When I accompanied Sherina to pick out her wedding dress, she kept glancing at her phone every few seconds.

Taking a deep breath, I held one up and asked, “How about this one?”

“It’s fine,” she replied lazily.

“And this one?”

“It’s okay. The pattern is kinda nice.”

I put down the curtain-like fabric and lowered my gaze, falling silent.

It wasn’t until she received a message from her male assistant—an emoji of a pitiful puppy—that a smile bloomed at the corner of her lips. With light steps, she headed out.

I parted my lips and reminded her mildly, “Come back early tonight. I have something important to tell you.”

——

However, Sherina only went home at four in the morning.

She drunkenly collapsed on top of me, her hands wandering.

“Kervin, hubby...” she softly whispered.

I turned on the bedside lamp. The affection in her eyes instantly turned into a flicker of disgust.

For a moment, the room was thick with awkward silence.

Then she grabbed a pillow, blocked my face with it, and prepared to go through the motions, as if it were a chore.

“I’m not feeling well today.” I sighed.

Relieved, she got up and walked toward the bathroom.

As soon as she left, her phone—forgotten on the nightstand—lit up.

It was a message from Kervin.

[Sherina, thank you for shielding me from those flirtatious female clients tonight. I promise I won’t take side gigs at the bar anymore. From now on, I’m your loyal little wolfdog forever ^^]

Ten years ago, I confessed my feelings to Sherina in public.

Knowing I was allergic to alcohol, she pointed at a full bottle of whiskey and, with a sneer, she spat, "If you can drink this in one go, I might consider saying yes."

I ran my fingers over the part of my stomach I lost because of that stunt, then pulled out a wedding invitation I had tucked beneath the pillow.

Sitting on the couch, I waited.

Not even thirty minutes later, Sherina came out of the bathroom.

The gardenia scent on her body was exactly the same as the handmade aromatherapy candle Kervin had gifted me last month.

Before I could speak, she lazily pulled a box from her coat pocket and tossed it at me like a handout.

Inside was a pair of blood-red ruby and silver bracelets. Clearly crafted from the remnants of the ruby watch she had given Kervin just last month.

Seeing me glance at it and close the lid, Sherina raised an eyebrow.

“What? Do I have to put it on you myself for you to be satisfied?”

I looked at her calmly and asked, “Sherina, we’ve known each other for fifteen years. Don’t you know I’m allergic to silver?”

Maybe my tone was too gentle, because she barely looked up from her phone as she texted Kervin, brushing me off.

“Tch. It’s no big deal. We’ll just get it gold-plated tomorrow.”

In the past, if she offered even the slightest attention, I would have held her in my arms in a heartbeat.

No matter how much she blushed or pretended to resist, I would kiss her a hundred times until she gave in.

But now, I ignored the way she leaned into me instinctively. Instead, I handed her the invitation I had prepared.

“Congratulations, Sherina. The bride has changed. You don’t have to marry me anymore.”

“Hm? What are you congratulating me for?”

She was too busy flirting with Kervin to even register what I had said.

Just as I was about to ask her to open the invitation and read the bride’s name, her phone rang again.

At this hour, there was only one person who would call her.

Kervin’s voice came through, soft and whiny. “Sherina~ I just saw this scary horror game clip. It was so terrifying...”

The moment she heard him, she tossed the invitation aside and rushed downstairs.

As the roar of a sports car echoed from outside, I picked up my phone to call her.

But no matter how many times I tried, the call wouldn’t go through.

Ah. I’d forgotten.

The day of our engagement, she’d blocked my number—just so I wouldn’t disturb her while she attended her class reunion with Kervin.

Sherina had long since blocked me.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I grabbed a trash bag and walked into the study, ready to throw away everything that no longer mattered.

I tore up the hundreds of love letters I’d once written to Sherina, and smashed the starry-sky telescope I gave her when we were kids.

And when I finally picked up the childhood photo of the two of us that had sat on the shelf for a decade, my hand accidentally nudged the mouse.

The computer screen lit up.

Just as Kervin’s smiling face appeared, Sherina stormed back into the room and shoved me hard!

Bang!

My head slammed against the glass of the bookshelf, and all the color drained from my face.

After confirming that the porcelain pig Kervin had given her was still in its place, Sherina gave me a sideways glance and snapped, “Preston, from now on, you are not allowed in this study.”

The pain was so intense I couldn’t speak.

I simply watched in silence as she opened the safe, took out the heirloom diamond ring, and left—beaming.

Not long after, I received a video from one of her best friends.

On the top floor of the Starlight Restaurant, in front of all her close girlfriends, Sherina knelt down on both knees, holding a bouquet and that diamond ring.

“Kervin, before I met you, I never believed in true love. But the moment you appeared, my dull, lifeless world of thirty years suddenly brightened up."

"Here and now, I’m humbly begging you... Please give me the chance to spend the rest of my life by your side.”

Beneath the sky of dazzling fireworks, Kervin tearfully accepted the ring and pulled her into his arms, smiling like a man in love.

The video had barely ended when I received a location ping from a private club.

That’s when I realized—they were playing their game again.

Sherina and her besties were betting on me. Betting how fast I’d show up to “catch them in the act.”

Betting whether I’d make a scene—break down like some pathetic lapdog, crying, screaming, begging.

For the past ten years, every time she bet I’d cry, she won.

