Chapter 4
It was Ethan.
His brows were furrowed, and there was a look of real urgency in his eyes.
There was a bit of sweat glistening on his forehead.
I quickly fished my phone out of my bag. "M-my phone's dead..." I stammered.
"Where did you go? Why didn't you come home all night? I was up worrying about you the whole time!" Ethan said.
He looked pale and anxious.
But inside, it felt like a little band started playing, and my heart was doing a happy dance.
Ethan actually stayed up worrying about me all night.
Did that mean he really cared about me?
Suddenly, memories of my childhood came rushing back.
I learned from the grown-ups that Langston made his fortune overseas.
There were always ruthless relatives and business rivals coming after him.
Their methods were brutal.
That was why Ethan needed protection.
So, to toughen up, I pushed myself even harder in martial arts lessons with my coach.
My body barely had time for the old bruises to fade before new scrapes and bruises showed up.
Sometimes, I'd be up training all night without stopping.
Back then, I was still living with the Grant family.
No matter how much Ethan tried to talk me out of it, when he couldn't, he just started waiting for me at the door every single day.
Wind or snow, he was always there.
Just like he was now.
When we got home, he'd tear up while tending to my wounds, carefully applying medicine as if each bruise hurt him more than me.
He was always so careful, like I was made of glass.
He'd personally whip up all kinds of healthy meals just for me.
Back when I was just a little kid, the other kids would always tease me, call me dumb, and pull silly faces.
But Ethan was the only one who'd stand up for me, wipe away my tears, and comfort me.
He'd feed me the best chocolate, ruffle my hair gently, and say, "Kaylee, you just take a little longer to remember things than other kids. You're not dumb at all."
Yeah.
Ethan had always been so good to me.
He said he'd marry me.
He'd definitely do it.
How could I ever doubt him?
Melissa was just a girl Ethan met when he was sixteen and spent a year studying in Auralia.
He was just being friendly because they were classmates, nothing more.
"Kaylee, what's wrong? Did something happen? Please, talk to me, okay?" Ethan pleaded.
Seeing me stay silent for so long, his expression tightened with sudden anxiety.
Ethan grabbed my hand, anxiously looking me up and down for any sign of injury.
His lips were pressed into a thin, pale line.
"Are you hurt anywhere? Hmm?" Ethan asked, his voice tight with worry.
My heart felt all warm and fuzzy.
I couldn't help but smile as I replied, "I'm fine, Ethan. Really, I just—"
But before I could finish, his phone started ringing with a ringtone I'd never heard before.
A soft female voice began to sing.
"You're the most important choice I've ever made. I want to wake up by your side every single day..."
My heart clenched again.
That was Melissa's voice.
On the other end of the call, I could swear that was Melissa's voice.
"Hello?" Ethan answered. "What? Got it, I'm coming right now."
Ethan didn't even look at me.
He just called out, "Kaylee, go home. I've got things to handle."
Then he hurried over to the car parked nearby.
Panic surged through me, and I finally blurted out the question I'd been holding back.
"Ethan, y-you said you'd marry me. Do you still mean it?" I asked, my voice trembling.
He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me.
His brows twitched, and his eyes were unreadable.
I couldn't figure out what he was thinking.
"Kaylee, please, just listen to me and go home. Don't be childish," Ethan said.
He didn't answer my question.
My heart felt hollow, like there was a piece missing inside me.
That night, I got a text from him.
He told me to wait for him at a shop downtown.
I couldn't stop myself from getting excited all over again.
After thinking it over, I pulled out a white dress from my closet and slipped it on.
It had been two years since all the Grant family's enemies were locked up, so Ethan was finally safe.
But I still kept some of my old habits.
I always stuck to simple, practical clothes.
But seeing how amazing Melissa looked every time she wore a dress, I wanted to show up looking gorgeous in front of Ethan, just like Melissa always did.
I found the shop called Cloud Nine Boutique.
As soon as I pushed the door open, I spotted Ethan right away.
He was standing there in a sharp suit, a warm smile on his face.
I was just about to say hi.
Then, through a soft halo of light and layers upon layers of white tulle, I suddenly saw Melissa standing there.
I knew that dress instantly.
It was a wedding dress.
It looked absolutely stunning.
"Wow! Mr. Grant really went all out with this custom-made wedding dress from a top designer. Mrs. Grant, you look absolutely gorgeous in it. The two of you are a perfect match," one of the sales gushed.
"Seriously, you two look amazing together! So, when's the wedding?" another salesperson asked with a grin.
Mrs. Grant?
That sour, heavy feeling in my chest came rushing back.
This time, it hit me so hard I couldn't even pretend not to notice.
No wonder Ethan wouldn't answer me.
So that was the reason.
I checked Ethan's ringtone earlier today. It was a song called "The Most Important Choice."
So... Melissa was Ethan's "most important choice," after all.
I looked at myself.
At some point, the hem of my white dress had gotten smeared with mud. It looked a little dirty.
My hands weren't smooth and slender like Melissa's.
My knuckles looked kind of rough, and there were thick calluses from all that boxing practice.
I guess no matter how hard I try, I could never be that elegant and beautiful, no matter what I did.
Honestly, maybe marrying me... was never the right thing for him to do.
I took one last look at Ethan. He was smiling at Melissa. His eyes were so soft that it looked like she was his whole world.
Before I knew it, I spun around and dashed out of the shop.
Out of nowhere, a pair of metal wheels rolled right up and stopped in front of me.
I lifted my gaze just a little.
And met a pair of sparkling eyes staring straight at me.
He said, "Hey, sweetie, I promise. If you marry me, your wedding dress will blow that one out of the water. You'll totally love it, I swear. Sound good?"
Honestly, I couldn't even explain it myself. But this time, I found myself nodding at him almost without thinking.
"Okay," I murmured.