Just three days after we got engaged, I stumbled across a private story posted by the girl he had grown up with.

'Too bad the boy who confessed to me ninety-nine times is marrying someone else in ten days.'

In the photo, he trailed behind her through a crowded mall, his arms loaded with shopping bags, looking as if he had rehearsed the scene a hundred times.

Curious, I scrolled down to read the comments.

'No way. The childhood-best-friend and first-love storyline still lost? Girl, that hurts.'

'Lost? He's getting married and still spending the whole day shopping with her. She didn't lose anything.'

'I feel bad for the bride. I'm seriously waiting for confession number one hundred to happen at the wedding, followed by a runaway groom scene.'

Watching strangers bicker in the comments, I quietly pressed the like button, blending into their chaos.

None of them knew that in just ten days, I would be the one stepping away from the altar.

The fake-death package I'd ordered was already in motion.

While my fiance and his childhood sweetheart mourned the love they claimed was out of reach, I quietly counted down the days until I could disappear for good.

The Outsider Wearing His Ring

Three days after our engagement, Callum Pierce's friends threw him a little celebration.

I drove downtown to pick him up from the hotel restaurant.

The door to their private room had been left slightly ajar. Laughter drifted into the hallway, loud and effortless.

I stepped closer.

Through the crack, I saw Callum sitting next to Mara Collins, the girl he'd known since they were kids. They were pressed so close their shoulders nearly touched.

Mara was laughing as she reached over and pinched his cheek.

My stomach tightened.

Callum caught her wrist and lowered her hand.

"Mara, I'm engaged now." His voice was calm, almost gentle. "You can't keep acting like this. Natalie won't like it, and I don't want to make her unhappy."

For one foolish second, warmth rushed into my chest.

I almost smiled.

I was about to push the door open when one of his friends spoke up, "So what made you decide to marry Natalie all of a sudden?"

A short laugh followed.

"I thought you were just passing time with her."

My hand froze on the door.

Callum looked at Mara.

Nothing changed on his face.

"My mom's been pushing me to settle down. Natalie is the perfect fit. She's sweet, pretty, obedient, rich, and has no family to complicate things."

Then he gave a small shrug. "She's basically my mother's dream daughter-in-law."

The words hit harder than a slap.

Before I could move, Mara gave a tiny gasp.

She had cut her finger on a steak knife.

Callum was on her in an instant, taking her hand like she'd been seriously hurt. "Mara, can you be careful for once?"

Mara tugged her hand back, pouting. "I thought we needed boundaries. Let go."

Callum let out a helpless laugh. "You rejected me ninety-nine times. Am I not allowed to be a little mad?"

His tone softened almost immediately. "Okay, I'm sorry. Let me see."

Then he lifted her injured finger to his mouth.

One of his friends groaned. "God, you two are still like this after all these years?"

Another voice chimed in, amused and a little drunk. "You should've ended up together. Instead, some outsider gets the ring."

The word 'outsider' sank into me.

I thought back to the first time Callum introduced me to his friends—the sideways glances, the smirks they tried to hide.

Back then, Callum had wrapped an arm around my waist and explained it away. "They just think I got lucky, finding a woman as beautiful as you."

Now I understood.

They had never thought he was lucky. Instead, they had thought I was ridiculous.

Inside the room, Callum was carefully wrapping a bandage around Mara's finger.

"She doesn't want to be trapped in a marriage," he told them, his voice low. "I respect that."

Mara burst out laughing and gave him a slap on the shoulder. "Oh, come on. Natalie barely knows anyone here, so I'll be her bridesmaid."

She leaned toward him, eyes bright with mischief. "Then it'll be like you're marrying me. More exciting that way, right?"

Callum didn't pull away.

Mara tilted her head, looking at him as if she already knew the answer. "You'll always be there for me, won't you?"

Callum reached over and ruffled her hair. His voice softened so much it made my chest ache. "Always. I'm your backup plan."

The room went quiet for half a second.

Then one of his friends sighed. "Just don't let Natalie find out. Women always sense this kind of thing. If she makes a scene, it'll be a mess for everyone."

I stood in the hallway, perfectly still as I watched them through that narrow crack for a long time.

Then I turned and walked away.