But this time, I simply replied.

[Tell Sherina: Congratulations. She finally got what she wanted.]

After that, I muted my phone and went to bed.

The next morning, when I woke up, I saw two missed calls from her number.

I didn’t call back.

I was too busy throwing up in the bathroom.

The pain in the back of my head had only gotten worse, so I drove myself to the hospital.

While waiting in the hallway, I saw them—Sherina and Kervin—walking side by side, supporting a middle-aged woman between them.

They were laughing and chatting like a picture-perfect family.

“Mom, see how thoughtful Sherina is? Even with her busy schedule, she comes with me every day to visit you.”

“Kervin, don’t say that. If it weren’t for you and Auntie Carmen taking care of my mom so attentively, she wouldn’t have made it until I came back from abroad. I’m the one who should be grateful.”

Carmen smiled, and was about to say something—until she met my gaze.

Immediately, she darted away her gaze, and pretended to cough, obviously feeling guilty.

Seeing Carmen again—the head nurse from all those years ago—I finally understood why Sherina had fallen for Kervin.

A bitter laugh scratched my throat.

Noticing the sound, Sherina turned and spotted me. Her expression darkened as she walked over, frowning.

“Preston, where the hell were you messing around last night?”

I pressed my lips into a tight line and answered calmly, “I was home the whole time.”

She gave me a mocking smirk, as if she was angry but amused.

“You were home, but didn’t answer my calls?”

Ever since we got together, I had never once missed her call.

The thought must’ve crossed her mind too, because her hand suddenly gripped my jaw.

“Do you take me for a fool?”

She paused, startled by the cold sweat on my skin.

“Preston... Why are you sweating so much? Are you feeling unwell—”

Before she could finish, a teary voice cried out behind her.

“Sherina!”

It was Kervin.

Sherina immediately rushed back to Kervin’s side.

Not far off, Carmen clutched her chest, groaning in pain, clearly playing it up.

Without hesitation, Sherina accompanied Kervin and his mother back to the hospital room and even summoned every available doctor for a full team consultation.

Two full hours.

And while they were surrounded by care and concern, I sat in the waiting area, still unattended, growing dizzy and nauseous until I finally passed out.

A passing nurse found me unconscious and had me rushed to the emergency room—barely in time for treatment.

When I finally dragged myself home, completely drained, I found Sherina drying Kervin’s hair.

They had just taken a bath. Both were wearing the matching couple pajamas I had bought.

The loose neckline of his pajamas couldn’t quite hide the hickey on Kervin’s neck.

“Preston, don’t get the wrong idea,” Kervin stammered, clearly nervous. “Sherina and I didn’t do anything shameful in the bedroom...”

Sensing his fear, Sherina shot me a furious glare. “Don’t you have any manners? Didn’t your parents teach you to knock before entering a room?”

I gave a half-smile and replied calmly, “Sorry. They died young. I didn’t have the chance.”

For once, she was speechless.

I opened the closet to grab some fresh clothes and added, “I’ll sleep in the guest room.”

She paused for a beat, then let out a contemptuous scoff.

“Preston, stop acting so dramatic. We were just having dinner—no one is dying to share your damn bed.”

Running a fever and too exhausted to argue, I went to the guest room to take my meds and rest.

That night, Kervin didn’t leave.

The next morning, as I stepped out of the room, I overheard the maids whispering in the hallway.

“I’ve worked in the Andrews family for years, but I’ve never seen the young miss treat a man this well."

"Last night, Mr. Welch casually mentioned he’d never tried off-road go-karting—and she had an entire track installed in the back garden just for him! She played with him all night!”

“That’s nothing. She even cooked for him herself today! She even tested the milk’s temperature with her lips before feeding it to him!”

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see my rare medicinal plants, cultivated over years, were all completely destroyed.

I didn’t say a word.

Just calmly called the finance office.

“Sell the St. Mary Cathedral in the western suburbs.”

It was the venue I had prepared as a surprise gift for our engagement.

The moment I hung up, a voice rang out behind me.

“Preston, why are you selling the engagement gift you gave me?”

At the end of the hallway stood Sherina, her face full of inexplicable rage.

“Didn’t you tell me your parents got married there?”

I replied coolly, “I changed my mind.”

'Changed his mind? There were only ten days left until our wedding. How could we possibly change the venue now? Unless... he wasn’t planning to marry me at all?'

That ridiculous thought flashed across Sherina’s mind—and it made her laugh out loud.

She was about to ask me which venue I planned to switch to, when Kervin conveniently appeared, wrapping his arm around her waist and planting a kiss on her cheek.

“Oh! Preston, you’re awake already.”

He acted like he had just noticed me, ducking behind Sherina with fake embarrassment—his voice dripping with smugness.

“Preston, Sherina cooked a huge feast for me today. I ate so much, my stomach actually hurts. Could you help me finish some? I really can’t eat another bite.”

Sherina giggled and tapped the tip of his nose affectionately. “Silly you, don’t gobble your food like that anymore."

"Here, take some digestion tablets. I’ll rub your tummy for you.”

Stomach growling, I didn’t refuse the invitation.

But I’d barely taken a few bites when I heard Kervin’s breathy, flirtatious moan.

“Sherina... you said you were only going to rub my tummy... Any lower than that, and you’re definitely not touching my abs anymore...”