Chapter 3

It was late at night when I heard the key clicking in the lock.

I heard Matthew's gentle, comforting voice. "Make yourself comfortable here. I'll explain everything to Rachel."

Grace was tugging at his sleeve, sticking close to him.

I stopped listening. I pulled the covers over my head, but I couldn't sleep.

Early morning, I grabbed my suitcase, ready to leave.

This house was meant to be where we lived after the wedding, and we each paid half for it.

Now that we were breaking up, I needed to tell Matthew we should sell the house and split the proceeds.

I could hear muffled laughter and chatter coming from the guest room.

Matthew didn't come back to our room last night. He must've spent the night there.

I was about to knock on the door.

Grace's voice, trembling with tears, echoed from inside. "Matthew, I've been waiting for you. I know you always gaze in my direction at every class reunion. For the past seven years, you haven't forgotten me.

"Let's stop lying to ourselves, okay? Before I came back, you were about to marry her, but as soon as I returned, you started delaying the wedding. Deep down, you chose me."

Grace moved closer, and I heard the soft sound of movement.

They held each other close.

"Tell her the truth. The one you love has always been me. Do you really plan to marry her next week?" Grace pressed.

Matthew's silence was deafening.

Only when Grace started crying did Matthew finally speak, flustered. "No, I won't marry her next week. Once you're safe, I'll..."

Before he could finish, Grace pressed her lips to his.

I stopped listening. I placed the house keys softly on the coffee table, then quietly turned and left.

*****

Matthew kept checking his phone over and over, hoping for a message.

Rachel still hadn't sent a single message.

He felt a growing sense of unease in his chest.

Matthew knew that, no matter how angry Rachel got, she would never ignore him.

Even when he returned to their room, all of Rachel's things were gone.

Before Matthew could process what was happening, his friend called. "Matthew, are you really not going to the wedding in five days?"

Matthew let out a soft laugh, trying to hide the panic inside. "Yeah, no way. If I give in now, Rachel will think she can boss me around forever."

His friend hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. "But I heard her dad is in the hospital. The surgery only has a thirty percent chance of success, which is why the wedding is so rushed.

"If you keep pressuring her now and something really happens to her dad, she'll hate you for the rest of her life."

As soon as his friend finished speaking, Matthew's phone crashed to the floor with a heavy thud.

It was like a muffled thunder exploded in Matthew's mind, his face instantly drained of color.

"Rachel's dad is in the hospital?" Matthew muttered.

"Yeah, Matthew, seriously, how did you not know? A couple of days ago, I saw Rachel at the local hospital with her father. I happened to ask someone, and turns out he's been admitted for months now," his friend replied.

Matthew stood there, frozen, unable to turn around or face the truth for a long time.

"What kind of illness does he have?" Matthew pressed again. Even though his friend had spelled it all out, Matthew couldn't accept it.

Rachel had been acting completely normal these days. How could her dad possibly be sick?

No, that was not right.

Something clicked in Matthew's mind.

Rachel had actually been acting pretty strange lately.

She kept pushing him about the wedding, and they had gotten into several heated arguments because of it.

Rachel was never this impatient before.

He used to think Rachel was ready to get married, and since they had kept things under wraps for years, she was getting impatient.

That was what he thought was behind it all.

But now, it seemed more likely that Rachel's dad was sick.

It wasn't until the class reunion that he suggested postponing the wedding again.

Rachel went along with it, like she had resigned herself to the situation.

Back then, Matthew thought it was perfect; there was no need to calm Rachel down when she was upset; there were no more arguments.

But now, thinking about it, maybe Rachel had already given up on him by then.

As the realization hit him, Matthew felt a wave of suffocation wash over him.

His brows furrowed, and his eyes were utterly lost and dazed.

His friend was still explaining on the other end of the line. "Rachel's dad has kidney disease, and it's really bad. I overheard the doctor telling them the surgery only has a thirty percent chance of success.

"Even if he skips the surgery, he doesn't have much longer to live. That's probably why Rachel's been so insistent about getting married lately. She might've even caused all this mess to pressure you into marrying her."

His friend paused, then said, "Honestly, Matthew, you and Rachel have been together for seven years. That's a long time; you two could've gotten married already.

"If you mess with her at a time like this, she might really hate you for the rest of her life.

"If you still care about her, you should show up for her on the wedding day. But if your heart's still with Grace, pretend I never said anything."

His friend's words stabbed Matthew right in the heart.

Matthew had to admit that he had been indulging Grace a bit too much lately.

But deep down, Matthew knew the one he truly loved had always been Rachel.

He just didn't want to get married so soon.

Matthew's face went blank, his eyes empty and unfocused.

He couldn't wrap his head around why Rachel never told him her dad was seriously ill.

Had she really given up on me?

The thought made his heart throb with pain.

"Matthew, what's really on your mind right now? You need to figure it out," his friend pressed him, sounding worried.

Matthew tried to speak, but nothing came out.

He looked around the room, his gaze lingering on the spots where traces of Rachel still remained.

"In five days, I'll be there," Matthew said quietly.

After saying that, Matthew hung up, as if every ounce of strength had been sucked out of him.

After that, Matthew let go of all his doubts and kept calling Rachel, again and again.

He needed to apologize, but he also needed to hear from her. Why had she kept him in the dark about everything?

Was he really someone she couldn't trust at all?

But all he ever heard was that cold, automated message on the other end.

Matthew couldn't believe it. He kept calling over and over.

But every time, the line was busy.