Chapter 3

There was a master bath tucked away behind a hidden door, and the only ones in the room who knew it were the Shepherd family and me.

They wanted to use dinner as an excuse to get everyone out of the house, so Maxine could sneak out.

Dream on.

I ignored the Shepherds, who were pretending everything was fine, dragged my parents and friends straight to the couch, and took a seat with them. "Come on, we've all been running around all day.

"Let's chill here and not bother with anything else. I already ordered delivery. It'll be here in twenty minutes.

"Everyone wants green onions and cheese, right? Bryson, you can't handle spicy, right? Okay, got it all in the notes."

Even though they looked like they'd rather be anywhere else, the Shepherd family reluctantly sat down.

While Simon and I were making drinks for everyone, he mumbled awkwardly, "Izzy, did you get my message? I wanted to surprise you. Sorry I ended up messing everything up."

Pretending to know nothing, I asked him casually, "What message? Did you text me? Sorry, I was so caught up decorating the wedding room that I didn't check my phone."

As I was about to pull out my phone, he stopped me.

"Hey, it's actually better you didn't see it. The wedding's still happening. After tomorrow, you'll officially be my wife," Simon said.

I shot him an icy, sarcastic smile and brushed him off. Then I headed back to the living room and served everyone the drinks.

While we waited for the delivery to arrive, everyone got busy. Some were sticking up happy wedding signs, and others were blowing up balloons.

As for decorating the master bedroom, everyone left it to Simon and me, the happy couple.

As I was about to lift the blanket and scatter the red rose petals on the bed, Simon suddenly pulled the mattress cover and blanket off all at once, tossing them right onto the floor.

Simon saw the puzzled look on my face and awkwardly tried to explain, "Nobody's stayed here in ages. I figured the bed might be a bit dusty."

He pulled out a brand-new bedding set from the closet. "Take a break. I'll change the sheets for you.

"Izzy, I know you've been carrying all the wedding stuff on your own for years. It hasn't been easy, and I really appreciate everything you've done.

"Don't worry. Once I finally get that promotion, I'll put in for a transfer. And then, we can finally have the life you've always wanted.

"Just the two of us, nine-to-five, doing all the normal things together. Grocery runs, cooking, living that cozy, everyday life."

I couldn't be bothered to listen to his lies anymore. I was about to push open the hidden bathroom door when he suddenly grabbed me from behind, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist.

"Wait," he blurted out.

With anger written all over my face, I demanded loudly, "What are you doing? I'm going to the bathroom."

The moment I broke free from his arms, fury surged through me. I snapped, my voice ringing with anger. "Simon, what are you hiding?"

I stormed into the hidden bathroom like a madwoman.

Seeing me nearly rip up the floorboards looking for something, but Maxine was nowhere to be found, Simon let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright, quit overthinking it," he said. "Let's go back to the living room. The delivery should have arrived by now."

As the smell from the pizza drifted through the room, I felt my own eyes start to blur with emotion.

This was the moment I once dreamed of.

My parents, my fiancé, and all our friends were right here beside me. We were all enjoying food together, sipping drinks, and laughing.

The older folks were chatting about business and swapping stories about family and everyday life.

The younger ones were talking about their dreams and how reality always seemed to crash into what their hearts really wanted.

"Izzy, what are you spacing out for? Come on, dig in. After we finish, I'll give everyone a ride back to the hotel." Simon kept urging, pushing everyone to speed things up and end the party.

That was when the illusion shattered, and reality hit me hard. "Why are you in such a rush? Who finishes a party in an hour? Since everyone's here, what else do you guys want to eat? I'll add it to the order.

"Two dozen beers, two pizzas, two buckets of fried chicken... "

I didn't bother to look at the Shepherd family, no matter how desperate they were for me to hurry up.

Maxine wasn't hiding somewhere inside the apartment, and the bathroom window faced right out onto the AC unit.

There was only one possibility left. Maxine had to be crouched out there, clinging to the AC unit outside the bathroom window.

At this point, I wanted to see how things would play out.

Would Maxine end up freezing out there, forced to come running to us for help, half-naked and finally admitting she was the one who broke up my relationship?

Or would she rather grit her teeth and endure the subzero weather, clinging to her so-called dignity?

She could either freeze out there or starve. Let's see which one she'd choose.