Chapter 4

With what just happened, to anyone else, it would look like I lost my cool and lashed out at Laurel.

I have to admit, Laurel's way of flipping the script only made me admire her cunning even more.

Keeping my cool, I pointed at the torn invitation on the floor, my voice icy.

"This is mine," I said.

"You tried to claim it for yourself without any shame, tore up my invitation, and now you're the victim?"

I thought I'd made myself perfectly clear.

But Mick's expression turned stormy.

"Seriously? You're making such a big deal out of this?" he said, his tone sharp.

"Whitney, I can't believe you! I'm really disappointed.

"All this drama over a lousy invitation? You're bullying Laurel, and you know she's not in good shape.

"Apologize. Now!" he demanded.

I met his gaze calmly, not a hint of surprise in my eyes.

"Why should I?" I replied coolly.

"Why? Seriously? You started this, so of course you should apologize!" he fired back.

That was just how Mick was—always so self-righteous.

I let out a mocking laugh, shook my head, and turned to head back to my room.

Mick was about to say something else, but Laurel grabbed his arm.

"It's okay, Mick. Even though Whitney was in the wrong, I don't blame her," she said, her voice soft and sweet.

Her "understanding" act really took the edge off Mick's anger. He let out a harsh snort at my retreating figure, then helped Laurel turn and walk away.

I watched everything unfold through the peephole, standing there quietly for a long time.

If I ever had even a sliver of hope left for him, it's gone now.

Now, I was one hundred percent sure—leaving at this moment was the smartest move I could make.

A few hours after they left, Mick sent me a message.

[Whitney, don't take it too hard. I'm not blaming you, but Laurel literally gave me her blood. Can't you just cut her some slack, be a little more understanding, and show some grace?]

I let out a cold, mocking laugh.

What a ridiculous excuse.

After that cold laugh, all I felt was a wave of exhaustion crashing over me.

I didn't feel any resentment, and I wasn't angry.

I was just tired.

Maybe I really have let him go.

Right on time, Garrick called me in the evening.

"Hey, sweetheart, did you miss me?" he asked, his voice warm and teasing.

I answered seriously, "Of course I did. I missed you especially today."

"Are you for real?" He didn't sound convinced at all.

I replied confidently, "Absolutely! No joke."

"Alright, I guess I'll believe you—just this once," he said, half-joking.

He sounded pretty happy, too.

"Oh, by the way, I've already started planning the wedding. When I get back, we can check out the wedding outfits and pick a hotel for the reception together, sound good?" he said.

"You don't need to worry about any of that." I shot him down without hesitation.

"My family will take care of everything for the wedding. We'll get married in my hometown. Trust me, it'll be something you'll love," I said.

Before Garrick could answer, Mick's shocked voice suddenly came from behind me.

"A wedding?" Mick said, sounding totally stunned.

"Didn't I already say we're not doing a wedding?

"And now you want to go back to your hometown? When did I ever agree to get married there? Why didn't you even talk to me about it?"

I calmly set my phone down, turned to face Mick, who looked completely stunned, and said, unhurried, "It's not you I'm marrying, so why would I need your opinion?"

"What are you talking about? Not marrying me?" Mick blurted out.

His face twisted with mixed emotions—tense, puzzled, and uneasy.

I had no idea what was going through his mind.

But honestly, I felt a wicked sense of satisfaction bubbling up inside me.

I wasn't about to tell him the truth.

It was not like he'd care anyway.

And I just couldn't wait to see his reaction when he found out I was marrying his brother.

I smiled at him.

"Just kidding. Why are you so nervous? It's just a friend from my hometown getting married, and you know them too," I said.

Mick let out a sigh of relief, then looked a bit confused. "I know them? Who is it?"

"That's a secret for now. You'll get the invitation, and once you're at the wedding, you'll see for yourself," I replied.

"This wedding is definitely going to surprise you."

I purposely left him hanging, keeping the suspense.

But Mick didn't even bat an eye.

"What's there to be surprised about? Whoever's getting married, it's no big deal to me," he said, totally uninterested.

Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, his expression turned serious. "Oh, almost forgot why I'm really here."

"You were way out of line today. All this over something so small, and you ended up hurting Laurel. Don't you think you went too far?

"Don't forget to apologize to her later!" he snapped.

"If you don't, I'm not going to your friend's wedding, and you won't be going either."

With that, he stormed off.

I stayed silent the whole time.

I didn't feel a thing inside.

I just couldn't wait for the wedding day to finally arrive.

Bright and early, Mick was already banging on my door.

"Get up. Today's the big day—we're getting our marriage license. You didn't forget, did you?" he called out.

I'd long since stopped hoping for anything, but I wasn't about to let him suspect a thing.

He was in a great mood, chattering away about all sorts of things as soon as we got in the car.

Noticing I wasn't really into it, he looked a bit puzzled.