Chapter 4

With that, he slammed on the brakes.

He dumped me on a pitch-black side road two miles from home and told me to walk back on my own and think hard about what I'd done.

Once he got home, he coaxed Hester to sleep while he waited for me to come apologize.

Eight years together, and every time something went wrong between us, I was the one who backed down.

But this time, he sat there stiff and useless all night, and no knock ever came at the door.

The next day, right after work.

Luke messaged me, telling me to come home and pick up Hester's medicine.

The location pin was a private room at a well-known restaurant.

I didn't want to go, but I remembered the crisis my family had gone through years ago, and how he'd stood by me through it.

Call it even, then.

I got to the room with the medicine, only to hear teasing voices inside.

"Hester, is coming back home this time all about your Luke? When are you two getting married?"

Hester let out a coy little laugh. "That's up to Luke. Whatever he decides is fine by me."

Luke didn't answer, but he didn't refuse either.

When I pushed the door open, he was feeding Hester a bite off his chopsticks while the others egged them on.

The moment he saw me, his expression went cold.

"Alison, you're following me?!"

One line was all it took for me to know she'd been the one who sent the message.

But so what. I tossed the painkillers to him without a flicker of feeling.

"You're the one who texted me to bring the medicine. Forget already?"

With that, I turned and walked out.

Luke froze on the spot.

The old me would already have been staking my claim in front of everyone, unable to wait a second.

But this version of me, who didn't fight and didn't argue, left him strangely off balance.

While I was waiting for the elevator.

My boss called to say the application had come through and I could go ahead and book my flight.

I nodded. "Got it, I'll book it now."

The words had barely left my mouth when Luke's puzzled voice came from behind me. "Book what?"

I made something up on the spot. "My boss is treating a client to dinner and wants me to reserve a private room."

At that, he said nothing more.

He rode the elevator down with me, saying he'd take me home.

We'd just reached the ground floor when Hester called him.

"Luke, my tummy hurts. Can you come back and stay with me?"

Still on the phone, Luke turned straight back to the elevator and went up without another glance at me.

Back home, I started packing up my things.

The phone rang. Luke asked, sounding thoughtful,

"Weren't we supposed to take our wedding photos today? Why didn't you remind me?"

With the wedding coming up, I'd been the one arranging everything.

And now, somehow, I hadn't reminded him about the wedding photos, and it left him displeased.

I kept packing and answered absently,

"You're busy with Hester anyway. The wedding photos can wait until the honeymoon."

I never expected one sentence to set off his temper completely.

"Alison! Do you have any idea how precious my time usually is? Why can't you ask me before you decide things?"

"If you keep making calls like this on your own, then forget the wedding altogether!"

The line went dead with a slam.

For a moment my heart clenched.

The boy who'd once stood under a sky full of fireworks and promised to make me happy forever was long gone.

I picked up our photos together, and without a shred of sentiment left, threw every last one into the trash.

Late that night, Luke came home with a drunk Hester and found the place emptier by a lot of things.

Already in a foul mood, he only got angrier.

"Alison, what are you up to this time?"

I answered calmly. "The place was a little messy. I'm tidying up."