Chapter 2

After the voice message ended, there was a long, heavy silence.

I found myself drifting back to that night seven years ago. The night he told me how he felt.

"I regret not meeting you sooner, but from now on, I'll always be by your side," he had said.

On rainy days, he'd always be waiting for me downstairs at my office, no matter what.

When my stomach hurt at 3 a.m, he'd fly back on a red-eye from his business trip to be with me at the hospital.

Even during the busiest days of his startup, he'd always turn down late-night gatherings, smiling as he said, "My wife's waiting for me."

But now, I was the extra, like the outsider nobody needed anymore.

"Emily, I'm here with Mr. Reed for work. That's all," Lila said, her voice trembling, like she was about to cry.

Jason, his body still rigid, instinctively reached for a tissue and handed it to her.

My gaze drifted to the tissue brand.

Back when I had a stuffy nose, I'd asked him to grab some tissues for me on his way back from the supermarket.

He shrugged and said, "Never mind, it's too much hassle. We've got enough tissues at home anyway."

Jason caught my gaze and spoke up, his voice stiff, like he was trying to justify himself to me. "She's helping you rehearse later, so she can't mess up her makeup by crying."

The smart assistant chimed in again.

From the glove compartment, a wedding ring I'd been dreaming about for ages slid out. "Lila, don't forget your wedding ring before you leave the car."

Last week, when I picked up a package, I opened it and found the ring inside.

Jason happened to come home right then and snatched it up like it was gold. "Who said you could touch my stuff?"

I thought maybe he'd finally gotten the hint.

I was so full of hope, waiting for today, only to realize I was an afterthought.

I stared at him in disbelief, my voice barely more than a whisper. "So, your assistant is the main character at our wedding now?"

I barely managed to get the words out, my throat tight with emotion.

Lila looked like she was about to cry again. "Mr. Reed really cares about you. If you go through the rehearsal yourself, it might take away the excitement for the real thing, so he had me choose the ring for you instead."

Jason shot me a look in the rearview mirror. "Lila's giving up her weekend to help you rehearse. You should be grateful."

That guilt trip came out of nowhere, and for a moment, I was too stunned to say a word.

My phone buzzed with another work message.

My boss was chewing me out, saying I lacked competence.

I didn't hesitate anymore. I replied: [Sorry, I'm quitting.]

As soon as the car stopped, Jason reached out and naturally held the umbrella over Lila without even thinking.

A dozen employees had the place all set up.

Fresh flowers, balloons, and banners were everywhere.

It was the lawn wedding I'd pictured in my head a thousand times.

But Jason had always been the one to rain on my parade. "Why bother with all this wedding fuss? It's just a day. After that, we'll be living our normal lives anyway."

He shoved a camera into my hands. "Record the rehearsal, so you'll know what to tweak when you get home."

It was the first gift Jason ever bought for me with his very first paycheck. "Didn't you say you wanted your own camera to capture the wedding? use this one."

But then he took it to work, and I never saw it again. "One of the employees broke it by accident. I'll get you a new one later."

The faces in front of me and the memories in my head tangled together, ripping a raw, painful gash right through my heart.

Turns out, from the very beginning, all my plans ended up becoming her wedding dress.

After months spent pouring my heart into that speech, it ended not with my own tears, but with Lila's, stealing the spotlight as the curtain fell.

"Jason, you're the only one I'll ever love," Lila said, her voice trembling.

Jason froze for a second. "You're the only one I'll ever love, too."

Those lines weren't even in the original script.