Chapter 2

"What are you guys even thinking?" Emily said with an arrogant tilt of her chin. "Dustin wants that island—the only heart-shaped island out there. He even promised Juliet he'd buy it for her, but you all just keep him betting on it instead of actually selling!"

"So, if he pulls off a hundred pranks, Greke Island becomes his, right? You're not planning to go back on your word, are you?" Emily pressed.

[Oh, so that's what all this is about?]

Dustin didn't deny it.

Emily tugged Dustin's arm and said, "If you snag that island, maybe Juliet will come back to you..."

I couldn't take it anymore.

I shut off the livestream and logged out of the site.

Three years of loving him, and in just minutes, it all felt like some twisted joke.

I curled up in the tunnel, my mind completely blank, even forgetting the biting cold.

As dawn crept in, Dustin finally stumbled back, reeking of alcohol.

He pulled me close, nuzzling my neck, slurring out words in a drunken haze.

"Caroline, will you marry me?" he slurred.

"Once we get through all this, let's get married, okay?"

I looked at the face I'd once been crazy about, but my heart was completely calm. I just said, "Okay."

Dustin, content, fell asleep instantly, while I lay wide awake for the rest of the night.

He didn't wake up until the afternoon.

When the instant noodles were done, I placed a fried egg on his plate, just like always.

Dustin saw the fried egg and paused for a beat, his eyes flickering with emotion.

Casually, he picked up the fried egg and dropped it onto my plate, then gently brushed her cheek.

"You need to eat more. You're getting too skinny," he said softly.

His concern for me seemed so sincere.

I didn't move. Instead, I pulled out the gift I'd prepared the day before.

His phone rang just then. He glanced at his phone and hung up.

"I'll open it in the car," he said.

He kissed my forehead and rushed out.

I watched Dustin's back as he walked away, and finally couldn't hold back anymore.

I called out, "Dustin, if you don't love me, just say it. I'll walk out of your life, for good."

Dustin froze mid-step, then, after a couple of seconds, turned around with that same gentle smile he'd always worn.

He chuckled softly, "You silly thing, what crazy ideas are you getting? Like I said, once we get through this, we'll get married. And when that day comes, I'll give you a gift you couldn't find anywhere else in the world. Trust me. You'll love it!"

Three years of loving him, and he still couldn't be straight with me, not even once.

I rested my hand on my stomach, let out a dry, almost mocking smile, and said quietly, "Okay."

I refused to eat the noodles he'd touched, so I tossed them, along with the fried egg and all, into the dog's dish.

The stray dog, Timmy, wagged his tail and rubbed up against me, hoping to please.

Only after he'd shown his gratitude did he dig in.

Most of the time, humans weren't even a match for a dog.

I pulled out my phone and dialed that long-unspoken number, my fingers trembling ever so slightly.

"Josh... I want to come home," I whispered.

Years ago, chasing some so-called freedom, I came back to this place, and then, believing in true love, I refused a family-arranged marriage and ended up falling out with the only family I had left.

I braced myself for sarcasm or a lecture, but all I heard was a gentle reply.

"Good, come home. I'll take care of everything for you," Josh promised.

At that moment, I couldn't hold back my tears, which spilled over before I even realized.

"Josh, do me a favor... Help me pull off something he'll never see coming, a memory he won't ever shake," I said, my voice steady with resolve.

Dustin walked half a mile before finally finding his hidden Maybach. The instant he settled into the plush, heated seat, he finally let his anxiety show—his hands were already drenched in cold sweat.

He slipped the birthday present into the drawer with barely a glance. He knew exactly what was inside: a Patek Philippe watch. It'd just been a joke. He only made that bet because the livestream chat hyped him up. But I had taken it seriously, as though it meant everything.

Just as those people online said, I was a complete fool.

Annoyed, Dustin yanked out his phone and shouted in the livestream group chat, "If anybody dares to spill the truth to Caroline, I'll hunt them down!"

Emily, in the middle of having coffee, actually spat her drink all over the place.

After letting out his frustration, Dustin collapsed back into the sofa, totally spent, as if every ounce of strength had been drained from his body.

Three more pranks. Just a little longer, and he decided he would make it up to me, but would never tell me the truth!

Dustin glanced at the sky. The forecast called for snow in a couple of days, and he knew that the tunnel was too cold to stay.

"Get a cocktail party ready," he said. "I'm making my comeback."

Emily considered replying, fingers poised over the keys, but in the end, she just erased everything she'd typed.

That day, the Glenn family officially announced that Drake Glenn and Emily were getting engaged.

Dustin told me that Emily, wanting to smooth things over for old times' sake, went out of her way to put together a cocktail party to patch things up.

"Do you want to go?" he asked.

Dustin's always so sweet and thoughtful around me, even the way he tucked my hair behind my ear felt like he was pouring his heart out. It made me want to fall for him all over again... but then...

Right on cue, Emily shot me a text. [Ninety-eight pranks down! So, have you got any wild ideas for what we should pull on you next? Can't wait to see...]

The bitterness in my chest was so deep that it turned into numbness.

I quietly put my phone away and asked him, "Do you actually want me there?"