Chapter 4

I did not know how I had made it back to my apartment. Drained, I sat numbly on the sofa and did not move.

Jenna came home that evening. She had changed back into her cheap T‑shirt and carried a takeout order of the spicy wings I always loved, as if nothing had happened.

If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would have believed everything that afternoon had been a nightmare.

"Ian, you're still up?" She walked over to hug me like she always did.

I turned aside to avoid her and stared at her blankly.

Jenna stiffened for a moment, then sighed and put on a helpless look.

"You misunderstood what happened at the club today. That was one of my big clients, and I was trying to land an investment deal.

"That guy is the investor's younger brother. He has a bit of a temper, and I only took his side for the sake of our future.

"Ian, if I can close this deal, I'll make a lot of money all at once, and you won't have to wear yourself out delivering food anymore."

With that, she went to get hot water so she could give me a foot soak.

I looked at her coldly. "Didn't you say you were at the warehouse? Why did you lie to me?"

She paused for a split second, then went back to acting natural.

"I wanted to wait until the deal was completely finalized before telling you. I wanted it to be a surprise.

"Ian, I know you feel wronged. I was too harsh with you today, but I was just putting on a show for them.

"No one means more to me than you do."

Watching her play the devoted girlfriend, I suddenly felt my stomach churn.

"Jenna, if you found out one day that you could live a good life without struggling this hard, would you leave me?"

She looked up at me and made a solemn promise.

"Never. Ian, you're my whole world."

I smiled and did not call her out.

While she went to fill the basin, I took a worn‑out notebook from the drawer. It was my ledger.

I quietly began to add up every cent I had spent on her over the last three years.

Just then, my phone rang.

It was Cody. Somehow, he had gotten my number, and he deliberately sent me a photo of him and Jenna at a wedding dress fitting.

In the photo, Jenna wore a pure white wedding gown while Cody, dressed in a white tuxedo, wrapped his arms around her from behind. They both smiled sweetly, and the backdrop was the most expensive bridal shop in Kingsport.

His message was full of provocation.

[Thanks for looking after her for three years. But a stand‑in is still just a stand‑in. Time for the placeholder to exit the stage.]

I stared at the fitting photo for a long time, until my eyes ached and burned.

In our second year together, I had talked to Jenna about getting married.

I held her in my arms and said, full of hope, "Jen, once we've saved up enough, let's get married.

"I don't need anything fancy. I'll just rent a regular suit, but you have to wear the most beautiful white wedding dress. Okay?"

She leaned against my chest and answered softly, "Okay, Ian. You'll be the most handsome groom ever."

Now she had put on the wedding dress I had dreamed of seeing her in, only it was for someone else.

As the memories came flooding back, my eyes began to burn.

Jenna came back with the water just then, still mapping out a fake future for us.

"Ian, once I have money, we'll get married. How about a destination wedding? You love the ocean, right? We could go to..."

The more she talked, the less I could hold back my tears. They dropped onto the screen and blurred the glaring smiles on their faces.

When Jenna saw me crying, she panicked at once.

She hurried to sit beside me, fumbling to wipe away my tears as she tried to comfort me incoherently.

"Ian, what's wrong? You don't like the idea of a destination wedding? Okay, then we won't go. We'll have the biggest, liveliest wedding in Kingsport. Please don't cry."

I pushed her hand away, turned my phone screen toward her, and slid it across to her along with the ledger.

Her face instantly went pale.