The day my fiancé, Caleb Dalton, and I went to get our marriage license was the day his ex-girlfriend—the one who’d vanished years ago—walked back into his life.

For her, Caleb left me standing alone at City Hall. That very night, he brought her back to our penthouse on Puget Sound.

Forced out of my own home, I was attacked by a mugger in a desolate industrial district late one night. It was an ordeal that nearly cost me my life.

After surviving, I finally resolved to leave him. But instead, he was the one who came back, crying and begging me not to go. The whole thing was absurd. Laughable.

A spineless bastard like that? Did he really think I'd still want him?

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1

Sienna Pierce came back. And of course, she had to pick the very day Caleb and I were at Seattle City Hall to get our marriage license.

Funny how things work out, isn't it?

It happened the moment we finished signing our names, just as we were about to hand the application to the officiant.

Caleb's phone rang.

He was a man who prided himself on his composure, but for the first time, a flicker of panic crossed his face. The hand holding his pen trembled.

He answered the phone, his tone instantly shifting to a breathless excitement and tenderness I’d never heard before.

Dazed, I stared at him, feeling like I was looking at a complete stranger.

"Don't cry, I'm on my way..."

"Just wait for me at Sea-Tac. I'm coming to get you."

After hanging up, he immediately turned to the clerk. "Excuse me," he said, "can I get those documents back? We need to hold off on this for a moment."

From beginning to end, he never once glanced at me.

Under the weight of everyone's knowing stares, I grabbed his hand. "Caleb, let's just finish this, okay?"

Only then did he seem to register my presence, his back instantly stiffening.

Perhaps the desperation in my eyes was too intense, because he hesitated for a long, silent moment.

I forced a tight smile, about to signal the officiant to proceed.

But he suddenly stood, snatched the documents from the counter, and strode out without a backward glance.

The room erupted in a low murmur. On impulse, I caught up to him on the steps outside City Hall, just as he was getting into his car.

"She's back."

The accusation that was about to leave my lips died in my throat.

He said the words so lightly, yet it felt like the ground beneath me had opened into a bottomless abyss.

"Sienna Pierce?"

He remained silent, but the tenderness in his downcast eyes was impossible to hide.

I laughed bitterly. "You're going to abandon me for a woman who abandoned you years ago?"

"If you could never let her go, why did you propose to me in the first place?"

"Do you have any idea how long I've been with you? Five years! Do those five years mean nothing?"

The more hysterical I became, the more obvious the impatience on his face grew.

The love I felt for him turned to ice in my veins.

But I still couldn't accept it.

I lowered my head and said in a voice that was barely a whisper, "If you go to her, we're over."

Caleb, however, grew calm. He bent down and lifted my chin.

The smile on his lips held no warmth, his eyes filled with a chilling cruelty as he forcefully pried my hand from the car door.

"Over? Who do you think you are to say something like that to me?"

"Juliet, don't ever think we were equals. You've always been the one who needs this relationship more!"

The dust kicked up by the black Tesla settled over me. I only snapped out of my stupor when its taillights had completely vanished.

I had forgotten. Threats only work on people who care about you.

And Caleb had never cared about me.

I looked up at Seattle's gloomy sky, hot tears streaming down my cheeks.

I didn't understand. It was summer. Why did it feel so cold?

This morning's tenderness was still a fresh wound.

When I woke up, he had already prepared breakfast—my favorite, Eggs Benedict.

While I was doing my makeup, he’d clung to me like a needy Golden Retriever, whispering, "You're finally going to be my wife..."

He even checked our documents three times before carefully tucking them into the inner pocket of his suit.

That's why it was so hard to accept being tossed aside like trash on the steps of City Hall.

And I was forced to face the truth: all that affection could be faked.

For five years with Caleb, I'd distanced myself from all the family and friends who cared about me, buried my own ambitions, and tolerated his every mood swing and selfish whim.

He was still the same dashing tech mogul, while I was the one left bearing all the scars.

A bone-deep exhaustion washed over me. I knew we were at the end of the line.

I sat outside for what felt like an eternity before finally dragging myself back to our penthouse on Puget Sound.

As soon as I walked in, my cat, Orion, trotted over to rub against my ankles, meowing insistently.

I couldn't hold back the tears any longer. "Orion," I choked out, "you're the only one who hasn't changed."

I sank to the floor and scooped him into my arms. He instinctively nuzzled his head under my chin.

Stroking his soft fur, I drew what little warmth I could from him, and the ache in my heart eased slightly.

Before long, the door clicked open. Footsteps stopped in the entryway.

Caleb didn't turn on the lights.

