Chapter 6
James turned off the comments. Then he called me. "Sophia, stop it."
I asked, "What are you afraid of?"
"I'm afraid you'll regret it. Once it's out there, you can't really take it back. What will people say about you?"
"What will they say?"
"They'll say you called off the engagement for money."
"Then give me back the money."
His voice dropped. "I will. Emily's put a lot of effort into her channel. Don't talk about this on the stream."
"You're still worried about how this will affect her?"
"I'm worried about you, too."
"My wedding house is already her streaming backdrop. What else could possibly affect me?"
"Sophia, do as I say."
He'd said those words to me so many times. From never letting me see the house for myself to having Emily choose my home for me, he always wanted me to obey him.
The comments suddenly came back on the stream.
Emily glanced down at the screen for a few seconds. Her voice was tense. "People are saying I came between you and James. Sophie, can you clear things up for me?"
"Clear what up?" I asked.
"Please tell them nothing is going on between James and me."
"Why do I have to be the one to prove you two are clean?"
"You know James and I have known each other since we were kids."
"So it's totally normal for you to come and go from the house meant for our marriage, sleep in the master bedroom wearing a nightgown, and have your own key?"
"My clothes got wet that day. I had no choice."
"Was there no bed in the guest room?"
James took the phone. "Enough."
His voice was calm but firm, as always. "Sophia, you don't need to apologize. Delete the payment records. I'll come get you tonight, and we'll talk about the wedding."
"The wedding's already been canceled," I said.
"I'll book it again."
"The dress is returned, too."
"We'll buy another one."
James thought everything could be replaced: the dining table, the wedding dress, and the name on the deed. He treated it all like things you could swap out whenever you wanted.
The only thing he rushed to fix was when Emily felt wronged.
Olivia sent me the payment records she'd organized.
I took screenshots of every page and put the wedding cancellation confirmation at the end.
Emily's stream had been cut off by the platform.
She sent me a voice message: [Sophie, I never wanted to take anything that belongs to you. It was James who insisted my name be on the deed. If you need someone to blame, choose me. Don't ruin him over this.]
I forwarded the voice message to James.
He replied almost instantly. "She's upset now. Don't take it seriously. I'll take care of it."
"How exactly?" I asked.
"I'll make her move out and wipe her fingerprint from the door. We'll sort out the house after we're married."
"You still want to marry me?"
"Of course," James said without hesitation. "You've loved me for eight years. You couldn't bear to let me go now."
I sent him the payment records, the cancellation notice, and the notification that the subcard had been deactivated.
I only added one line: [Let's settle the house, money, and the wedding one by one.]