Philip offered a small smile, nonchalantly moving on. "The bill, please."

When they stepped outside, Jane said carefully, "Mr. Dillon, that day when you gave me the wedding dress, I noticed Ms. Brock didn't look very happy. She seemed to really like the first one. Now that I have a new one, maybe you should—"

"No need."

Philip took a drag from his cigarette, the smoke partially hiding his face. Only his voice cut through the cold wind and reached my ears.

"I don't want to get married so soon anyway."

Every excuse he'd ever given me shattered against that one casual sentence.

Of course. All his excuses boiled down to just one truth—he simply didn't want to. He didn't want to marry me or keep his promise. That was it.

Jane drew in a small breath. "But I think I saw Ms. Brock's Instagram. She's already announced the wedding date. Not just that, but I also heard the invitations have even been made. Is she… trying to force you into this?"

Philip's smile turned cold at those words. "She doesn't have that kind of power. At most, she'll just use her mom to push me."

The wind picked up, and the swirling snow blurred my vision.

I wrapped my coat tighter around me and turned to leave with the wedding dress in hand.

At home, I called the bridal shop to arrange for the dress to be picked up and returned.

After hanging up, I sat at my desk, staring at the wedding invitation template on my laptop.

The gold lettering and delicate designs were everything Philip and I had dreamed of—the perfect picture of warmth and romance.

Except the groom's name wasn't his.

The next morning, I printed the invitations and drove straight to the hospital. I wanted Mom to see them first and put her mind at ease.

But when I reached her ward and pushed the door open, I froze.

Philip and Jane were there, standing by Mom's bedside. They were laughing and talking.

When Jane saw me, her smile widened. "Ms. Brock! We've been chatting with your mom for a while now!"

A sharp gleam of triumph and provocation flickered in her eyes.

A surge of anger and panic shot through me. I was worried about what they might say in front of Mom.

I hurried forward and stood between them and the bed before confronting Philip. "What are you doing here? Who let you in?"

Philip's face flickered with surprise when he saw me, but it quickly hardened into a cold mask. His voice was thick with accusation as he said, "I'm here to see Mrs. Brock. You kept telling me that her condition is getting worse and that she won't last much longer.

"Elyse Brock, what exactly are you trying to do? Are you using your mom's illness to trick me into marrying you? That's some talent you've got."

His words cut like a knife straight into my heart.

Mom's expression changed instantly as well. She looked at me in confusion, then at Philip. Her lips parted as if to speak, but the words never came.

When I saw that, my eyes stung. I shoved Philip, trying to get him out of the ward. "Get out! You're not welcome here. Leave!"

Suddenly, Jane stepped forward and grabbed my arm. Her eyes were red-rimmed as she said, "Ms. Brock, don't be mad. If you're upset about the wedding dress, I can return it to you right now. Okay?"

Her voice was loud, clearly meant for Mom to hear.

Sure enough, Mom's brow furrowed, and she asked with a voice that was frail yet urgent, "What wedding dress? Elyse, what's going on?"

My heart sank. I hurried to block Jane, not wanting her to continue.

But Jane shoved my hand away and said with feigned innocence, "Mrs. Brock, Ms. Brock wanted my wedding dress. I didn't give it to her, and now she's upset. But Mr. Dillon had it custom-made for me. Even if I had let her have it, it wouldn't have fit her."

The moment she said that, Mom's face went pale. She clearly understood what Jane was implying.

Her chest heaved violently, and her gaze was full of disappointment and pain as she looked at Philip.

She started to speak but suddenly clutched her chest, coughing violently as she struggled for breath.

"Mom! What's wrong? Mom!"

Panicked, I grabbed her and shouted, "Doctor! Someone help!"

The doctors and nurses rushed in, scrambling to get Mom into the operating room.

The OR doors shut, and the red warning light glared, making my eyes sting.

Just then, Jane stepped up to my side. Her tone was still dripping with feigned innocence as she asked, "Ms. Brock, did I say something wrong again? I just wanted to apologize. I didn't expect Mrs. Brock to react so strongly…"

Her pretentious act made my blood boil.

I couldn't take it anymore. I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face. "Shut up! If anything happens to my mom, I'll make you pay!"

Philip immediately stepped forward, shielding Jane. His gaze at me was icy with anger. "Elyse Brock, are you crazy? Jane just spoke the truth. Why did you slap her?

"Your mom has been in surgery more times than she's eaten in the past few years. Even if this hadn't happened, she'd still be in the OR eventually. That's just her fate!"

His words were like a poisoned blade stabbing straight into my heart. I couldn't believe he had actually said that.

The moment Philip realized the cruelty of his words, a flicker of panic crossed his eyes as he hurried to explain, "Elyse, that's not what I meant. I misspoke. Don't take it to heart—"

"Get out!" My voice was hoarse.

Through my tears, I pointed toward the door down the corridor. "Out! Both of you!"

Seeing my bloodshot eyes and hysterical state, Philip opened his mouth to say something. But in the end, he just guided the crying Jane out the door.

The corridor was now empty. I leaned against the cold wall, letting my tears fall freely.

I didn't know how long I stayed there, waiting. Finally, Dad rushed in. And finally, the OR light went off.

…

Third-Person POV

On the wedding day, the sun was shining brightly. Philip walked into the office as usual.

Colleagues came up to him, smiling. "Mr. Dillon, congratulations!"

He froze in his tracks, a look of utter confusion washing over his face. He didn't understand what the congratulations were for.

Since yesterday, all the messages he had sent Elyse had gone unanswered, and she hadn't picked up his calls either.

He felt a twinge of unease but couldn't bring himself to make the first move.

Frowning, he called over an employee.

The employee approached him and asked respectfully, "Yes, Mr. Dillon?"

Philip frowned, sounding annoyed. "Everyone's congratulating me. For what?"

The employee looked puzzled. "You don't know? Ms. Zamora announced at the office yesterday that the woman who kept bothering you, Elyse, is marrying someone else today. We figured you're finally free of her, so we're congratulating you on your freedom."