"What are you talking about? I'm not going to make her stay in a hotel by herself this late at night."

I stopped stroking Orion and looked toward the shadowy figure.

Caleb's tone softened, taking on a soothing quality. "This apartment is mine. I decide who stays here."

"It's fine, she's not that petty. She'll be okay with it."

With that, he flicked on the lights. The next second, the fond smile on his face froze the moment our eyes met. The sudden brightness was blinding.

"Am I interrupting something?"

He hung up the phone and took a few hurried steps toward me, then stopped, his posture shifting to one of defiance.

"Didn't you say we were over? See? You still can't leave me."

Bitterness washed over me, and a sharp pain lanced through my chest.

I couldn't say a word, tears streaming down my face.

Seeing this, Caleb rushed to my side, clumsily hugging me. "Don't be angry," he murmured. "How about I buy you a Porsche?"

"I'm letting Sienna stay here for a bit. It's not safe for a woman to be out alone at night."

"Oh, right, lock Orion in the utility closet. She's severely allergic to cat fur."

...

Every word out of his mouth was about Sienna.

He was even willing to lock my Orion in a tiny, dark closet for her.

Rage flooded me, and I shoved him away. "Orion is timid and has claustrophobia! How can you be so heartless?"

He staggered back, his eyes filled not with disbelief, but with the indignation of being challenged. "What's the big deal? It's not like he'll freeze to death. This is my apartment. If you don't like it, you can get out!"

In that moment, the charming, gentlemanly man I thought I knew vanished.

I didn't look at him again. I grabbed the cat carrier, coaxed Orion inside, and turned to leave.

Caleb, assuming I would tolerate this as I always had, continued his defense of Sienna.

"This is your first time meeting her. Sienna is a very gentle, considerate person. You two will get along great."

The resentment pressing on my chest made it hard to breathe. I turned, my face a mask of indifference. "I have no interest in playing house with the other woman."

Before I could take a step, Caleb grabbed my wrist—the same one he had bruised earlier.

I gasped in pain but couldn't break free. Inside the carrier, Orion began to whimper.

His brow furrowed, his gaze turning to ice. His words dripped with sarcasm. "Don't you dare talk about Sienna like that. She's not a schemer like you! If you had any spine, you'd just leave. This is pathetic."

I wrenched my hand free and, enunciating each word, said softly but firmly, "Not anymore, Caleb. We're done."

I ignored the sound of an expensive whiskey glass shattering against the wall behind me and left without a shred of hesitation.

The night was heavy. The dim streetlights of the SODO district cast an eerie glow on the folds of my red skirt.

After leaving the gleaming apartment complex, I wandered into a dimly lit industrial area, a collection of old factories slated for demolition.

While waiting for my Uber, I walked along the abandoned railway tracks, trying to will the shaking in my hands to stop.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated. An alert lit up my screen: someone had just entered the apartment.

Two figures appeared on the camera feed. Before I could process it, the app’s live audio feed crackled to life in my Bluetooth earbuds, carrying a woman’s clear, crying voice. "Did Juliet design this? I love this style so much!"

The long-haired woman in a pale yellow dress was holding the arm of the man beside her. Her excitement quickly curdled into unease.

"Caleb, I know I messed things up today, but when I saw your text... I was so scared you didn't want me anymore!"

Damn it.

The world went silent. I stood frozen, unable to move.

So that was it. That was the whole story.

Why Sienna came back on this specific day.

Why Caleb had stalled all morning, only reluctantly leaving for City Hall in the afternoon.

And me? What was I? Just a pawn in their grand, dramatic reunion.

In the video, Caleb was gently comforting the crying woman in his arms, his expression impossibly tender.

"It's not your fault," he murmured. "I was already hesitant about getting married. She and I are from different worlds."

I have my pride. I am not a masochist.

He was the one who pursued me, telling me my designs were as warm as the sun.

When I’d wanted to give up, he was the one who begged me not to leave.

He was the one who said he was always planning to marry me!

And now, my years of devotion were just a line he used to soothe his ex-girlfriend.

A chill snaked down my spine.

I didn't notice the creeping danger until Orion, normally so timid, let out a sharp, anxious cry from inside his carrier.

Only then did I realize a shadow was tailing me, keeping a steady distance.

Looking down the dark, deserted street, my heart pounded in my chest.

I instinctively sent a text for help to Caleb.

Help me. I'm in the SODO industrial district. A man is following me!

My palms grew slick with sweat, my legs trembling as I quickened my pace.

Just as I was about to call the driver, my hair was yanked back with brutal force.

"Help!" I mashed the call button, not even sure who I was dialing.

Please, I begged silently, anyone, just pick up.