Chapter 2

With that, I turned and walked out.

Ethan finally caught up, grabbing my wrist and lowering his voice. "Is this really necessary?"

I stopped and looked back at him.

"Ethan. You're gambling that I won't dare make a scene."

His fingers stiffened.

I pulled my hand free, bit by bit.

"Too bad. This time you bet wrong."

When I walked out of the bridal shop, the sun outside was blindingly bright.

So bright my eyes stung.

My bridesmaid Maya chased after me, shoving my phone and purse into my arms, her voice still shaking. "Nat, are you really calling it off?"

"Yes. Seven years. That's all it was. I'm not throwing away the rest of my life for it."

I got into the car and turned the AC to its lowest setting, but my back was still covered in sweat.

Maya sat in the passenger seat, glancing back at me several times, clearly wanting to say something.

I'd been with Ethan since my early twenties, supporting him from nothing to where he was today. Seven years total.

When we first got together, during his hardest times, I was the one who helped him through.

When he had a fever, I was the one who carried him downstairs to the hospital in the middle of the night.

During the most difficult period of his career transition, I was doing my own projects while also editing his resume and practicing interviews with him.

Even later, when Chloe's name started appearing between us occasionally, I kept telling myself not to overthink it.

A first love from college, leaving some shadow in his heart—that didn't mean anything would actually happen.

On his birthday, a message popped up on his phone. I saw it was from "Chloe." He said it was just someone from an old college group chat checking in.

The day she returned to the country, he cancelled dinner with my parents at the last minute, claiming work emergency. Later, I saw a photo she posted on Ins of someone picking her up at the airport. He was in the frame.

I stared at my phone for a long time but never asked.

It wasn't until today that I understood—some relationships don't suddenly fall apart.

Maya finally spoke up. "Want to go home?"

"Let's go to my place," I said. "I need to sort out the accounts first."

She paused. "You're doing accounts right now?"

"If I don't do it now, should I wait for him to strike first?"

I unlocked my phone and pulled up the wedding budget spreadsheet.

Wedding dress final payment: twenty-eight thousand.

Maya looked at that figure and sucked in a breath. "You never settled this with him before?"

"I did," I said. "He told me to cover it first, and he'd pay me back when his quarterly bonus came through."

"Plus there were things he just assumed I'd pay for because I was better at handling logistics and could pay faster. We'd settle up later."

As I said it, I had to laugh at myself.

Settle up later.

Turned out in his mind, I was suitable for marriage not just because I was stable, understanding, and good at managing life.

But also because I could pay, could cover expenses, could handle all the hassles.

And all he had to do was show up when needed and continue playing the respectable groom-to-be.

My phone screen suddenly lit up.

A message from Ethan.

[Just calm down for a bit.]

Then a second one.

[Today wasn't as serious as you think.]

The third came quickly.

[Chloe just went through a breakup and she's emotional. I was just looking out for her. Don't blow this out of proportion.]

I stared at that phrase "blow this out of proportion," my fingertips growing cold.

Even now, his concern was about proportion.

Not about right or wrong.

Maya leaned over to look and nearly laughed in anger. "He's got some nerve."

I didn't reply.

The next second, my phone vibrated again.