Chapter 4

In the photo, I could see that the boat was bigger and more refined—and most importantly, the entire boat was covered in my favorite magnolias, with not a single rose in sight.

I started packing my belongings as soon as I returned home, slowly sorting through some basic clothes and personal documents.

I also found photos of us together over the years, each with a message written on the back. I went through them one by one.

There was a photo of us taken at Lake Erwen, and he had written on the back that he wanted to be with me for the rest of our lives. There was another one taken of us watching the sunrise together, and he had written on the back that I was far more beautiful than the sunrise itself.

I packed all of them up, hesitated briefly, and then tossed them into the trash can.

It wasn't long before the faint sound of a car came from downstairs. Declan had returned early because it had suddenly started raining. He opened the door, bringing inside a trace of Paige's perfume.

I kept my hands moving and neatly folded the final piece of clothing.

Declan slipped on a different pair of shoes, walked to the bedroom door, and leaned against the doorframe. His suit jacket hung loosely over his arm. He looked thoroughly annoyed as he asked, "Have you had enough of this, Raelynn?"

He didn't sound aggressive, yet his tone was entirely patronizing and dismissive.

I glanced up at him, closed the suitcase, and reached for the zipper. My indifference finally stripped away his remaining patience.

Declan strode over and yanked the suitcase out of my hands. He pulled it so hard that the plastic gave a loud crack. "Is this ever going to stop, Raelynn?"

He frowned, his brow furrowing deeply. "I'm already incredibly busy. I've had piles of things to deal with at the company lately. You've been throwing a tantrum the whole time—from the boat launch to Grandma's birthday banquet. Do you honestly have to make me a laughingstock in front of everyone, Raelynn?"

I mused inwardly, thinking that he wasn't really that busy since he had time to comfort Paige frequently. Most importantly, they were laughing at me, not at him. "I wasn't making a scene, Declan."

Declan grabbed my wrist, offering what he clearly viewed as a charitable compromise. "I know you're upset, but it's just a boat and a few pieces of jewelry—nothing worth making a fuss over."

It turned out that everything about me was trivial, while everything about Paige was important.

I was suddenly reminded of what he had texted in the group chat back then as I looked at him. He had said that I was incredibly easy to placate, that I loved him to death, and that I would never actually dare to walk away from the relationship.

"I'll be leaving with Paige for a business trip tomorrow," Declan said as he leaned in. He then whispered his supposedly flawless compromise. "I'll carve out some time for us to get our marriage certificate once I return. You've waited seven years for this certificate, haven't you? I'm finally giving it to you, Raelynn."

He spoke as if it were a given, as though registering our marriage were an enormous act of charity toward me. He probably thought that the wedding boat could be easily given to someone else.

Those exceptions and special treatments could belong to Paige, while the marriage certificate was my ultimate consolation prize.

I looked at him, suddenly breaking into a smile. I was smiling at the fact that seven years of my life had ultimately gone to waste on that rose-covered wedding boat that was never meant for me.

Declan finally relaxed after seeing my smile, assuming that I had been pacified. He looked visibly at ease as he asked, "You're happy now, huh? You should just wait for me at home, Raelynn."

He walked out of the room, checking his phone as he went. "I still have to jump on a video call with Paige to get things ready for tomorrow—"

I cut him off, saying, "I'll be heading to the canal town tomorrow, Declan. I'm—"

Declan's phone suddenly rang. He raised his hand to stop me from speaking further. "What's up, Paige?"

Paige sounded slightly panicked from the other end of the call.

"You have nothing to be afraid of, Paige. I'm coming over right now." Declan put on his suit jacket after ending the call, saying, "It's thundering outside, and since Paige is scared of thunder, I'm going to check on her. We'll talk about this later, Raelynn."

He left in a hurry after saying that.

I couldn't even tell him that I was getting married soon.

…

Third-Person's POV

Declan rushed out. His phone rang a few times on the way. He scoffed, assuming that it was Raelynn getting impatient again. He had already said he agreed to get the marriage certificate with her.

He opened his phone after arriving outside of Paige's apartment complex, only to find that the message wasn't from Raelynn. "You'd better make sure to attend the wedding of the heir of the Lund family next week, Declan."

He received a photo of the wedding invitation right after that. He looked at the details written on it, his hand stopping dead just as he was about to open the car door.