When I looked up, my expression was flat, my gaze emotionless. "What is it?" I asked.

Rey looked mildly annoyed, though he didn’t seem to know why. Before he could say more, his phone rang again. Glancing at the screen, he looked back up at me. “Trina, I’ll be on a business trip for a few days. I won’t be back for a while.”

“You take care,” I replied casually, thinking that his absence would make it easier for me to visit the Hall family and say my goodbyes.

The next morning, I gathered the gifts I’d prepared and made my way to the Hall family home. When Mrs. Hall heard I was returning to Seattle, her eyes filled with concern.

“Trina, what happened? You’ve settled so well here in Boston—why leave so suddenly?”

Mr. Hall, on the other hand, slammed the table in frustration. “And where is Rey? Why didn’t he come with you? Did he mistreat you?”

I hesitated, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell them everything. “No, nothing like that. It’s just that I’ve been away from home for so long—I’d like to go back and reconnect.”

Mrs. Hall looked at me with concern. "Does Rey know you’re planning to go back?”

To keep things simple, I nodded. “Yes, he knows.”

With that, everyone seemed to understand there was no convincing me to stay. After exchanging a few more words, I stood to leave. Just then, the front door swung open, and there stood Rey—Elena beside him, her expression calm and assured.

“Trina, what a surprise to see you here,” she said with a smile, as if she were already a part of the Hall family.

I held her gaze, my voice steady. “I don’t need to explain to you why I’m here.” With that, I brushed past Rey, heading for the door.

Realizing I was leaving, Rey quickly followed, his voice urgent. “Trina, you’ve got this all wrong. I only brought Elena here so my parents could help her find a good doctor.” He paused, as if trying to appeal to reason. “She’s also your best friend, after all. You’re not upset, are you?”

I paused for a brief moment, his words fading as memories flooded back—his promise to me under the cherry tree when he was eighteen. He had said that marrying me was his lifelong dream.

He once promised he’d bring me home to meet his parents as his future wife. But here he was, introducing another woman to the Hall family while telling me he was on a business trip.

Seeing the anticipation in Rey’s eyes, I replied calmly, “Why would I care? I’ve never been the type to hold grudges.”

People who aren’t worth it don’t deserve my concern.

Rey looked momentarily taken aback. “Trina, do you really not care at all?”

He was impossible to please. When he and Elena were close before, he called me narrow-minded for being upset. Now that I chose to ignore it, he still wasn’t satisfied.

I saw no point in explaining myself. Without another word, he leaned down and pecked me on the forehead. “Be good and wait for me at home,” he said softly.

As the elevator doors closed, I wiped my forehead. The gesture left me feeling sick. On our tenth anniversary, Rey had also dodged me with some excuse about a business trip.

That night, I received a video call request from Elena.

When the call connected, I could hear the lively sounds of a wedding celebration, and it slowly dawned on me: the wedding was Rey and Elena’s.

Three months ago, Elena had announced her terminal diagnosis on social media with a post that read, “Before I die, I want a wedding with the person I love most.”

At the time, I hadn’t sensed anything amiss between us and even left a comment asking who this special person was. She had simply replied, “You’ll find out when the time comes.”

Learning the truth felt like a knife twisting in my chest, leaving me breathless with pain. Desperately, I dialed Rey’s number, calling again and again, wanting to understand why he had done this to me. But that night, he didn’t answer a single call. I cried until I passed out, while he was spending his “wedding night” with Elena.

Thankfully, it would all be over soon.

Later, after I had returned home, Elena called.

“Trina, I’m really sorry. I honestly didn’t expect to run into you today.”

I just let out a bitter laugh and said nothing in return.

Elena took a deep breath, her tone laced with envy. “Mrs. Hall is so wonderful. She was so kind and caring toward me,” she said. “They even said they’d do everything they could to find the right doctor for me.”

She paused, then lowered her voice. “Trina, why couldn’t it be me marrying into the Hall family?”

It could be her, of course—if she had the ability to make it so. “Well, let me wish you two a happy marriage in advance,” I replied coolly, before hanging up, tempted to block her number entirely. Maybe that would stop her from reaching out just to flaunt her place in my life.

But as I was about to do so, I accidentally opened her social media feed and discovered something infuriating—she had stolen my design draft and submitted it for a competition. The same draft I’d created as a birthday gift for Rey. My hands shook with anger. He must have given it to her behind my back.

Trying to steady my racing heart, I took a deep breath, grabbed my copyright certificate, and filed a plagiarism report on the competition’s website against Elena’s entry.

After handling everything, my friend Celina, who co-owns the studio with me, called.

“Trina, what’s going on? Why are you suddenly pulling out your investment?” she asked.

Celina had always been a mutual friend of Elena and me, but she and Elena had never gotten along. I decided to tell her everything, including the fact that I was planning to get married.

When Celina heard, she was livid. “This Elena is unbelievable! Using her illness as an excuse to steal someone else’s man?”

“She’s probably faking it,” she added.

“I’m so angry! I’m calling her later to give her a piece of my mind!”

