Chapter 1

The hotel staff knocked on the door and gently reminded me that the room reservation would only be held until 2:00 pm.

Using the wall for support, I forced myself to stand. My vision blurred and darkened. Before I could say anything, an employee from the bridal boutique walked in just as I had finished packing my ID and medical records into my travel bag.

"Mr. Griffin, the suit was ordered by Ms. Sullivan, but she only paid the deposit."

She looked uncomfortable as she continued, "Ms. Sullivan just informed us that you will be responsible for the remaining balance. The total is 3800 dollars."

At that moment, my phone rang. Lily Sullivan's voice was as gentle as ever.

"Ryan, did you watch the livestream?"

"I did."

"Good. Then, at least you understand why I changed grooms at the last minute."

She spoke softly, the same way she had when we were kids and she'd clean the scrapes on my knees; the same way she had listened to me vent about work after we'd grown up.

After a pause, she added, "The suit looks good on you. I've already paid for part of it, so it's not like I completely wasted your morning."

So, that was how she saw it. She'd exchange wedding rings with my brother, then come back and spend the night with me, as if everyone won.

My stomach suddenly churned violently. For a moment, I couldn't tell which pain was worse—the one in my abdomen or the one in my chest.

I covered my mouth, but the metallic taste of blood still rose up my throat.

"You expect me to pay 3800 dollars?"

"Henry has suffered so much over the years. Weddings are expensive, and you're his brother. What's wrong with helping out?"

Henry Griffin's voice sounded in the background.

"Lily, don't blame Ryan. He waited all morning. He must feel terrible."

"You're so considerate."

Only after comforting Henry did Lily say to me, "Come home for dinner later. Mom and Dad are hosting a welcome-home party for Henry. Apologize to him face-to-face, and we can put all this behind us."

"And then what?"

"Then, we keep living our lives." Her tone was matter-of-fact. "A wedding is just a ceremony. You're still the one I'm legally married to. I never said I was leaving you."

The call ended. The boutique employee stared awkwardly at the suit I was wearing.

I only had 4100 dollars left in my bank account. That money was supposed to pay for my hospitalization. However, none of this was the employee's fault.

After settling the balance, I changed back into my own clothes and left the hotel.

My sister Sarah Griffin's car was waiting at the curb. The window rolled down, and she jerked her chin toward the back seat.

"Get in."

"I need to go to the hospital," I said.

"Today is Henry's first family dinner since coming home. Don't ruin it."

She pushed the car door open from inside. When I didn't move, she frowned.

"Ryan, Lily may have lied to you, but she did it for Henry. You owe him ten years of his life. It's just a wedding. Is it really worth running away from home over?"

Once, when I was little and had a fever, Sarah had carried me across three blocks to see a doctor. She had been drenched in sweat, yet she'd laughed and said I weighed less than her school backpack.

Now, she couldn't even be bothered to get out of the car and help me stand.

"Sarah, I don't feel well."

"You've always been like this. Anytime something doesn't go your way, you get a headache."

Her tone softened slightly. "Be good. After dinner, I'll take you to the hospital, okay?"

Be good, she told me, in the same cajoling tone she had used when we were children.

Clinging to the last scraps of hope, I got into the car.

However, the car didn't head to my parents' house. Instead, it stopped in front of the apartment Lily and I had bought together.

Wedding decorations still covered the front door. Inside the entryway sat two pairs of matching house slippers. One belonged to Lily, and the other was Henry's size.

In the living room, Mom was helping Lily remove his boutonniere.

"You must be exhausted after today. Let me massage your shoulders."

Dad was busy arranging wedding favors into gift boxes. When he saw me enter, he barely glanced up.

"Finally. Go change into your suit. The photographer is here to take a family portrait."

"Why do I need to wear the suit?"

Henry wrapped an arm around Lily's shoulders, smiling blissfully.

"Ryan, you'll wear the groomsman's suit, and I'll wear the groom's. That's the only way everyone will know you're genuinely happy for me."

Dizziness hit me again. I grabbed the shoe cabinet to keep from collapsing.