Chapter 4

When I was done, I turned off my phone.

My mother was still going over tomorrow's plans beside me.

"Your uncle keeps asking. I'm thinking, if you two want to move the wedding up after the engagement, I'll push back some of my other commitments..."

She picked up her phone as she talked.

"Actually, we need to discuss this with Ethan. Let me call him over."

"Mom."

I placed my hand over hers.

"We don't need him to come."

My mother froze.

I didn't explain.

I took a taxi to the apartment Ethan and I had been sharing.

I'd left in such a rush the night before that I'd forgotten my passport in the bedroom drawer.

After retrieving it, I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. The takeout container from last night was sitting inside.

I picked it up and dropped it straight into the trash.

Then I closed the door.

And didn't look back.

...

The engagement banquet was scheduled for noon the next day.

Inside the ballroom of a five-star hotel, servers were setting up the head table.

Ethan arrived with Lily.

As soon as Lily walked in, she set her bag on a chair and complained in that half-joking, half-serious way of hers:

"Honestly, Emma. She made my mom wait forever at the station yesterday."

"Ethan, you spoil her too much. Being your fiancee doesn't give her the right to act like that."

Ethan's expression was stiff.

"I sent my assistant to pick her up in the end. Your mom didn't wait that long. Forget it."

Lily paused, then said softly:

"But last night we were with the client so late, we just stayed over. Emma's not going to be upset about that, is she?"

"I mean, your engagement is today, and you spent the night before with another woman. No matter how you look at it..."

Ethan cut her off. "It was work. What's there to be upset about?"

"This client matters. If we close the deal, I can buy her a wedding apartment downtown. Paid in full."

His expression softened slightly as he said this.

He reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a gift box.

Inside was a necklace.

Emma had looked at it many times.

But the company's cash flow had been tight, and she'd always been frugal. She couldn't bring herself to buy it.

On Friday night, he hadn't had a chance to give her the birthday present before she left.

He was, in truth, a little angry.

He thought she was being unreasonable. That she'd picked the wrong time and place to throw a fit.

But he had forgotten she couldn't eat spicy food.

Fine.

He'd take out the necklace in a little while.

Apologize. Hold her.

She was always easy to win back.

Every time she got upset, all he had to do was make the first move, and she'd come around.

Ethan walked to the door of the bridal suite and took a deep breath.

He pushed it open.

"Emma, I'm sorry about your birthday. I—"

The words died in his throat.

He stood frozen.