Chapter 2

The next morning, I finally made it back to the suburban house I shared with Maurice.

My feet were swollen and sore, and I had to stop at every turn to ask for directions. The moment I opened the front door, I heard laughter coming from the living room.

Carla sat on the sofa, wearing my pajamas and trying on my wedding ring. Maurice had gone through three redesigns with the jeweler before settling on that ring.

He used to tell me that my name was engraved inside the band and that no one else would ever be allowed to touch it.

Now Carla slipped it onto her ring finger and held up her hand to take pictures. Margaret sat beside her, adjusting the filters on her phone.

"It looks so much better on you than it does on Josefin," she said. "Post it in the group chat later. Let everyone see who the real bride is."

Hakon leaned against the dining table, watching them with an indulgent smile. He was the same brother who used to panic whenever I got lost somewhere unfamiliar.

He'd once written my emergency contacts on index cards and tucked them into the inner pockets of every purse I owned. But after Carla moved in with us, he gathered up every thoughtful little item he'd made for me and shoved them into the storage room.

"Carla's lost her parents," he'd explained. "It's hard for her to see us spoil you so much."

Maurice emerged from the kitchen, carrying a bowl of hot soup. The moment he saw me, his brows drew together in irritation. "What happened to you? Didn't I tell you to stay put yesterday?"

He handed the soup to Carla, having garnished it with cilantro—an ingredient I couldn't stand.

He used to remember every food I disliked. On our first date, he'd patiently picked every leaf of cilantro out of my bowl, telling me he couldn't bear the thought of me going hungry.

Later, he'd grown resentful of those same little preferences, complaining that I was high-maintenance and expected everyone to cater to me at every meal.

I didn't answer him; my eyes remained fixed on the ring on Carla's finger.

"Take it off," I demanded.

"I was just trying it on." Carla cowered, quickly ducking behind Maurice. "Maurice only let me play with it for a minute because he was worried about my mood."

"It's just a ring." Maurice stepped in front of her and glared at me. "Do you really have to be so petty?"

I ignored him and reached for the ring.

Carla deliberately jerked her hand away, sending it slipping off her finger and rolling into a seam in the thick rug.

Maurice didn't even look for it. His first reaction was to grab Carla's hand and check whether she'd scratched herself.

I knelt and began lifting the rug inch by inch.

The blood from the soles of my feet had dried on my socks, but as my knees pressed against the hardwood floor, fresh red stains began to seep through the fabric.

Hakon finally lost patience. "How much can one ring be worth? If you want one so badly, I'll just buy you another."

I looked up at him. "Do you even realize that ring was made from the heirloom Grandma left me?"

He froze, looking away. "Well, Carla didn't do it on purpose."

I'd heard those words far too many times.

Carla hadn't meant to smash my favorite mug. Margaret hadn't meant to lock me in the service stairwell of an unfamiliar shopping center. Maurice hadn't meant to leave me stranded in the pouring rain.

Yet somehow, every one of those so-called accidents and innocent mistakes had ended with me being the one who suffered.

At last, my fingers found the ring beneath the rug. But someone had already stepped on it, scratching the setting.

"It's all my fault." Carla lowered her head and dabbed at her tears. "I don't want the ring anymore. Please don't fight with Josefin."

"She's just in a bad mood." Maurice pulled her close and shielded her behind him. "You don't have to listen to her."

I put the ring back in its box, then walked into the walk-in closet and pulled out my wedding dress and gowns. I stuffed them into a suitcase.

"Are you really going to make a scene and embarrass everyone?" Maurice demanded.

I zipped the suitcase shut and met his gaze.

I asked back, "Aren't you the ones who ruined everything in the first place?"

Then I dragged the suitcase to the corner and left it there.