The party ended quickly. Preston went down to the parking garage to get the car and left Polly and me waiting by the door.

We had just reached the entrance when Polly patted her pockets. "My phone's gone. Milly, can you go look for it for me? I'll check around out here. Maybe it dropped somewhere along the way."

I nodded and turned back to the private room.

I searched the whole place and never found Polly's phone, so I went back to the bar entrance.

What I walked into was chaos.

Preston had a man by the collar, while two waiters held him back, one on each arm.

The man's mouth was bleeding. He spat, cursed under his breath, and walked off.

Polly cowered behind Preston, crying so hard her eyes were swollen.

The moment he saw me, Preston shook off the waiters, strode up to me, and grabbed my wrist. "Did you leave her here on purpose? Do you have any idea how dangerous that just was? If I hadn't heard the commotion and come running, she would have—"

I frowned. Blindsided by this baseless accusation, every bit of anger I'd swallowed all night came out at once.

"She said she left her phone in the room. I went back to help her find it. What does that have to do with me?"

Preston's face darkened. "Polly's had her phone in her hand the whole time. When did she ever leave it in the room?"

"Millicent, if you're going to lie, at least pick a better excuse."

I froze for a second.

And almost at once, everything clicked.

Polly staggered to her feet and pulled Preston back. "Why are you shouting at her? Who said you could shout at her?"

Then she turned to me, eyes brimming. "Milly didn't mean it, I'm sure! I'm the one who didn't stay close to her, that's why I got left alone—"

I looked at her.

For some reason, my chest ached.

Twenty years.

We'd known each other for twenty years.

And now she was using a cheap trick like this against me.

Twenty years of friendship, worth nothing now.

I gave a bitter little laugh and looked coldly at the two of them. "I already told you. She asked me to go back for her phone. Believe it or don't. I don't care anymore."

Preston frowned at me. "Millicent, I'm so disappointed in you."

"If you're jealous about what happened earlier, there's no need to hurt Polly over it."

"And to think she still calls you her best friend."

With that, he put his arm around Polly and walked toward the car.

I stayed where I was.

Watching the car speed off, all the hurt welled up anyway, and my eyes stung.

I took a deep breath and forced the tears back down.

Crying over those two really wasn't worth it.

Preston stayed at the hospital with Polly for three days.

In all three days he didn't call me once. Not a single message.

I welcomed the quiet. I packed the apartment during the day and handled my resignation paperwork at night.

Three days was more than enough to scrub every trace of myself out of that place.

The day Polly was discharged, Preston came home alone.

He walked in just as I was zipping the last suitcase shut.

He glanced at me, then at the case by my feet, and for some reason something in his chest went tight.

"Where are you going?"

My expression didn't change. "Too much old stuff. Just clearing it out."

Preston nodded and didn't press.

"Good timing, then. Polly's been shaken up these past few days, it isn't safe for her to stay alone. Let her move in here for a while. You go ahead and move out first. When she sees you right now, it still brings back that night."

He said it so naturally, as if asking his fiancee to clear the place out for her best friend was the most ordinary request in the world.

"Fine."

I agreed without hesitation.

Having some time to myself before I left was, if anything, a relief.

Preston froze, as if he hadn't expected me to agree so easily.

He'd rehearsed the question he wanted to ask a thousand times, but all that reached his mouth was: "The wedding's in three days. I'll come pick you up when the time comes."

I didn't say anything else. I dragged my suitcase out of that home.

For three days, the two of them lived very comfortably in my wedding home.

At least, from the posts Polly put up, you could tell Preston really did like her.

Preston would soothe her back to sleep when she had nightmares at night, and when she got picky and wanted some little cake from a shop six miles away, he'd drive out in the middle of the night to buy it.

None of that was anything Preston had ever done for me, even when we were falling in love.

On the last day, Polly's post had no photo. Just one line.

【Such comfortable days are about to end. Kind of sad to let them go!】

Below it was Preston's reply: 【Whenever you want to come stay, you come stay, all right?】

【There'll always be a place for you in Milly's and my wedding home.】

Reading that, I only felt lucky that I could cut off both of these twisted relationships before the wedding.

At least I wouldn't end up living as the extra third person in my own marriage.

Three days later, on the wedding day, Preston sent a message.

【I've brought Polly to the venue first. Oh, and she says she wants to walk in with you and hand you over to me herself. I think it's nice, just treat it as one more part of the ceremony.】

【Come a little later. The makeup artist and stylist are getting Polly ready right now.】

I didn't reply.

Just how absurd and out of line that request was, Preston could no longer see at all.

This wedding didn't need two brides either.

Since Polly was already there, there was no need for me to show up.

I blocked Preston and took a cab to the airport.

Right before I boarded, I called the wedding planner.

"I won't be coming to the wedding today, but I've sent a wedding gift over. Please keep an eye out for it."

"Wish the two of them a long and happy life together for me."