Chapter 3

I wanted to scream: When Vanessa asked you to be her boyfriend for three months, did you give a damn about my reputation?

When you jumped at the chance without hesitating, did you care how humiliated I was?

When you two drank arms-locked, when your lips met, when you held her in your arms—

Did either of you give a single damn about me?

I swallowed the words.

Because I knew arguing was completely useless.

The last time we went to a work dinner, Vanessa sat directly on Liam's lap, claiming there "weren't enough chairs." When I told her it wasn't appropriate, Liam snapped that I was making a mountain out of a molehill.

The time before that, at a friend's birthday party, Vanessa asked Liam to peel her shrimp. He peeled an entire bowl for her while I ate alone.

When we got home and I told him it hurt my feelings, Liam scoffed, saying Vanessa was single and my best friend, so what was wrong with looking after her?

And the time before that, Vanessa got wasted at a bar, and Liam carried her bridal-style all the way up to her hotel room.

When I asked why someone else couldn't carry her, he snapped that Vanessa had specifically asked for him, and he couldn't just leave her on the pavement.

He’d always twist it, asking why I was so insecure around my own best friend, lecturing me about how modern women shouldn't tear each other down, asking why I always had to compete with Vanessa.

Every single time I felt hurt, Liam branded me as "dramatic" and claimed I was "embarrassing him."

Every single time, I was the one who was "petty," the one who "couldn't take a joke."

"You're right. I shouldn't have just walked out."

I should have slapped both of you across the face right then and there.

I gave a dry, indifferent response and turned toward the bedroom.

"Hey, Chloe," Vanessa purred, stepping in front of me with a saccharine smile.

"Since I'm Liam's girlfriend now, we should commit to the bit, right? Don't you think it makes more sense for me to stay in the master bedroom with him?"

I froze, turning my eyes to Liam.

"You think I should give up my room to Vanessa, too?"

Liam's eyes flickered, but he nodded anyway.

"Vanessa has a point. She's technically my girlfriend right now; it doesn't look right for her to crash on a couch or stay in a motel. Why don't you pack a bag and stay with your parents for these three months? You can move back in once the game is over."

I stared at his casual, entitled face, and suddenly, he looked like a total stranger.

"Fine."

That was the only word I gave him. I turned around, walked into the bedroom, dragged out two suitcases, and shoved my clothes inside.

As for the rest of my toiletries and personal items—I didn't want them anymore. Since Vanessa loved my leftovers so much, she could choke on them.

Liam leaned against the doorframe, watching me pack without offering a single finger of help.

"Just crash at your folks' place for a bit. On the wedding day, wait for me at home. I'll come pick you up in the limo."

The wedding day?

There isn't going to be a wedding.

Still, I couldn't go home to my parents at this hour.

At half past midnight, I rolled my suitcases out the door, checked into a cheap boutique hotel nearby, and planned to break the news of the canceled engagement to my family the next morning.

The next day, just as I was getting ready to check out, my mom FaceTime’d me.

I picked up.

The background was a sterile hospital room—my grandmother's room.

"Chloe, sweetie! Your grandma hasn't seen you in weeks, she really wanted to see your face!"

My mom handed the phone over. Grandma looked so much more frail and sunken than the last time I visited.

After barely two minutes of talking, her breathing grew shallow and tired.

My mom took the phone back and stepped into the corridor before speaking in a low whisper: "The cancer is progressing, Chloe. The doctors told us... she doesn't have much time left."

She sighed, a brief flicker of comfort crossing her tired face. "Thank God you're getting married in three months. At least your grandma will get to see you in a white dress. She can leave this world with a smile."

My hand clamped around the handle of my suitcase, my throat burning.

Grandma loved me more than anyone in the world. If she found out I called off the wedding...

Noticing my silence, my mom asked hesitantly, "Chloe? Is... is everything okay? Did you and Liam get into a fight?"

"No!" I forced out, my voice cracking slightly. "Don't worry, Mom. Everything's fine. Grandma's going to see me walk down the aisle in three months. I promise."