Chapter 4

On the day Tamara and I went to register our marriage certificates, she wore my favorite white dress.

I'd picked it out when I accompanied her to try on wedding gowns.

She smiled as soon as she saw me and asked, "Well? Do I look younger in this dress like my husband said?"

She handed me a cup of yogurt.

It was unsweetened and wasn't in the cherry flavor that I disliked.

"Once we're done with registration and head home, you can punish me however you like. Hugs or kisses—take your pick."

Melody and Derek arrived as well, the latter automatically setting his phone to silent mode.

I figured I'd trust them one last time.

When there were only four more numbers to be called ahead of ours, Tamara's phone rang with a call from Ian.

She didn't pick up.

After he called a second time, then a third time, she finally stood up and walked aside.

When she returned, she was no longer smiling.

"I'm going out for a bit," she said.

I asked, "Where to?"

"He went to Jane's house to pick up his things, only to run into her and her new husband. He's now drinking his sorrows away in the hallway."

Melody stood up immediately and said, "I'll go."

Derek got to his feet as well.

Tamara, who had already picked up her car keys, replied, "He doesn't listen to you two."

I gazed at her and said, "There are only four more numbers ahead of ours."

She placed a hand on my shoulder. "I know. 20 minutes is all I need. I'll be back as soon as I get him into a cab."

"Tamara Jackson."

"Hm?"

"We're registering our marriage certificates today."

There was a flicker in her eyes, but she still smiled and said, "It's precisely because we're doing it today that I have to settle this quickly. He'll keep making a scene otherwise."

She pinched my face and added, "Wait for me. I'm marrying you today no matter what."

Then, she left.

When the city hall employee called out our names for the first time, I told her, "Tamara will be here soon."

The second time we failed to respond to the call, our queue number was considered null and void.

Derek said grimly, "Let's get another number. She'll definitely make it."

So, I queued up again.

The second time our number was close to being called, I phoned Tamara.

It took a long time for her to pick up, and when she finally did, I could still hear crying in the background.

I asked, "Are you back yet?"

After a couple of seconds of silence, she replied, "I might not make it today."

"Weren't you just going to escort him into the cab?"

"What if something happens to him if I leave him in this state?"

"What about me?"

She finally grew annoyed at my questioning and retorted, "What could possibly happen to you from sitting in the city hall?"

The air seemed to still for an instant, and even Melody's expression turned severe.

Tamara quickly corrected herself. "Shane, I didn't mean what you think."

I said nothing.

She sighed and softened her tone. "Alright. It was my bad. It won't hurt to pick up our marriage certificates a day later, so let's go back tomorrow, alright? Don't be so rigid. It's not as if you're going anywhere."

She only came home at 10:00 pm, holding a jar of candied nuts.

I was sitting in the living room, waiting for her.

The moment she walked in, she crouched to take off my shoes.

"Your feet must be swollen from standing all day," she said.

I retracted my feet.

She looked up and smiled exasperatedly. "I'm back, aren't I? What more could you want? Our marriage certificates aren't going to expire just because we're a day late."

I gazed silently at her.

She remembered that my feet were prone to aching, that I disliked cherry-flavored yogurt, and which brand of candied nuts I liked. However, she somehow forgot that I'd been waiting in the city hall that day for the sake of marrying her.

I took off my engagement ring and placed it in her palm.

"The wedding's off," I declared.

She glanced down at me, still smiling, and said, "Don't try to scare me with this tactic."

In response, I pushed her suitcase out through the front door.

The red tag we hung from it to represent our love swayed along with it. I took it off and tossed it into the suitcase.

"We don't have to pick up our certificates anymore either."

Her smile finally faded.

I walked up to the electronic door lock and deleted her fingerprints from the system.

A drawn-out beep notified me that the deletion had been successful.

Tamara grabbed my hand and asked disbelievingly, "Shane Shea, are you seriously going through with this?"

I pulled my hand out of her grasp and replied, "It's not just because of today but every incident before this."

As the door slowly closed on her, she abruptly reached out to hold it open.

I heard genuine panic in her voice for the first time.

"Shane! Don't close the door!"