me along on my crutches into the room with them. The small room instantly became overcrowded.

Someone casually teased, “Seriously, Tyler, when we first heard you were marrying Lea, all of us guys were baffled. I mean, you and Summer have been close enough to share everything since forever, so we all thought she would be the bride!”

Tyler immediately looked a little uncomfortable. His gaze swept over my legs, and he took the opportunity to change the subject.

“Lea, with your leg broken right now, there’s no way you can walk down the aisle next week. The venue and guests are all set.” He stared right at me and said confidently, “Why don’t we have Summer walk the aisle in your place?”

Silence fell over the hospital room for a brief second before his buddies began hooting and egging him on.

“Yeah, Lea! You and Tyler are like an old married couple anyway, so what’s the big deal if you miss one ceremony?”

“Summer’s been in poor health since she was a kid, and her dream has always been to see herself in a wedding dress. Just be magnanimous for once and fulfill her dream.”

“You don’t want to ruin things for everyone, do you? Don’t spoil the fun for the rest of us just because of yourself.”

I looked on coldly, taking in every self-righteous face in that hospital room, until my eyes locked dead onto Tyler’s smug face.

Forcing down the lump in my throat, I smiled and burst out laughing. “Tyler, are you sure you want to swap the bride and have Summer walk down the aisle?”

Tyler frowned, assuming I was about to throw another unreasonable fit, and his tone turned impatient. “What choice do we have? Can’t you look at the bigger picture for once?”

I stared at him for two full seconds, my smile eerily calm. “Alright. When the time comes, I’ll be sure to prepare an unforgettable surprise for both of you.”