Chapter 3
Seeing the tension ease, Chris smiled and told everyone to eat.
He teased, "Alright, alright, it's the day after the wedding—no long faces.
"Last night was just a crazy misunderstanding.
"None of us actually thought Stella would end up showing up."
Stella glared at him.
"Give it a rest, will you?" she snapped.
He chuckled. "What, did I say something wrong?
"Yesterday afternoon, when you told James you were coming, I literally told him to heads-up Lily, so nobody would freak out when you showed up."
As soon as he finished, a heavy silence fell over the table.
James's expression darkened.
Stella stiffened in her seat.
I slowly set my glass down and looked up at Chris.
"Yesterday afternoon?" I asked.
The smile on Chris's face slowly faded.
I turned to James. "You knew she was coming before the wedding even started?"
James opened his mouth, but no words came out.
It hit me right then—last night, when I opened that suite door, James wasn't the one caught off guard.
"Let me explain," James finally said.
"Go ahead," I said, looking at him.
Thrown off by how calm I was, he hesitated for a few seconds before answering.
James said, "Yeah, Stella messaged me yesterday afternoon.
"She just said she'd broken up with Andrew and needed a place to stay for a few days. I honestly had no idea she'd show up at the hotel."
Stella chimed in immediately, "It's all my fault.
"I never intended to come here.
"I was stranded at the airport for hours and completely lost. I truly didn't know where else to go."
Her eyes grew teary again.
James frowned.
"That's enough," he said.
I didn't even spare her a glance.
I just stared at James.
"What else did she say to you?" I asked.
"Nothing," he said.
He answered far too fast.
I let out a bitter laugh.
"James," I said, "We literally got married yesterday.
"Do I really have to drag every single truth out of you?"
James looked pretty uncomfortable.
No one said a word.
Finally, Chris let out a sigh.
He said, "Seriously, it's nothing.
"Stella was just feeling down and asked James if he'd still be there for her if she came back."
I looked down. "What did you tell her?"
James fell silent, his expression unreadable.
Stella spoke up in a low, timid voice.
"Lily, it was really nothing. Please don't hold it against him," she pleaded.
I looked up.
"I'm talking to my husband," I said, shutting her down.
Stella's face went pale.
James' face finally darkened with irritation.
"I told her that if she was truly in trouble, I couldn't just leave her to fend for herself," he said. "Is there something wrong with that?"
"No." I nodded.
He froze.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Exactly what I said," I replied.
I picked up my fork.
"Let's eat," I said.
Chris quickly tried to smooth things over with a smile.
He chimed in, "It was just a single sentence, nothing more.
"James and Stella go way back. If she was in real trouble, none of us could just stand by and watch.
"Don't take it to heart, Lily."
I picked up a piece of fruit and didn't say a word.
Stella just kept her head down, silently eating her oatmeal.
James maintained a sour, defensive scowl.
After a while, he reached over for my hand.
"Lily," he murmured.
I pulled my hand away.
His hand was left hanging in the air.
He explained, "I didn't tell you yesterday afternoon because I didn't want it to ruin our big day.
"You were already swamped, and I didn't want you having this on your mind right before the ceremony," he continued.
I looked at him.
"So you think you get to decide what I should know and what I shouldn't?" I asked.
"That's not what I meant," he defended.
"Then what did you mean?" I shot back.
He was left speechless.
After a long pause, he finally muttered, "It's over now."
I let out a dry laugh.
Yeah, sure.
Things always passed so easily—as long as he wasn't the one facing the consequences.
I glanced at the clock.
It was 9:20 AM.
"We're leaving at 10:30 AM," I said.
James frowned.
"What?" he asked.
"The airport," I said, reminding him of our schedule. "Our flight's at 12:40 PM."
He finally snapped out of it.
"I know," he said.
"Good," I replied.
I set my glass down.
"Let's drop last night for now," I noted. "Today's schedule is set—no more changes."
He looked at me.
"Lily—" he began.
"This isn't about me being petty," I interjected.
I insisted, "I already let someone else have the bridal suite last night.
"I gave up our wedding night too.
"Our honeymoon is off-limits. Don't even try."
This time, I made myself crystal clear.
James fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded.
"Alright," he agreed.
"Doesn't matter who shows up today—plans aren't changing," he promised.
"You said it." I held his gaze.
"I said it," he confirmed.
Stella kept her head down, then suddenly set her spoon aside.
She offered, "Honestly, you guys don't need to worry about me.
"I'll figure out where to stay this afternoon."
James was just about to say something.
But I cut him off.
"Alright then," I said.
Stella looked a little taken aback, and James frowned at me.
I gave a small, wry smile.
"Didn't she say she could handle it herself?" I smiled faintly. "We should be going, too."
He opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say a word.
After breakfast, I went back to my room to pack my things.
Grace was checking my passport, her face still cold.
"You're really going to go as planned?" she asked.
"Yeah," I replied.
"You're just going to let last night slide?"
I tossed my charger into my bag.
"No, I'm not," I clarified.