I couldn’t help but feel touched by her outrage, but I sighed. “Forget it. It’s not worth it. The wedding is happening soon, and I just want to move on.”

At that moment, I heard footsteps approaching from behind me.

Rey’s voice suddenly rang out. “Wedding? What wedding?”

I ended the call and turned to face Rey, noticing a hint of nervousness in his expression. A sudden thought crossed my mind.

“I just heard some gossip,” I began, keeping my tone casual. “A man married another woman without telling his girlfriend. My friend was saying that he’s pathetic—his girlfriend thought she was the one he loved most.”

To my surprise, Rey reacted immediately, almost excitedly. “What’s that about? How can they judge him like that? What if the wedding is just a way to fulfill the last wish of a terminally ill person?”

His impassioned defense only made me feel more ridiculous. Ten years of a relationship... all thrown away like this.

Perhaps sensing the shift in my mood, Rey stepped forward and wrapped me in a tight hug. “Trina, what’s going on with you lately?”

He held me even closer, his voice soft but urgent. “We’ve been together for so long. Don’t you know how much I love you?”

“We’ll sort things out with Elena, and then we can get married, okay?”

As he spoke, his hand slowly moved toward the hem of my shirt. But I turned my head and firmly pressed his hand down, stopping him.

"Sorry, I just don't have any emotions left."

Rey stared at me for a long time, his eyes searching for something, but he found no answers. After a moment of silence, he finally let go of me, his disinterest evident. "I’m going to sleep in the study."

Not long after I fell asleep, I heard Rey rushing out again. I turned over and went back to sleep, not caring to check what he was up to.

The next morning, as soon as I opened the door, I was surprised to see Rey sitting in the living room.

I raised an eyebrow slightly. "So early?"

Rey didn’t even acknowledge my greeting, instead, he fired a question at me. "Why did you report Elena for plagiarism? Do you know how much of a blow that is to her?"

My smile faltered. "Then, can you tell me, did Elena really create that design draft herself? Isn’t it plagiarism?"

Rey was taken aback, clearly shocked by my words. "Trina, how could you become like this? Where’s the kind-hearted person I used to know?"

He paused, clearly frustrated. "You’ve got everything—awards for your work, success—and now you’re taking this away from her?"

His voice softened, and his eyes grew more intense. "Elena is in the hospital, Trina. She’s dying. All she wanted was to experience the feeling of winning an award before she goes. Is that too much to ask?"

I was so angry that my fingers went numb. Without thinking, I snapped back at him, "Of course not!"

"Rey, you know how much I've sacrificed to fulfill my dream. For years, I’ve endured frostbite on my hands every winter, itching and painful, just to practice my painting."

"How can you, so easily, give my work to Elena like that?"

"If she wants to feel the pride of winning an award, she needs to earn it, not steal from me. What’s so hard to understand about that?"

I could live without a man, but if she dares to touch my designs, I’ll make sure she regrets it.

Rey didn't seem to notice how badly I was affected. Instead, he said, "You’ve changed," before walking out.

I was so furious that it triggered a heart attack, and I collapsed to the ground, gasping in pain. "Rey... save me..."

But he didn’t even look back.

When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed. Nathan was there, holding me gently, his face filled with concern. "Trina, let's go back to Seattle."

This time, I closed my eyes slowly and whispered, "Okay."

It was then I realized—people really can burn all their hopes in an instant.

Rey didn't realize I had left without saying goodbye until the third day. He called me frantically, but I was so irritated that I blocked him without hesitation. If he cared so much about Elena, why did he keep me waiting in limbo?

I curled up on the Italian handmade sofa, my eyes tracing the intricate details of the high-end wedding dress Nathan had sent. The fabric was so beautiful it almost dazzled me.

Nathan gently placed his arm around my shoulders, his voice soft as he asked, "Which style do you like?"

I studied the dresses carefully before finally deciding on a strapless fishtail tulle gown. "Let's go with this one," I said. "I think it's perfect."

Nathan smiled warmly, rubbing my head affectionately. "Okay, then, we'll go with this one."

Once the wedding dress was chosen, he went to meet with the wedding planner to discuss all the specifics for the big day.

Meanwhile, Celina updated me on Rey’s frantic search for me. He had been asking everyone about my whereabouts, and it was only when he spoke to his parents that he learned I had gone back to Seattle.

"Trina, what do you think he’ll do when he finds out about your marriage?" Celina asked.

I didn’t have time to respond, as the doorbell suddenly rang.

I assumed it was just another wedding planner Nathan had hired.

I walked over to open the door, only to be met by Rey’s intense, bloodshot eyes. The moment he saw me, disbelief washed over his face.

"Trina, you’re really here!"

Rey’s voice cracked with emotion. "Why did you leave without a word? Were you trying to hurt me on purpose?"

He reached for me, his desperation clear. "Come back with me. We’ll get married right away."

Before I could respond, Nathan quickly stepped forward, standing between us. "Rey, please stay away from my wife."

Rey took a step back, clearly shaken, his voice trembling as he questioned, "What did you just say?"