Chapter 2

The wedding was 30 hours away. The owner of the pizzeria where it was to be held, Bob Walden, had long since helped me decorate the place the way I wanted it.

When I called him, he cheerily asked whether I wanted to get more flowers to spruce the place further. I smiled bitterly. "I'm canceling the wedding, Mr. Walden."

He sounded relieved. "That's great! You've finally seen sense. No proper man would make his wife settle for a wedding in a pizzeria in this day and age—he's just making a fool out of you!

"You're a wonderful woman, and you deserve a man who's much better than him. You don't have to settle for a bastard like him! I can't believe he said having the wedding here would be memorable. What's so memorable about it?"

I lowered my head and remembered the video I'd seen last night. The pizzeria was indeed a nostalgic place, but the memories created there didn't belong to Harold and me. They belonged to him and Ivory.

That was where they'd first met during college. It was also where they'd last seen each other before Ivory had gone abroad. It was a place that was filled with their memories.

Harold wanted to use our wedding to tell Ivory that he'd always had her in his heart. I was nothing but a pawn he could sacrifice in the grand scheme of things.

"Tomorrow's feast will still be held as planned, Mr. Walden. I just want to change it to a farewell party. Tell the people in the area that I'm treating them to a nice meal," I said.

"Alright."

After ending the call, I headed to the hospital again. Even the nurse recognized me.

"Look at the state you're in—you're alone, too. Are you single? Do you have any friends who can be here with you?" she asked.

I didn't know what to say. I looked up and happened to see Harold holding Ivory's hand as they came out of one of the consultation rooms. He was blowing on a laceration on the back of her hand.

"What would you have done without me watching over you? You can't care for yourself," he said.

"Watch over me for life, then." She swung his arm coquettishly.

He tapped her nose indulgently. Their interactions were so sweet that they became the target of everyone's envy.

Even the nurse tending to me said, "Look at her boyfriend. He's wonderful, isn't he?"

I retracted my gaze indifferently. "Yeah, he is."

…

As I left the hospital, I saw Harold accompanying Ivory as she sat on the children's swing nearby. She held the ropes tightly and giggled. "I'm scared, Harry!"

"You have nothing to fear. I'm right here." He pushed her lightly, keeping his hands by her sides so he could hold her if anything were to go wrong.

I watched them for a while before saying, "The salesperson from the jewelry store just called me, Harold. She said the necklace you ordered has arrived."

"Oh, okay. I'll go collect it later…" Harold's expression suddenly turned diffident. He added, "I bought it for you."

I smiled and didn't expose his lie. The salesperson had already told me the necklace was in the shape of a snowflake and had "Ivory" carved on it.

I turned to leave, but Ivory stopped me. "Harry treats you so well, Minnie. He's even giving you such an expensive necklace. All I have is a ride on a swing."

Harold immediately tapped her forehead. "I would never say no to anything you wanted, silly."

Her pout turned into a smile. Then, she said to me, "Looks like I have a necklace now, too. Do you want to have a go on the swing? Harry's great at this."

She looked smug, but I was unaffected. "I don't like swings."

"Are you mad, Minnie? I was a little upset because of my injury—Harry was only trying to make me feel better," she said.

Harold frowned at me. "Ivy is like a little sister to me, Minerva. Isn't it right for me to care for her?"

I nodded indifferently. "Of course it is. Take good care of her, and have all the fun you want."

He was satisfied with my obedience. "This is the way you should be—level-headed and steady. You're about to become a married woman, after all."

I turned away, blocking Harold's words out. It was time for me to deal with everything else.