Chapter 1

My father passed away after a long illness.

The day before my father's funeral, my fiancé, Jacob White, registered his marriage with his first love, Vivian Brown.

I demanded an explanation, but Jacob looked impatient.

He said, "Vivian's dad has cancer, and his last wish is to see her get married. I'm just trying to do something nice. Can't you stop being so selfish?"

But when I called him that night, it was Vivian who answered.

She said, "Jacob's in the shower. Want me to pass a message to him?"

I stayed silent and hung up.

It was late at night when Jacob finally called, sounding worn out. He said, "I'm busy with my wedding preparations these days, so stop bothering me about your dad's funeral."

I didn't say a word. I slipped off the ring and ended our engagement.

*****

My father's funeral was kept simple, just as he wished.

I welcomed the guests with a numb expression, burying my grief under a flurry of tasks.

On a day like this, Jacob never showed up.

My father spent his life worrying about me. Now that he was gone, I didn't want to let him down. I took care of everything myself, determined to make sure it was flawless.

The guests kept quiet, but their sympathetic looks were impossible to miss.

Still, I caught bits of their gossip.

"Her father passed away, and Jacob can't even bother to show up? What kind of brother-in-law is that?"

"Seriously, did his family never teach him any manners?"

"Bet he's off trying to impress someone else right now. What a shameless jerk."

They were getting angrier by the minute, shaking their heads in disapproval.

I simply managed a forced smile and let them vent. It wasn't the first time my family had been embarrassed. I was used to it by now.

Besides, Jacob was all smiles, busy planning his wedding with Vivian. He didn't even have the time, or the heart, to say goodbye to my dad.

His mind was already somewhere else, so what was the point of expecting him to show up?

Honestly, I didn't want Jacob anywhere near my father's funeral. The last thing I needed was him tainting the place with his presence.

As my father's casket slowly lowered into the ground, the only man who ever truly loved me was gone for good.

Staring at his photo on the memorial table, my strength finally gave out. With a heavy thud, I collapsed to my knees in front of his grave and sobbed my heart out.

It was all because I failed him as a daughter. My father passed away with regrets because of me.

After the funeral, drained and worn out, I sent Jacob a message: [It's all over. My dad's gone.]

Not a single reply.

Maybe Jacob was busy being the star groom, or maybe he was out with Vivian. Even if he saw my message, he wouldn't give a damn. Just like he never cared about me, not once.

But none of it mattered anymore. Why should I care about how a stranger felt?

As soon as I got home, I got a video from Vivian.

The place was decorated for a romantic wedding. Vivian wrapped her arms around Jacob, and with everyone egging them on, the two kissed right there in front of the crowd.

For the first time, that usually icy face of Jacob showed a shy, contented smile.

So he could smile after all. He simply never smiled at me.

One of the guests teased, "Jacob, do you like our Vivian more, or your loser ex?"

Hearing them insult me, Jacob simply shrugged it off with a smirk.

He said, "Of course I like Vivian more. Don't even bring up that woman! Being with her was the biggest mistake of my life. Simply seeing her makes me want to puke."

Everyone burst out laughing.

Vivian hugged Jacob tight and pointed at the camera. She said, "Send it to her. Let her see just how happy we are together!"

Jacob was all for it.

He said, "Her dad couldn't have picked a worse time to check out, huh? I bet he planned it just to keep me from showing up at the wedding. What a pain!"

My hands were shaking as I gripped my phone, and I had to clench my teeth to keep from losing it.

I could barely believe that in Jacob's eyes, my father's death was nothing but an annoying obstacle keeping him from his precious wedding.

I wondered if anyone could truly be this heartless.

Clinging to my last bit of hope, I kept calling Jacob. After several tries with no answer, someone finally picked up.

It was Vivian on the other end.

She said, "Jacob's in the shower. He's exhausted today. You get it, right?"

I hung up without a word.

Yeah, I got it. As if I cared.