The Other Woman Had a Key

When Callum finally came home, I was curled on the couch, fever blazing through me.

He switched on the lamp by the door.

"Why are you sitting here in the dark—"

Then he saw my face.

The takeout bag in his hand slipped onto the coffee table, forgotten. It was from my favorite diner—tomato soup and grilled cheese, the comfort I always wanted when I was sick.

He hurried into the kitchen, came back with water and fever medicine, then helped me sit up carefully, as if I might break.

"This is my fault," he murmured. "I shouldn't have gone out drinking with them."

His voice was soft, filled with guilt. "Go lie down. I'll shower first. I don't want you breathing in all this alcohol."

Worry clouded his face.

For one fragile, foolish second, I almost believed him. I almost convinced myself that he really loved me.

Then I caught the scent clinging to his shirt. Roses. Mara's perfume.

A minute later, the shower started running.

Callum's phone remained on the coffee table, its screen illuminating with a message from Mara—just a single character, "1."

I knew what it meant.

They had a streak that lasted over the years. Occasionally, it was a meme; sometimes an emoji; other times, just a single number to keep the thread going.

Everything about it felt practiced. Intentional.

Then I remembered the phone store I walked past that afternoon, where a clerk showed off a feature on the exact same model Callum owned: a second space, basically a hidden phone inside the phone.

My hands trembled as I picked it up.

I followed the steps from memory.

The second home screen opened.

The first thing I saw was Mara.

She lounged on the bed in black lingerie, all bare skin and brazen confidence, staring straight into the camera with no question who the photo was meant for.

Her message, written under the photo, read, 'I'm safe tonight.'

There was no hesitation, no shame, just a single blunt sentence that cut straight through me.

I scrolled.

There was more.

Callum was tearing me apart, mocking our bed, calling me boring, saying I only knew one position, and insisting I never brought any excitement.

Then his next message: 'She's not like you. You know how to have fun.'

My stomach twisted in disgust.

Five years with Callum, and I had never imagined he could wear such a convincing mask.

Five years of dinners, birthdays, family gatherings, quiet nights, and shared dreams. Five years of Mara smiling at me like we were friends.

"Nat!" she would chirp, warm and easy, as if nothing was wrong.

She pretended to like me, as if she wasn't secretly sleeping with my fiance, but her messages stripped away any sweetness.

'Don't you dare fall for her,' Mara had written. 'She's a small-town nobody. Marrying you is already the best thing that'll ever happen to her.'

Callum answered like he was coaxing a spoiled child. 'Relax, princess. I only touch her when she's ovulating.

'Once she gives me a son, I won't have to sleep with her anymore. I'll save it all for you. Happy?'

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe at all.

My head spun. The fever, the nausea, the exhaustion—they all twisted together until I felt like I might fall apart.

Right then, the shower turned off.

I restored all settings, locked the phone, and placed it exactly where it had been.

A few seconds later, Callum walked out with damp hair and a towel around his shoulders.

He picked up his phone, swiped the screen a couple of times, then froze completely.

It was subtle, but I caught a tiny hitch in his breath.

By the time he looked at me, his face had already gone calm again.

He came over and reached for my forehead.

The moment his hand came close, my stomach lurched.

I pushed him away and doubled over the edge of the couch, dry-heaving until my eyes burned.

Callum froze.

For a few seconds, the apartment was silent except for the harsh sound of me retching.

Then a bright, familiar laugh drifted in from the entryway.

"Callum!" Mara strolled in as if she owned the place.

"I'm running away from home," she said lightly. "Can I stay here tonight?"

In an instant, Callum forgot I even existed.

His attention snapped to her completely.

He frowned when he saw her thin camisole and bare legs. "It's cold out. Why are you dressed like that?"

Mara only gave him a playful look, completely unbothered. "Let's go to Veyra Falls to see the northern lights. I've already bought the tickets. We're leaving tomorrow."

Then she stepped closer, eyes bright with mischief. "Actually, let's go to the airport tonight. That way, we don't have to wake up early."

Callum agreed instantly, with no hesitation, no guilt, and no concern for the woman burning with fever on his couch.

Only after that did his eyes flick back to me, like he had just remembered I was there.

The Chance I Shouldn't Have Given Him

Mara lifted a hand to her mouth, eyes wide with false concern.

