Chapter 2

Katherine said, "Our company anniversary is coming up soon. Gavin's been working hard, so I wanted to buy him a suit."

Nodding, I pulled up the dinner post she had made an hour ago—the one she had forgotten to block me from seeing.

"What about this, Katherine? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Her face instantly darkened with rage. "Are you accusing me of cheating? Yes, I lied about missing rehearsal. That's because I had to take a client out to dinner!

"Not everyone's like you, sitting around all day. All you do is make me go to rehearsals and force this wedding on me.

"Come on. One day off could mean losing million-dollar deals. I'm really busy, okay?"

Katherine's words left me completely speechless. I couldn't help but laugh.

"We've known each other since we were kids. Both our families have their own companies. If you hadn't told me that taking over Jackman Corporation would affect our relationship, do you really think I'd be working some random job at some small company?"

Katherine went pale before flushing with rage.

"So that's how it is? Did I stand in the way of you inheriting the family business? In that case, let's break up!"

With a faint smile, I walked away in the opposite direction. The truth was, I was heartbroken.

Just then, my phone buzzed. I tapped on Gavin Goodwin's message, and it popped up right away.

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Jackman. I wanted to check out a new restaurant. That's why Katherine was late for your wedding rehearsal. Next time, I'll pick another day so she won't miss your 11th wedding rehearsal."

Gavin's message felt like a knife to the heart, making me feel suffocated.

Katherine had gone out with her secretary, but she lied and said she was having dinner with a client instead. How absurd.

Katherine and I were childhood sweethearts. Even our parents had been friends for years. Since childhood, they would always tease us, saying, "You two are the same age, grew up together, and are inseparable. You might as well get married when you grow up."

Back then, I was just a kid and didn't understand what marriage meant. All I knew was that if I married Katherine, she would always stay by my side, and we could keep playing together.

I clapped my hands and cheered joyfully. "Alright then. I want to marry Katherine!"

I even imitated what I saw on TV and wrote a letter, promising I would marry her when I grew up.

By the time I was old enough to understand what marriage meant, my parents would often tease me about the letter.

When I was younger, I was easily flustered, and their teasing embarrassed me so much that I started avoiding Katherine. Once she realized what I was doing, she cornered me and broke down in tears, asking what she had done wrong and why I was giving her the cold shoulder.

Seeing her break down completely melted my heart. For the first time, I felt something inside me begin to stir.

From that day on, I realized I was in love with Katherine. When we were 20, we went from being friends to lovers and started dating.

Over the next few years, after I proposed, I planned our wedding ten times, only for her to postpone it every single time.

By then, Gavin was already working as her secretary.

Katherine spent far more time together with Gavin than she did with me. All this time, I had been fooling myself, believing that it was just for work.

But now, I was done lying to myself.

Just then, my phone started buzzing nonstop, pulling me out of my thoughts. I recomposed myself and took the call.

"Hey, Brandon. What's up?"

"We are throwing a celebratory party for our second newborn this Saturday. Bring your fiancee over for dinner."

I was about to say that I would go alone, but I remembered that not only were Brandon Vance and I best friends, his wife, Layla Kemp, and Katherine were close too.

"Has Layla told Katherine about it?"

"They're talking about it on the phone right now. Huh? Aren't you with her now? Did you two just go back to your own places after the rehearsal?

"It's the perfect time to spice things up. How could you pass that up?" Brandon was perplexed.

I gave a bitter smile. Everyone knew I was a simp for Katherine, so naturally, they would assume that.

I muttered a vague reply before ending the call.

To celebrate that night, I had my friend reserve a bottle of vintage wine.