Chapter 2

Rage and sorrow churned inside me. I was just about to pull out the wedding invitation and demand answers when Ethan's phone suddenly rang.

Ethan glanced at the caller ID, and his face softened instantly.

"Emily, what's wrong?" he asked.

I couldn't hear what Emily said, but I saw Ethan's face suddenly go pale, and he looked like he was about to bolt out the door.

I grabbed his shirt, holding back my tears. I said, "You can't go."

Ethan grew agitated and yanked my hand off him. He said, "Emily's in trouble. We'll talk about this when I get back."

With that, he stormed out, not even glancing back.

I just stood there, shell-shocked, staring at the angry red mark on my hand, unable to snap out of it.

I sat on the couch, refreshing social media nonstop. I didn't have to wait long.

Sure enough, Emily posted a photo.

In the picture, Ethan was holding a candle, the dim glow of the flame illuminating his face, making his smile look warm and gentle.

Then, a chat bubble popped up.

Emily texted: [Natalie, Ethan is just the sweetest. He knows I'm scared of the dark, so he came running over right away.

[What a shame, though. His taste is seriously questionable if he actually likes you.]

This wasn't the first time I'd gotten these kinds of taunting messages from her. Every time, I just sucked it up and stayed silent.

After all, Ethan was with her now. Anything I said would just make me look pathetic.

But this time, I fixed my gaze on the chat window and typed out a few words: [Since you want him so badly, you can have him.]

After blocking Emily, I set my phone down and walked into the bedroom.

There was a picture of Ethan and me on the nightstand. At some point, a crack had split the frame right down the middle.

Just like that frame, a rift now lay between us, one that could never be fixed.

I opened my laptop, carefully completed all the paperwork for my trip abroad, sent it to my boss, and finally let heavy, unrelenting sleep take me.

In my dreams, Ethan and Emily kept appearing, hand in hand, stepping into the wedding chapel together.

I knew I was dreaming, but I was trapped, unable to wake up, forced to let the pain slowly eat away at me.

Suddenly, my phone rang, shattering the silence of the night and yanking me out of that suffocating dream.

I groggily picked up, and Ethan's commanding voice came through.

He snapped, "Natalie, go buy some candles and bring them over. The power's out at Emily's place."

I checked the time; it was 3 a.m.

My voice came out rough as I told him, "No. I've got work in the morning."

Ethan's voice turned icy.

He said, "Emily's terrified of the dark. You know that, don't you? Can't you show her even a little compassion?"

I couldn't hold back my anger anymore and yelled into the phone, "It's three in the morning. Candles? Seriously?

"We've got electricity here. Why not just have Emily move in? I'll pack my bags and get out.

"Since you're so eager to be with her, I'll just clear out and give you two all the space you want."

Then I heard Emily sobbing over the phone.

She cried, "Natalie, I'm just really scared. That's why Ethan came to keep me company."

I was so done with this. I said, "Suit yourself. Let him stay with you for all I care."

And with that, I hung up.