Chapter 3

I was about to change out of my wedding dress when Xyla stepped on the train, pinning it to the floor with her heel.

I stumbled forward, my elbow striking the sharp edge of the fitting-room mirror. A searing pain shot through my arm.

Zavier reached out almost at the same time.

But he grabbed Xyla's arm.

"Are you okay? Did that scare you?"

Xyla leaned against his arm and patted her chest.

"Natalia lost her balance. She scared me half to death."

Zavier turned toward me and frowned.

"Be more careful when you're changing. You don't have to be so jumpy."

My elbow was already swelling and turning red.

The sales associate brought over an ice pack. Zavier glanced at it and seemed about to take it, but Xyla suddenly sucked in a quiet breath.

A sequin on the wedding dress had left a shallow scratch across the back of her hand.

Zavier immediately lowered his head to examine it.

I took the ice pack myself and pressed it against my elbow.

In the end, the wedding dress was never reordered.

Zavier told the boutique to put the alterations on hold so they could keep the original appointment slot. He gave me three days to think it over, as though he had left the final decision entirely in my hands.

When I walked out of the bridal boutique, I opened the passenger-side door.

The seat was pushed so far back that the backrest was nearly reclined. When I sat down, my toes barely reached the floor mat, and the seat belt pressed against my neck.

I pressed the seat adjustment button, and a message appeared on the screen.

"Overwrite Xyla’s personalized settings?"

I stared at the words.

Zavier got into the car from the other side. When he saw the screen, he said casually, "Don't overwrite it. Xyla has long legs, and readjusting the seat every time is a hassle."

I pointed to the word "personalized" on the screen. My voice was strangely calm.

"Zavier, even the passenger seat in the car for our wedding is reserved for her. Do you even remember that I'm the one you're marrying?"

He looked at me coldly.

"It's just a seat setting. Do you really have to obsess over every little thing? What's the point?"

After he spoke, he seemed to realize that his tone had been too harsh. He reached over and loosened my seat belt for me.

"I'll save your seat settings as Profile Two. Just switch to it whenever you sit down."

I watched him lean toward me.

It was the same position I had known so well when he first bought the car.

He used to adjust the rearview mirror for me, slide the seat forward inch by inch, and tease me about my short legs. He told me the passenger seat was reserved just for me.

Back then, the saved profile on the screen had been labeled "Nat."

Now, there was only Profile One, and it was labeled "Xyla."

Xyla stood outside the car and rubbed her knee.

"Maybe I should sit in the back. It's a little cramped back there, but I can manage for a while."

Zavier straightened up.

"Get in. Your legs are long. You'll get cramps if you sit in the back."

He looked at me.

"Natalia, you take the back seat. We'll be there soon anyway."

I didn't move.

"Who exactly is your fiancée?"

Zavier's hand tightened around the steering wheel.

"What does a seat have to do with our relationship? She isn't feeling well. What's wrong with giving her the seat?"

Xyla lowered her head as she tugged at the car door, her voice subdued.

"Never mind. I'll just get a ride. I don't want to come between you two."

She said she was leaving, but she never actually let go of the door.

Zavier immediately got out of the car and opened the passenger door for her.

"Don't bother."

That was his choice.

I unbuckled my seat belt, got out, and walked around to the back seat.

Xyla got exactly what she wanted and settled into the passenger seat.

The seat automatically slid backward, and the backrest adjusted to her preferred position. Her phone connected to the car's Bluetooth, and her favorite song began playing.

I leaned back in the rear seat as the ice pack slowly melted, water trickling down my wrist.