Chapter 2

As the party wound down, Grace gently took Matthew's hand.

"Matthew, could you give me a ride home tonight?" she asked.

Her words caused a stir among the crowd.

Everyone there was an adult, and they all knew exactly what Grace was getting at.

Matthew instinctively glanced at me.

I quietly grabbed my bag and didn't look at him.

"Isn't it obvious? Matthew's definitely going to say yes. If he doesn't, I will," someone joked.

With that, they shoved Grace right into Matthew's arms.

Matthew grinned, slipped his arm around Grace's shoulders, and opened the car door without a second thought.

He didn't spare me a glance.

"Get in," he said.

I stood quietly to the side and opened the app to call myself a ride.

Emily shot me a worried look and snapped, "What the hell is Matthew doing? He won't admit you two are together, and now he's acting all intimate with Grace. Who's actually his girlfriend?

"Rachel, are you seriously going to let this slide?"

I let out a soft laugh and sent her the updated e-invitation on her phone.

"Didn't you always say I never lie? Well, mark your calendar. My wedding's in a week. Don't forget to come," I said.

Emily was taken aback for a moment, then her smile was genuine, straight from the heart.

As soon as I got home, my phone started buzzing.

Matthew's lazy voice came through. "I'm not coming home tonight. Grace lives in a pretty remote area, and someone's been bothering her. I'm staying over to make sure she's safe."

I didn't question him like I used to. I just responded calmly.

After hanging up, I took down the little yellow lamp at the door.

I always left it on for Matthew when he came home late.

It was so I'd know when he got back.

It had been there for seven years, and now, finally, I could let it go.

In the quiet of the night, I started clearing out all the old stuff.

There were plane tickets from our graduation trip, movie stubs from four years of college, all those photos of us together from the past seven years, and a receipt for a custom diamond ring, dated three years ago.

I never got that ring.

Maybe Matthew kept putting it off, hesitating again and again, until that ring ended up forgotten as the years slipped by.

For a second, it was like someone jabbed a needle in my heart, but the ache disappeared as quickly.

Matthew didn't come home until the sun was already up.

When he saw me packing up my things, he paused for a moment.

"Why are you going through all this stuff?" Matthew joked, "You didn't get upset with me last night. Looks like you're finally growing up."

I was not someone who liked to cause drama.

But whenever Grace was involved, my guard always crumbled.

All this time, Matthew never crossed the line with any other woman.

Except for Grace, even when we were living in different cities, she was always a big presence between us.

Matthew would pull all-nighters gaming and chatting with her because of the time difference, and sent her packages every three months, even when he barely had any money in college.

They had been sharing music for eight years now.

To Matthew, Grace was way more important than I could ever hope to be.

I was nothing to him. No status, nothing real.

But Grace? She had everything I didn't.

I lowered my head, not arguing with him about Grace anymore.

Instead, I did what Matthew always wanted, acted mature and understanding. "Matthew, let's break up."

Matthew frowned, stared at the suitcase for a couple of seconds, then gave a small smile.

"You're still hung up on last night? I told you, Grace lives way out in the sticks. I was worried about her, that's all," Matthew said. "If it really bothers you, I'll have someone else drop her off next time."

He sounded so exasperated, like I was the unreasonable one here.

I continued packing, placing the last piece of clothing into my suitcase.

When I stayed quiet, Matthew pressed on. "Is this still about me not making our relationship official?"

Matthew looked annoyed. "I've told you already; making things official is such a pain. Marriage is a huge deal. I want you to hold off for a few more years. What's the big deal?"

I looked at him. "I've already told them I'm getting married in a week. The invitations are ready to go."

Matthew's forehead was throbbing as he barked, "Didn't I message you earlier? We're postponing the wedding for a few years. Tell everyone in the group chat you were kidding, and nobody will care.

"Why do you keep pushing me? Are you really that desperate to get hitched?"

After my last two attempts to push for marriage, Matthew got more and more agitated.

We fought again and again.

Finally, I pushed him into agreeing to the wedding next week.

But the moment Grace appeared, he turned on me completely.

If it were before, I would've dragged out every grievance and argued until everything fell apart.

I would've stabbed him with every sharp word and let him do the same to me.

If I were left shattered, I'd make sure Matthew was as miserable.

But now, I was honestly exhausted.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, my voice steady. "Matthew, I'm tired. There's something I haven't told you. My dad ended up in the hospital not long ago, and he..."

Before I could finish, Matthew's phone suddenly rang.

He instinctively shifted to block my view.

But I still saw the name lighting up his screen: Grace.

All these years, he had always saved my contact as my full name in his phone.

I tried changing it once, but he changed it right back.

Whenever I asked, he'd say it was to keep things discreet, or that it was too much hassle, or plain childish.

But now, I realized, it was because he didn't love me enough.

Matthew stepped outside to take the call, and through the barely open door, I could hear Grace crying.

When Matthew hung up, he didn't even look at me. He threw out a line and rushed out the door.

"Something happened with Grace. I gotta go pick her up. As for the wedding next week, you deal with the group chat yourself, unless you're cool with having a wedding without a groom," he said.

With that, he didn't wait for my reply, just turned and walked out.

I stood there, staring at the door, when my phone buzzed softly.

It was a message from my mom: [Rachel, is the groom at your wedding next week the one you've been dating for s years? Your dad is eager to see you get married, but above all, we want you to be happy.]

My mom never learned Matthew's name.

Seven years went by, and they never met in person.

My hand paused for a second.

I replied calmly: [Mom, I haven't been dating anyone for seven years. About a month ago, I met a college friend through a blind date. Things have been going well, and we've already set the wedding date. Don't worry, I'll be happy.]