Chapter 4

"My grandmother's health is deteriorating. She might not make it to the 'next time' you keep talking about. Before she passes away, she wants to see me get married," I explained.

Edward fell silent. "Ask your mom to pick another nearby date. I'll agree to it this time."

I splashed cold water over my face, waking myself up. "Another date? Aren't you afraid Jolene might suddenly have some plan again? Or that Charles and Lynn will try pushing you two back together again?"

Edward sighed. "So, this is all you really care about. Why use your grandmother as an excuse? If you truly cared about her, you should go home and spend more time with her instead of being passive-aggressive with me here."

His patience vanished completely, and cold indifference appeared on his handsome face. "If you want to get married so badly, go ahead."

I stepped past him. "I will. I've already started looking at wedding venues and event plans."

Edward yanked me forcefully back toward him before roughly shoving my arm away. I stumbled backward, swaying unsteadily.

"Fine. I'd like to see who you'll marry. Alison Moore, you're 28 years old, not 18. Being so reckless and unreasonable, where do you think you'll find someone better than me? Don't even think about provoking me or forcing my hand with this kind of trick."

…

Within two days, I moved all my belongings out of the home Edward and I had shared.

He leaned against the doorway, sneering coldly. "Where are you going?"

I lifted my suitcase calmly. "I'm doing as you suggested. I'm going home to stay with my family, and also prepare for my wedding."

Edward's dark eyes looked at me as if trying to stare straight through me. After a long pause, he clicked his tongue. "Fine. Don't forget to send me a wedding invitation."

As I walked away from the place I'd lived in for years, I couldn't help glancing back. "Edward, who am I to you, really? Did you ever truly love me?"

I once believed he did.

I remembered that once, while sitting side by side, he suddenly called out to me. "Alison, say my name."

I'd only just uttered the word "Ed" when his lips crashed down onto mine, leaving me too stunned to blink.

"I can't help but want to kiss you when you say my name. From now on, whenever you call my name, I'll take it as you asking for a kiss."

My face had flushed bright red. I'd glared at him, only to soften into a smile when I saw the fond amusement in his gaze.

I waited for his answer, but never got one. Even after I walked out the door, he never said a word.

…

My wedding was a joyous occasion.

My friend, Olivia Lane, alternated between snapping photos on her phone and her camera. She pulled me close with teary eyes. "Ally, you look absolutely breathtaking today."

In the video footage, I smiled from ear to ear. My groom walked toward me and held out his hand. I gently rested my hand in his, our fingers lacing tightly together. The video ended there.

Seated in the airport lounge, Edward was a restless mess. He mindlessly scrolled through his phone and stumbled across the video Olivia had posted online.

He suddenly felt his mouth go dry, and his finger instinctively tapped the video open before he could process it. Cheers and well wishes for the newlyweds filled the background audio, and then the camera zoomed in on the bride's face.

Edward shot upright in his seat. He closed and reopened the video over a dozen times, but the scene never changed. It was always me standing hand in hand with my groom, our gazes locked onto each other.

Edward's hand trembled, and his phone nearly slipped.

"The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later…" He dialed my number over and over again.

Panic quickly turned into a surge of irrational rage. He furiously opened our chat window. "Alison, who is he? Have you lost your mind? Did you hire some actor just to get back at me?"

The message froze in the sending queue for a moment before a red exclamation mark appeared beside it.

I had blocked and deleted him.

The airport boarding announcement echoed through the terminal.

Panic and fury froze across Edward's face, appearing as a strange, goofy expression.

"Eddie!" Jolene and their friends shouted from behind him.

But Edward suddenly sprinted madly toward the airport exit.