Chapter 3
I hurriedly looked away, flustered by how reckless I'd been.
A million questions raced through my mind, but I had no idea where to start.
Harrison caught my confusion and jumped in before I could ask. "You're marrying him today, so I came early. I was worried you'd freak out again." His fingers curled slightly at his sides.
Two years ago, I was left standing at the County Clerk's Office.
Harrison's voice came through the phone, choked. "Ashley, after all this, you still want to be with him?"
Thinking back on all the drama of the past three years, my nose stung, and my eyes grew warm with tears.
James walked away from me nine times.
Harrison waited three years just to be there when I had no one else.
I reached out my hand to him. "Take me away!"
Harrison's lips curled into a faint smile as he took my hand. "Okay."
The car slowly pulled away, shutting out the sounds behind us.
*****
James rushed to Jo's apartment. When he opened the door, the place was trashed again.
He helped Jo up from the floor, her clothes all messed up and her hair a mess.
He moved with practiced ease, picking up the pills that had rolled all over the floor and sweeping up the broken glass.
When everything was finally cleaned up, he slumped onto the couch, completely drained.
Only now did the sting from the scratches on his arm really hit him, and he realized two buttons had been torn from his shirt.
Jo curled up next to him, her breath still shaky from crying. "Jimmy, I was so scared earlier. I really thought I was going to die...
"I shouldn't have hurt you, but I couldn't control myself. It's all my fault... I made you walk out on Ashley again."
James patted her back gently. "Your condition will get better, Jo. It just takes time, and I'm not mad at you."
Twelve years ago, James was trapped under an overturned car, covered in blood.
When Jo dragged him out, the car door crushed her leg.
Her leg eventually healed, but the trauma never really went away.
That was how she ended up struggling with severe manic episodes.
The phone on the coffee table buzzed. James picked it up.
"James! Ashley got picked up by a Maybach with Harbor City plates!" came the urgent voice over the phone.
James's hand, still resting on Jo's back, went completely still.
"Harbor City plates? Who could she possibly know from Harbor City?" He paused for a moment, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Well played, Ashley. Now you're hiring people to put on a show."
He looked totally unbothered, his voice calm and steady. "Let her act out all she wants. She'll come running back in less than an hour. Make sure the guests don't freak out. Tell everyone the wedding's been delayed two hours."
As soon as James hung up, Jo's fingers slid up his collar, reaching for his neck.
James let out a low hiss, pried her hand off his neck, then stood up and fixed his shirt. "Anna will come take care of you. Behave yourself, alright? I need to get back."
James adjusted his collar as he drove. The scratches on his neck were visible in the rearview mirror. He frowned, raising his collar to hide them.
He stared at his reflection for a moment. In the mirror, he looked like a soldier retreating from a lost battle, collar crooked, shirt bloodied.
He forced himself to focus on the road, but for some reason, a wave of anger welled up inside him.
He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a velvet jewelry box, gripping it tightly in his palm.
Every time he came back from Jo's place, he always brought a gift for Ashley.
Maybe it was a bracelet, maybe a pair of earrings, or sometimes a watch.
He never picked the same thing twice.
The last time he did this was at their engagement party six months ago.
He'd rushed back from Jo's place, only to find Ashley lying in the bathtub, soaked in blood.
She'd cut her chest open with a shard of glass, blood pouring down her body.
James, frantic and terrified, wrapped her in a towel and carried her all the way to the emergency room.
That bloody scene replayed in his mind. As he caught sight of his own wrecked reflection in the mirror, he couldn't help but scowl.
The car pulled up to the hotel. James got out, his steps quickening without realizing.
He pushed open the door and found the hall deserted, except for his crew.
They hurried over to greet him. "James, man, you finally made it back!" one called out.
James swept his gaze over the empty hall, his face darkening in an instant. "Where is everyone? Ashley still hasn't come back?"
Nick handed James the diamond ring he'd dug out of the trash. "James, I don't think she's putting on a show this time... She actually tossed it. I had to dig through garbage for it."