Chapter 2

I opened the shop door, went inside, and closed it behind me.

Through the glass, he didn't move.

I turned on the light over the work counter and started kneading dough and prepping ingredients. My hands moved the way they always did, but I cut the butter at the wrong angle three times.

He stood outside the door for an hour.

At eight o'clock, the first customers came in, and only then did he turn and leave.

On the table he left behind that cup of coffee, now gone completely cold, and a business card.

A single line was written on the back of the card—

"I'm staying at that rental on Begonia Street. Whenever you're willing to talk, I'll be there."

I dropped the card into the trash.

I still remember every detail of that night four years ago.

The evening before my wedding, on the top floor of the hotel, I came back to my room after my final dress fitting and found someone standing at the door.

Dustin's mother.

She wore a dark red dress, her hair combed without a strand out of place, a folder in her hand.

I said, "Mrs. Stephens."

She looked at me and gave a little smile.

I replayed that smile many times afterward before I finally understood what was in it.

"Jill, there are some things I really shouldn't be saying at a time like this."

"But if I don't say them, my conscience won't let me rest."

She handed me the folder.

"Take a look at this."

I opened it. Inside was a stack of printed screenshots of chat logs, each page marked with a date.

The sender's profile picture and username were both Dustin's.

"Man, are you really going to marry her?"

"My mom keeps pushing me, so I might as well just get it over with."

"Don't you not even like her?"

"Does it matter whether I like her? She's easy to keep happy. We can get by well enough."

There was another part.

"I'll be honest with you—I don't feel anything for her, but she's completely devoted to me. Marrying her is the least trouble."

By the time I reached the last page, my hands had gone cold.

Watching my reaction, Dustin's mother sighed.

"These are his chats with his cousin. He thought he'd deleted them all after he changed his phone, but his cousin still had them."

"Jill, you're a good girl. You deserve a man who truly loves you."

"I can't stand by and watch you marry into this family in the dark."

She took a few more photos out of her bag.

They were photos of Dustin and a woman. Shopping malls, restaurants, movie theaters—all sorts of everyday scenes. The woman leaning on his shoulder, his hand at her waist.

The dates were marked in the corners of the photos. The most recent one was two weeks before our wedding.

"This girl is his ex-girlfriend from college. It never ended. He promised me he'd stop contacting her, but you can see for yourself."

I said nothing.

I put the papers back into the folder, my fingers completely numb.

Dustin's mother stood up and patted my shoulder as she left.

"If you want to leave, I won't stop you. I've set aside some money for you, enough to get you settled. Don't hate me—I truly do care about you."

After she left, I sat on the carpet in my room the whole night.

At four in the morning, I sent my brother a message: Come pick me up.

Before dawn, I walked out the back door of the hotel carrying a single suitcase.

The wedding dress was still hanging on the rack in the room.

That was the last time I saw anything connected to Dustin.