Chapter 3

It turned out the world was smaller than I thought.

I'd barely stepped into the parking lot when I ran into Ethan and Olivia, arm in arm, heading my way.

Their expressions changed instantly when they saw me.

"Grace, what are you doing here?" Ethan's tone was sharp.

I didn't bother to look up. "Just passing by."

"Just passing by?" he scoffed, pulling away from Olivia and stepping closer. "Who's gonna believe you happened to be here at my place at eleven at night? Were you following me?

"Well, well. Yesterday at the café, you were acting all superior, saying you wanted to cut me off, and now you're having second thoughts?"

Just looking at his smug face made my stomach churn. "Following you? Ethan, did you get your head all scrambled by that drone when you showed up at my wedding?"

"Cut the tough act," he snorted. "I get it. You want to get back together but you're too embarrassed to say it. You just want me to give you an out.

"Fine, I'll give you that chance. But..." His tone shifted, a sly glint in his eyes. "Now that you're the one begging me to come back, my terms have changed.

"If you want me to take you back, you have to organize my wedding with Olivia.

"The ceremony will be at the most exclusive venue in the city. The wedding dress has to be custom-made overseas by a top designer, and we'll have a world-class orchestra flown in.

"And you can't attend the wedding. That is my special day with Olivia. You need to let her have her moment."

Olivia nodded beside him. "Exactly. Think of it as compensation for Ethan."

I almost laughed out loud after hearing what she'd said.

Ethan was the one who ruined our engagement and chased someone else. Now he had the nerve to say this to my face, and she actually called it compensation.

I didn't have the patience to be nice anymore. With a long sigh, I shared the contact of a brain specialist with Ethan on WhatsApp.

Ethan's face turned bright red when he saw it. "Are you saying I'm crazy?"

I shrugged and headed for my car. "Just looking out for you. Get treated sooner rather than later. Don't put it off."

"Grace, what's your deal? Get back here, now!" he shouted.

I rolled up the window, blocking out Ethan's outburst, and stepped on the gas to leave the parking lot.

For some reason, I found myself thinking of Eugene, and how casual he looked when he showed me his tattoo.

Compared to Ethan and Olivia, who lived in their own make-believe drama, Eugene, the rebellious so-called playboy, seemed surprisingly refreshing.

*****

Two weeks after we parted from the villa, Eugene and I both threw ourselves into work. We didn't contact each other, quietly respecting each other's space.

Then, out of the blue, he texted me. [Hey, the wedding venue layout is ready. Check it out.]

He attached a 3D rendering right after.

I stared at the screen for a long time before it suddenly hit me. Two weeks from now, I would actually be getting married.

I sent him the guest list I had prepared right away.

I was zooming in to look at the details on the layout when my office door slammed open and Ethan rushed in.

He slapped a gold-embossed invitation on my desk, a wide smirk on his face. "Grace, Olivia and I are getting married next Saturday. You have to come."

The invitation landed on my documents, with their names printed in gold.

Without even looking at it, I tossed it in the trash. "Don't have time for this."

"What's..." Ethan was about to snap when his gaze landed on my phone screen. It showed the wedding venue layout from Eugene.

He looked puzzled for a moment, and then grabbed my phone. "What's this? Is this the venue you're setting up for my wedding?"

He jabbed at the screen, a smug grin on his face. "See? You keep saying you want to cut ties but you just can't get me out of your head.

"Too bad, though. I already booked my venue. But hey, I wouldn't mind if you gave me the cash instead."

I snatched my phone back and locked the screen, my voice calm. "Sorry, but this is my wedding venue."

"Your wedding?" Ethan burst out laughing, like I'd just cracked the dumbest joke ever. "Seriously, who else could you possibly marry if it's not me?

"What, are you planning to crash my wedding? Going all out to mess with me?"

My finger hovered over the security office number, but I thought better of it. I needed to set things straight once and for all.

So I put the phone down and turned to him. "Ethan, let me be straight with you. I don't love you.

"I only got engaged to you because my family picked you for the alliance. I knew all along you were sneaking around with Olivia behind my back.

"I figured arranged marriages aren't about love. That's just how things work in our circle. So I never planned to interfere with your private life.

"But you clearly got the wrong idea. My letting things go made you think I was head over heels for you, that I couldn't live without you.

"Honestly, I never cared who you loved or who you married. But you publicly crashed our wedding and humiliated my family. I can't act as if nothing happened and smile at you.

"Anyway, I'm getting married too. Let's leave the past behind. I won't come to your wedding, and I won't invite you to mine. From now on, we're strangers."

I'd never spoken to Ethan so seriously before, never laid everything out like that in one go.

He stood there, stunned, like it took him forever to process everything I'd just said.

Finally, his lips trembled as he asked, "You... you never loved me?"

"That's right," I said flatly.

"You're kidding. You used to care about my feelings. You used to do everything for me. You..." His voice trailed off as he remembered what I had told him, that everything I did was because of the marriage alliance.

I watched as his eyes started to well up, but I felt nothing at all.

"Mr. Sinclair, I've said all I needed to. If there's nothing else, please see yourself out," I said, my voice cool.

"No, wait. You said you're getting married. Who are you marrying?" he said, his voice shaking.

I didn't answer.

He stared at me for a long time and then let out a cold laugh. "You're lying to me. There is no one. You're trying to make me jealous, right?

"Nice shot, Grace. You'll say anything to get back at me, huh?

"We'll see who regrets it first."

With that, he stormed out and slammed the door behind him. His footsteps echoed loudly and hurriedly down the hallway.

I was alone in the office again.

I picked up my phone. Eugene's last message was still displayed on the screen. [If the venue is fine, we'll go with this plan.]

I typed back. [Alright. Let's get our marriage license on the twentieth.]