Chapter 3

At least up to that point, I hadn't found any.

Perhaps I was overthinking things.

Perhaps letting go of a decade-long attachment really requires time.

I gave his fingers a gentle squeeze and offered a more genuine smile. "Alright, I'll listen to you."

After I tried on the wedding dress, Edmund drove me home.

When we pulled up outside my apartment building, he didn't unlock the doors right away. Instead, he turned to me, his gaze deep and searching.

"Harley," he said, his voice low, holding something back. "Tomorrow, you'll be my bride."

The car was dim, the dashboard casting a soft glow over his sharp features. His eyes shone in the darkness, filled with emotions I couldn't read.

I nodded, not sure what I was feeling. Part of me was excited, part of me was nervous, and part of me was lost.

Edmund smiled softly. "I'm really happy," he said, reaching out to gently touch my cheek, his fingertips warm against my skin.

This time, I didn't pull away.

He slowly leaned in, his warm breath brushing against my face.

Without thinking, I closed my eyes.

But instead of the kiss I expected, his lips landed softly on my forehead.

It was a kiss that felt gentle, cherished, and held back.

I froze for a moment, then opened my eyes.

He gave me a helpless smile, almost teasing himself. "I didn't want to scare you," he said, his voice dropping even lower. "And I was afraid I wouldn't be able to control myself."

The desire in his voice made my heart skip a beat.

"Harley," he said, cupping my face and making me look at him. His voice was more serious than I had ever heard it, with a hint of desperation I couldn't quite place.

He said, "Promise me, no matter what, you'll come tomorrow, okay?"

His question felt a little strange.

It was our wedding. Of course I would be there.

Figuring he was nervous about the big day, I pushed aside the weird feeling and nodded. "Of course I will."

He finally let out a breath, the tension in his eyes fading as his familiar gentle smile returned. "Go on up and get some rest. Tomorrow, you'll be the most beautiful bride."

"You too, Edmund. Don't forget to rest," I said, unbuckling my seatbelt and getting ready to get out.

"I'll stay until I see you go in," he replied.

I opened the car door, letting the cool night air clear my head a bit. As I walked into the lobby, I glanced back. His car was still parked there, blinkers on.

It wasn't until I stepped into the elevator and pressed the floor that I saw, through the lobby's glass doors, his car finally pulling away.

Back in my empty apartment, that familiar emptiness hit me all over again.

My phone lit up with a message from Edmund: [Let me know when you get home.]

I replied: [I'm home. Drive safe.]

Putting my phone down, I walked over to the window and watched the endless stream of headlights below, like a moving galaxy beneath me.

Tomorrow, my life would enter a whole new chapter.

Marrying Edmund means I'd finally leave my old self behind. The girl who loved Orville in such a humble, self-effacing way.

This was what I wanted, wasn't it?

After washing up, I lay in bed, wide awake.

Images kept flashing through my mind, completely out of my control.

Orville's cold, distant silhouette.

Edmund's gentle, tender gaze.

The way he was so focused on every little detail of the wedding as I tried on the dress.

And that kiss on my forehead in the car. It was so restrained, yet burning with emotion. And his odd, almost urgent request: "Promise me you'll come, no matter what."

I tossed and turned for hours, finally drifting off into a restless sleep sometime in the early morning.

My sleep was restless, filled with strange, surreal dreams.

One moment, Orville was turning away from me, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't catch up.

Next, Edmund was smiling at me during the ceremony. His smile lingered, but then his face suddenly blurred.

Finally, I jolted awake, my heart pounding in my chest.

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand. It was just after four in the morning.

Outside, the sky was still hazy gray, not quite dawn yet.

There were still hours before the wedding.

A sudden surge of anxiety seized me out of nowhere, gripping me tightly.