I smiled.

On the walk over, I'd already figured it out. Getting upset over someone who didn't love me back wasn't worth it.

One of my friends spoke up. "Marcus, you're not seriously canceling the wedding, are you?"

"Of course I am. You think I'm joking?"

My friends exchanged uneasy glances, and a second later, the concern came pouring out.

"But the whole city knows about this wedding. Wouldn't it look bad to cancel out of nowhere?"

"Marcus, I really think you should reconsider."

"Exactly. Canceling the wedding isn't just about you and Vivienne. It involves the interests of both Coleman Group and Langford Group."

I shook my head. "I appreciate the concern, but you all know me. Once I've made a decision, I don't go back on it. Besides, don't you think Vivienne and Toby make a better couple?"

Nobody had an answer for that.

The rooftop fell silent. The only sound was the steady crack and bloom of fireworks overhead.

That was when Vivienne's voice cut through. "Who makes a better couple?"

I turned. Toby was right behind her, wearing that phony smile of his. "Mr. Coleman, I thought it over and decided I should come after all. You put so much effort into this for Vivienne. It'd be a shame to let it go to waste."

Was I supposed to thank him for that?

My expression didn't change.

"You should thank Toby," Vivienne said. "If he hadn't kept insisting, I wouldn't have come at all."

I smiled and turned to Toby. "Thank you."

He looked flustered, waving his hands. "No, no, it's nothing. I just did what anyone would."

His face was all nervous modesty, but the smugness in his eyes only deepened.

Vivienne seemed pleased by how "reasonable" I was being. "Marcus, you've matured."

I looked at her with a quiet smile.

Vivienne, I haven't matured. I just stopped caring.

Whoosh!

Pop!

Fireworks burst across the night sky, one after another.

Vivienne tilted her head back to watch, but less than ten seconds in, she yawned twice and covered her mouth. "Gets boring after a while, honestly. I don't even know why I used to like this sort of thing."

I watched her and said nothing.

Strange? Not strange at all. A heart that had moved on would never feel the same way twice.

Vivienne yawned again and waved Toby over. "I'm tired. Take me home."

"You got it!"

Toby answered eagerly, then shot me a look, as if to say: You spent all that effort putting on a fireworks show for her. So what? She couldn't care less.

I didn't bother with him. In my eyes, he was an ant on the sidewalk. I could crush him underfoot whenever I felt like it.

"Hold on."

The friend closest to Vivienne spoke up. "Vivienne, come here. I need to talk to you."

"What can't you say right here?" Vivienne muttered, but she followed anyway.

I caught the look my friend gave me and understood. She wanted me to follow too.

I hesitated for a moment, then went.

I'd already stopped caring. But five years of feelings couldn't just be severed like a wire.

Once we were far enough from the crowd, Vivienne stopped. "This good enough? What do you want to say?"

My friend turned around, her tone sharp. "Vivienne, what is going on with you?"

Vivienne blinked. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? Your wedding is tomorrow. And you're out here flirting with Toby Donaldson. Have you even once considered how Marcus feels?"

Vivienne relaxed and let out a laugh. "Oh, is that what this is about? I thought it was something serious."

My friend stared at her, stunned. "Are you saying this isn't serious?"

"Of course it matters, but not the way you think. I've only been flirting with Toby to make Marcus nervous. To scare him a little, to show him I'm not some woman who can't live without him."

"You saw it yourself. He threw a fit over something so small, threatening to cancel the wedding. If he's already trying to control me before we're even married, imagine what it'll be like after. He'd walk all over me."

"Tonight I'll teach him a lesson. After this, he'll never dare pick a fight over something trivial or try to hold anything over my head again."

Her friend was quiet for a moment. "But have you considered what happens if Marcus actually cancels the wedding?"

Vivienne's lip curled with contempt. "He wouldn't dare."

I let out a bitter laugh.

So that was her confidence. She was certain I loved her to the bone, that I couldn't leave her, that I'd never actually walk away from this marriage.

But Vivienne, you forgot one thing.

Love can die.

That night, I called my secretary.

"There's an overseas project coming up, isn't there?"

"Yes, sir. The VP was originally scheduled to—"

"I'll go."

Silence on the other end. Then, carefully: "But sir, your wedding is tomorrow."

"The wedding's been canceled. Didn't you get the memo?"

The secretary didn't press further. "Understood. I'll book the flight and arrange everything right away."

On the day of the wedding, Vivienne sent me a video.

She was dressed in a traditional bridal gown, all crimson silk and gold embroidery, a jeweled headdress crowning her hair. A makeup artist was putting the finishing touches on her face.

"Marcus, I'm finally going to be your bride."

Her voice trembled with excitement.

"Mm," I murmured, though my gaze had already drifted to the figure sitting behind her, dressed in a groomsman's suit.

Toby.

Vivienne offered an explanation. "Toby's my assistant, and I wanted him to share in the joy of the wedding, so I went ahead and made him a groomsman. I didn't check with you first. You're not upset, are you?"

I shook my head. "Not at all."

Vivienne smiled.

Toby grinned. "See, Ms. Langford? I told you Mr. Coleman wouldn't mind. Relax and just focus on being the happiest bride in the world today."

He tilted his head, squinting at her. "Oh, Ms. Langford, your makeup looks a little smudged right here."

And just like that, he reached out and touched her face.

Vivienne didn't flinch. Didn't pull away. She actually shifted in her chair, angling herself toward him to make it easier.

Toby's fingertips traced slowly across her cheek, and over her shoulder, his eyes locked onto the camera. Onto me. A quiet, deliberate challenge.

My expression didn't change.

Maybe Vivienne had started the flirtation with Toby just to provoke me. But a performance played long enough becomes real.

Her heart had already wandered. She just didn't know it yet.

When her makeup was finished, Vivienne stood and twirled in front of the camera.

"How do I look, husband?"

It was the first time she'd ever called me that. I felt nothing. I gave a flat nod.

"Beautiful."

"Then..." She pressed a fingertip to her lips, then touched it to the camera lens, her voice dropping low and sweet. "Your beautiful wife will be waiting for her husband to come get her."

"Okay."

The screen went dark.

I picked up my packed suitcase and headed downstairs.

My secretary was waiting by the car. He took the suitcase from my hand. "Everything's been arranged, Mr. Coleman."

"Let's go."

The engine turned over, and the car pulled onto the road toward the airport.

Thirty minutes later, a low roar split the sky as a plane climbed through the clouds and vanished into the distance.