Chapter 7

Laura barely slept that night, and by the time she woke up the next morning, Ryder was already gone.

Looking around the empty house, she felt a wave of irritation.

Her phone buzzed with a notification. It was a message from Seth.

Seth: [Laura, it's already 9:00 a.m.! Why aren't you back at the office yet? Don't tell me you're still sleeping in?]

He added a skeptical sticker at the end.

Laura's annoyance flared, but she forced herself to reply calmly.

Laura: [I'm on my way. If anyone comes looking for me, just handle it for now.]

-

Meanwhile, Ryder had already settled into Harry's place, dragging his suitcase inside.

He was busy coordinating with the wedding planners, making sure every detail of the upcoming ceremony was adjusted—swapping the groom's name with Seth's.

The invitations had been reprinted, the suit tailored for Seth was ready, and even the wedding photos had been photoshopped to include him.

The final task was notifying Seth about his role in the wedding.

"There's no need to notify him," Ryder muttered. "He's bound to show up and cause a scene anyway."

He stared at the edited wedding photos on his laptop. "Showing up is easy. Getting him to wear the suit will be harder."

Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"Harry, the day before the wedding, can you pick up the suit and deliver it to Seth's place? Tell him it's from Laura," he said.

Harry frowned but eventually nodded.

Glancing at his schedule, Ryder saw the countdown—three days left until his departure.

Harry sighed. "Time flies. Soon, we won't be able to meet up whenever we want."

Ryder chuckled. "It's fine. Once I settle down over there, I can fly back to see you anytime you want."

-

For two days, Ryder hadn't contacted Laura.

By the afternoon of the third day, as Ryder boarded his flight, Laura suddenly felt a pang of unease, her chest tightening with an inexplicable dread.

She quickly grabbed her phone and called him, but the call didn't go through.

Panicking, she dialed Harry instead. "Where's Ryder? Why isn't he answering his phone?"

On the other end, Harry rolled his eyes so hard it seemed like they could hit the ceiling.

"Seriously? Ryder's been swamped these past two days with wedding prep. He's exhausted! On top of that, he's been helping take care of my grandma. He doesn't have time to keep checking his phone!" he lied.

Laura was momentarily speechless.

"Sorry, I was just... worried about him," she mumbled.

"What, do you think my house is some kind of danger zone?" Harry retorted.

"No, that's not what I meant, I just—" Laura started.

"Alright, alright. I'll let him know you called. Happy now?" Harry cut her off.

Before she could respond, the line went dead.

Laura tried to reassure herself. Maybe she was just overthinking things.

Back at the office, Seth sauntered in and casually stood behind her chair, starting to massage her shoulders.

"Laura, I haven't seen Granny Bambra in ages. Will she attend the wedding?" he asked.

Laura shook her head. "Her health isn't great. She can't handle big, lively events like this. Why are you suddenly asking about her?"

"No reason, just wanted to check in on one of your elders," Seth replied.

The mention of elders reminded Laura of Alexander.

Technically, Alexander was one of Ryder's elders, but since they were about to get married, he was practically hers as well.

She called Alexander to let him know about the wedding date.

"So the wedding's still happening as planned?" Alexander's tone carried a hint of curiosity, which Laura found odd.

"Yes, why? Is there a problem?" she asked.

Alexander gave a forced laugh. "Oh, no, no problem at all. It's just that the orphanage is undergoing renovations, and the place is full of kids right now. I really can't get away."

"That's alright. You handle your work. After the wedding, Ryder and I will visit you and the children," Laura said.

After hanging up, Seth started pestering her to join him for dinner.

Laura studied him for a long moment, her intense gaze making him squirm uncomfortably.

"Something wrong, Laura?" he asked.

"No," she finally said, pulling her eyes away. "I'm just tired today. Go have dinner on your own."

-

Fresh off his flight, Ryder saw Harry's message and found a quiet spot to call Laura back.

"I'm fine, just tired," he reassured her.

"If you're so tired, stop overdoing it. Whatever's left to prepare, let me handle it." Laura's tone was anxious, but it only made Ryder's forced smile grow heavier.

To an outsider, it might have seemed like she still cared for him.

"It's all taken care of. Don't worry. Oh, by the way, I've got a surprise planned for you. But you'll have to wait until the wedding day to find out what it is," he said.

The mention of a surprise caught Laura off guard, stunning her for a moment before she said, "A surprise? Oh! Okay! Thank you, hubby! You've worked so hard!"

After the call ended, Laura felt her earlier worries dissipate.

See? Ryder still loved her.

-

Far away in a foreign land, Ryder blocked her number after ending the call.