Chapter 2

Someone noticed the front of my shirt was soaked and snickered.

"Hey, Ethan! You're soaking wet just from bending down to wash your face? I'll get you a back brace tomorrow. Wouldn't want you to throw your back out after just a couple of days living here."

Claire pulled me aside and lowered her voice.

"They don't mean any harm. Julian has made so many trips here to help us out. Don't embarrass him in front of everyone."

Everything she said was about protecting her male best friend's feelings. She hadn't given mine a second thought.

"Claire, how do I switch the mode on these motorized curtains? Can you show me?"

"Coming."

She turned and walked away.

I picked up the keys from the entryway cabinet. As I hesitated, the automated female voice sounded again.

"Welcome home, Julian."

I pushed the door open and left the house where I'd have to bend over just to go about my daily life.

After I got back to my rental apartment, I developed a mild fever.

Claire didn't call until the following morning. I answered, my voice terribly hoarse. She didn't notice and spoke in an accusatory tone.

"Everything was going fine during the walkthrough yesterday. Why did you suddenly leave?"

"My clothes were soaked, and I came down with a fever."

There was a brief pause on the other end.

Claire softened her tone.

"I've already had someone add your voice to the system. Let's leave the furniture alone for now. Once we're married and have lived here for a while, we can make changes together if anything really turns out to be inconvenient."

It was the first time she'd made any concession.

I stared at the search results for how to call off a wedding on my phone. In the end, I couldn't bring myself to tap anything.

We'd been together for three years, and the wedding invitations had already gone out. I decided to give Claire one last chance to make things right.

That afternoon, I took some fever medication and headed to the shop where we'd ordered our custom wedding attire.

Julian was there, too. He was wearing a white suit and adjusting his cuffs in front of a mirror. As soon as he saw me walk in, he turned around.

"Ethan, don't get the wrong idea. Claire doesn't know much about men's formalwear, so she asked me to come along and give her some advice."

I ignored him and looked straight at her. She came over and placed a hand on my forehead, frowning.

"Why are you still burning up?"

The familiar touch brought a lump to my throat.

Back in college, I'd once had a fever of 104°F. Claire had stayed by my bedside all night, changing the cold towel on my forehead every half hour.

But a moment later, she'd already taken her hand away.

"You're running a fever, and you're still here? Hurry up and try on the suit. Don't hold up the staff."

Claire had once loved me and cared for me deeply. But the patience she'd shown me back then was gone now.

A sales associate wheeled over the suit we'd ordered. It was ivory white, with embroidered lapels and a decorative belt around the waist. This wasn't the simple, dark-colored suit I'd chosen.

I turned to the sales associate.

"I'd like to try on the one I originally ordered."

The associate looked uncomfortable.

"Ms. Bennett came back with Mr. Parker and changed the order. This is a display model that he tried on. She asked us to finalize the design using his measurements and paid the full amount. If you'd like to switch back to your original selection, we'll have to schedule a new production date."

Julian walked over and touched the collar with his fingertips.

"This suit looks great once you put it on. I've worn something from the same collection to a brand event before. Ethan, you're tall. They can lengthen the pants a little and let out the shoulders and back. You should still be able to wear it."

I looked up at Claire.

"You promised I'd get to choose my own wedding suit."

She avoided my gaze, looking a bit impatient.

"Just try this one first. If it really doesn't fit, we'll figure something out."

In the fitting room, the sales associate helped me button the jacket. It was so tight across my shoulders and back that I could barely move.

The sleeves ended above my wrists, and the pants were noticeably too short. When I raised my arms slightly, I heard an ominous ripping sound from the back of my jacket.

The sales associate brought over a measuring tape, looking embarrassed.

"There's a pretty big difference in measurements. Letting it out that much would ruin the fit. Ms. Bennett gave us measurements for someone who's five foot eight."

Claire explained from the other side of the curtain.

"Julian said this style looked good, so I had the store set one aside in his size. You can just have it altered. You're a grown man. Stop being so picky."

I stared at myself in the mirror. The shoulders were painfully tight, the sleeves left my wrists exposed, and the pant legs hung above my ankles. I looked like I'd forced myself into someone else's clothes.

I shoved the curtain aside.

Outside the fitting room, Julian was taking the men's wedding band out of a jewelry box. He slipped it onto his ring finger with practiced ease.

"Ethan, let me check if the setting's secure."

The ring slid down to the base of his finger, and it fit perfectly. He took it off and handed it to me with a smile.

I took the ring and tried to slip it onto my own ring finger. It got stuck at the second knuckle and wouldn't go any farther. The band dug into my skin, quickly leaving a red mark around my finger.

I stopped trying to force it on and stared straight at Claire.

"Even my wedding ring was ordered in his size?"

Her expression froze for a moment.

"Julian helped pick out the design, and the store went ahead and reserved the sample ring in the size he tried on. We can still resize the actual wedding band."

The whole thing suddenly seemed absurd.

"The house, the wedding suit, even my ring. Everything is sized for him. And you expect me to just have it all altered and use it?" I asked.

"Do you have to see it that way?"

She took the ring from me, her tone turning icy.

"Ordering another suit would mean waiting two more months. What about the hotel booking? What about all our guests? Ethan, you can't throw all our plans out the window over a few measurements."

I gripped the fabric of my tight sleeve.

"I don't want this suit."