Gone Is The Past

On the day of the appointment to try on her wedding gown, I waited downstairs at Sarah Weller’s company for a long time before she finally came down, slow and unhurried.

The moment she got into the car, she tossed me a small airplane model.

“Tim wanted me to give this to you,” she said. “You embarrassed him at the funeral yesterday. You should find the time to apologize to him.”

The airplane was a miniature version. It was clearly a freebie that came with a real purchase. I had seen it in Sarah’s shopping cart just a few days ago.

I replied flatly, “I don’t want it.”

She frowned immediately. “Why are you throwing a tantrum? You were the one who barged into the funeral and said I wasn’t his fiancée, making things awkward for him. Not only did he not hold it against you, but he even thought to bring you a gift. And this is how ungrateful you are?”

The woman who once stood firmly by my side was long gone. Now, the person she treasured was someone else.

Irritated, Sarah rolled down the window and let the wind blow in. After a long while, when she realized I wasn’t going to coax her, she finally spoke again.

“Forget it. Today’s a good day. I’ll be trying on my wedding gown. I won’t argue with you.”

This was the first time all year that she had softened first.

At the bridal boutique, a shop assistant immediately came forward.

“Miss Weller, Mr. Grant has personally commissioned one hundred and twenty custom wedding gowns for you. They’re all ready.”

However, Sarah wasn’t looking at the dresses at all. She was staring down at her phone, her expression tense and distracted. When she noticed my gaze, she quickly put the phone away, a trace of guilt flashing across her face.

“Henry, something urgent came up on Tim’s side. I need to go right now. You can pick one for me. I trust your taste.”

Before I could say anything, she hurried off, flagged down a taxi, and left me standing there alone.

The shop assistant approached cautiously. “Mr. Grant, would you like to choose the wedding gown yourself?”

I looked away and nodded. Of course, I would choose, but just not for Sarah. After all, the bride was now someone else.

“Penelope,” I said into the phone, “the wedding is still on, but I need you to find me another bride.”

There was stunned silence on the other end.

“You’re calling off the engagement?”

“No,” I replied with a bitter smile. “She chose to marry someone else.”

For Sarah, I had fought my way through countless objections within the family before finally gaining my parents’ approval. I had even scheduled the launch of the ‘True Love’ jewelry collection for our wedding day. Now, everything had turned into nothing.

After a long pause, Penelope, my sister-in-law, finally spoke. “In that case, Summer’s the only one. Her family’s been pressuring her, and she’s been looking for someone to marry lately.”

I frowned. Summer Flores was my sworn rival. On the day of my engagement, she had even cursed my marriage to fall apart. I never thought her words would come true.

With time running out, I said, “Then it’ll be her. Ask her if she’s interested. If not, I’ll think of another way.”

Penelope replied without hesitation, “There’s no need to ask. She’ll agree.”

“What?”

Before I could ask anything else, she said she was busy and hung up.

I drove home, fully expecting Sarah not to return that night. Yet before dinner, I saw her.

She strode over to me, holding a takeout box, saying, “I went all over the city to get this for you—a late-night snack from Harry’s.”

I looked down at the chicken tenders inside. There were three fewer than usual. One of them even had a clear bite mark, as if someone had already taken a bite. Half an hour earlier, I had seen Tim post on social media. The photo was of this exact food.

“My wife never forgets to buy me a late-night snack, even at this hour. Thanks for the hard work, my love. I love you.”

I set my fork down, mocking myself silently. My appetite vanished instantly.

“I don’t feel like eating,” I said. “Throw it away.”

Sarah immediately looked displeased, but she held it in. She sat beside me and began to complain instead.

“You have no idea how sad Tim was today. My parents went to see him and brought up the wedding. He panicked so badly he almost cried. Tim just got back to the country and doesn’t have much money. I was thinking of using the money you gave me for our wedding to help him with the wedding first.”

She shook my arm lightly, like she was trying to flirt with me.

I looked at her and sneered, “So now I’m supposed to pay for the wedding for your husband, too?”