Chapter 1

I was getting a drink when I bumped into Justin, who was stepping out of his study.

Phone in hand, he looked utterly worried.

Meeting my eyes, he paused and said, "I need to go. Meeting a client."

I looked up at the wall clock to see that it was already nine at night.

"Zoe Urban, you mean?" I asked.

"Yeah," Justin replied, picking up his car keys. "I need to stay with her—she's in pretty bad shape."

Bang!

The door was shut before I could say a word, leaving me standing there and staring at it blankly.

That was how he always was, losing his composure wherever Zoe was concerned.

He had always stayed in touch with her even after we started dating, dropping work and rushing to her side if she so much as asked.

He had always told me that men and women could be friends even after a break-up, and I should respect his freedom.

He only stopped talking about her since Zoe married someone else, and I thought he had changed… but I guess he never did.

-

It was midnight, but Justin never returned, so I called him. "It's very late."

He sighed wryly. "I can't go. Zoe's still in bad shape."

I heard Zoe sob from the other end then. "Sorry, am I keeping you? I apologize… No one has cared about me for so long…"

"It's fine. You're my client," Justin replied so quickly, like Zoe was the one who might misunderstand here.

Holding up a receipt, I said quietly, "Don't forget the bridal shoot is at ten in the morning tomorrow."

There was suddenly a loud clatter as Justin moved elsewhere, keeping his phone muffled.

When he answered again, he was clearly annoyed.

"Zoe's in a bad mood! Are you trying to provoke her?!"

Pausing, he then sighed. "I'll be there. Just go to bed—don't worry about me."

But even before he hung up, I heard him telling Zoe mildly, "Don't worry, it's nothing important."

I could only stay in our room and wait in silence.

But even as I woke up the next day, I felt the coolness on his side of the bed—he never returned.

Unconcerned, I headed to the bridal studio alone to get my makeup done, and the makeup artist handed me a veil as she said, "Having your husband put it on for you would feel more formal."

I preferred hand-sewn dresses, but Justin insisted on satin, which I agreed to.

Still, I couldn't help smiling as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, since it had taken a month to finalize all the details and arrangement leading to this day.

And Justin would definitely be pleased to see me in a satin dress.

However, Justin never showed up even as half past ten arrived—the assistant called his number repeatedly but he wasn't picking up.

I hence took out my own phone and dialed his number.

"What?" he asked impatiently. "I told you never to bother me at work."

"It's half past ten, Justin," I said softly.

Justin seemed to finally remember and said after a moment of silence, "Let's just reschedule. I'm really busy right now."

Zoe then purred on the other end, "I can go if you're busy…"

"No, it's fine," Justin promptly assured her mildly, his tone cool again when he spoke to me again. "Zoe's case is more important. The wedding photos can wait."

I frowned—every arrangement before the wedding was supposed to be set and couldn't be rearranged on the fly.

I began, "There's no time—"

Justin cut me short. "Whatever. Just pick another time slot. There's no reason for grandeur."

I hung my head quietly, my fingers clenching and wrinkling the silk bridal gown.

Seeing that I was silent, Justin sighed and lowered his voice. "Just be mature about this, alright?"

Then, he hung up before I answered.

My eyes burned even though I wasn't crying, and my reflection in the mirror blurred with just a blink.

The makeup artist then asked gingerly, "Ms. Waltz? Do we proceed?"

"No," I replied, taking off my veil and putting it on the table.

"Alright." The makeup artist nodded and added, "We have other appointments, so you might need to wait a few days for a reschedule…"

"Just cancel it—no worries," I told her and whipped out my phone to dial a number. "Hey. I'll take the New Ingram project."