"Oh no, Nat doesn't look well," she said, glancing between us with a sigh. "Maybe I should go alone. You should stay here and look after her."

Without waiting for an answer, she spun on her heel and rolled her suitcase toward the door, already halfway out.

Callum panicked.

"Mara, stop!" He went after her at once. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm not letting you fly out there alone."

She paused, looking torn. "But what about Nat?"

Callum didn't even think before answering, "She's a grown woman. It's just a cold. She'll be fine."

Then he looked at her again, his voice already softer. "Wait for me downstairs. I'll pack a bag."

Once Mara was gone, whatever strength I had drained away. I slumped back onto the couch, dizzy and burning with fever, while Callum rushed around the apartment, pulling clothes from drawers and stuffing chargers and shirts into a duffel.

Not once did he look back.

I watched him pack for someone else as I shivered with fever. For reasons I could not explain, my mind drifted back to the day we first met.

It was at a children's home.

Callum wore a crisp white shirt, sitting cross-legged on the floor, patiently playing board games with the kids. I volunteered there on weekends, and that day, he arrived with a charity group.

After that, he pursued me as if I were the only thing he had ever truly wanted.

It didn't take long before I fell for him.

For the next five years, Mara was everywhere—her syrupy smile at every gathering, her name in every plan, her calls constant, as if she owned some permanent part of him.

I told myself I understood.

They had grown up together and were practically like family. And after Callum started dating me, he really had pulled back from her.

Mara had even complained about it once, calling him a terrible friend who ditched people the second he got a girlfriend.

Then she turned around and reassured me, "Nat, honestly, Callum's doing the right thing. No matter how close we are, he has a girlfriend now. He should have boundaries."

That was when I fully let my guard down.

Even when their closeness felt like too much, I convinced myself not to worry.

'They are like siblings,' I told myself. 'If there were anything between them, Callum never would've chosen me.'

Lost in those memories, I barely noticed Callum zipping up his bag.

He zipped the duffel, picked it up, and headed for the door.

I looked up at him, feeling a sharp, bitter ache twist in my chest.

Before I could stop myself, I blurted, "Callum, can you not go?"

He stopped.

For a moment, he only stared at me, like the question had caught him off guard.

So I asked again, slowly this time. "Can you not go on this trip with Mara? Can you stay home with me?"

I thought, 'If he chooses me, just this once, maybe I could let it all go.'

I was foolish enough to believe forgiveness was still possible.

Yet, Callum shook his head.

Then he crouched down in front of me and brushed his hand over my hair. "Mara and I have known each other since childhood. She feels like a sister to me. I can't feel at ease knowing she's traveling solo.

"You know how reckless she is. She loses things, forgets things, gets herself into trouble. Honestly, I'm worried she might not even make it back safely."

His voice turned patient, gentle, like he was explaining something obvious to a child. "She also said that once we're married, she won't be able to drag me out like this anymore. So, she just wants one last trip before the wedding."

He took my hand. His voice turned even gentler. "After we're married, I'll take you anywhere you want to go. I promise."

Then he gently squeezed my hand. "So don't fight Mara over this little bit of time, okay? Be good. Stay home, take your medicine, and wait for me."

I lowered my gaze and tried to smile.

I tried, truly, but my face wouldn't move.

I thought, 'Fine. That was your chance.'

Honestly, I should never have given him a chance at all.

Maybe my silence was too heavy; unease flickered across his face. He reached out, as if to gather me into his arms.

I pulled back before he could touch me.

"Mara's waiting downstairs," I reminded him. "You should go."

It was as if he'd been waiting for my permission all along.

The second I said it, he grabbed his car keys, picked up his bag, and walked to the door.

But just before leaving, he stopped and looked back. "Nat, wait for me to come home. When I get back, I'll give you the biggest wedding."

His eyes softened. "And then you'll finally have a family."

Something shifted inside my chest.

It was not hope. It was not warmth. It was only the final, silent snap of something that had already fractured too many times.

I looked at him and gave him the faintest smile. "Goodbye."

Seeing me smile seemed to ease him.

Callum lifted his hand and made a little heart with his fingers.

It was Mara's favorite gesture.

Then he smiled at me as if nothing had happened. "Wait for me, Nat. I'll be home soon."