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She even mentioned at the end that she hoped our mutual friends could drop by my engagement party after attending her wedding.
It made me sound like the freebie in a buy-one-get-one-free deal.
"Well, that's just great. Now everyone knows you're getting engaged on the same day as her. A lot of people are saying you're still hung up on Julian Gideon and are trying to provoke Jessica Thorne!"
For some reason, I suddenly remembered the dejected look on Leo Sutton's face.
'So, did he misunderstand, too?'
We hadn't been in touch since the day he took me home.
I opened our empty chat window, typing and deleting over and over before finally sending a single sentence.
"What are you up to?"
My phone rang a moment later. I answered it in a hurry, only to find it wasn't Leo Sutton on the other end.
"Elara Sinclair, come downstairs."
For some insane reason, Julian Gideon was standing downstairs from my apartment, holding a huge bouquet of roses.
"Uh, you've got the wrong building," I said, pointing to the one behind it. "Jessica Thorne lives over there."
"I came here for you."
Julian Gideon placed the flowers in my arms.
"I went home and did a lot of thinking today. Even though you've forgotten, we still had a lot of wonderful memories when we were together."
"But, you know... Jessica was spoiled growing up, so she can be a bit headstrong..."
Seeing the confused look on my face, Julian Gideon quickly tried to explain.
"Don't worry. Even though I'm marrying Jessica, I'll be sure to treat you both equally! I won't play favorites."
It finally dawned on me.
'So Julian Gideon actually thought I was desperate to be his mistress?'
"Are you out of your mind?"
I threw the flowers right in his face.
"I know you're getting a raw deal with this marriage thing, but don't worry! I'll make it up to you with a honeymoon trip too." Julian Gideon, thinking I was just jealous, put on a patronizing air. "You and Jessica will be the only two women in my life!"
I suddenly felt sorry for Jessica Thorne.
She thought she'd won by beating me, but she had no idea that Julian Gideon's philandering was her greatest enemy.
"Come here."
I beckoned with my finger, and Julian Gideon eagerly leaned his face in.
SLAP.
The next second, a resounding slap echoed as it landed on his face.
"Don't you have a mirror? If not, then look at your reflection in your own piss! Where in the world do you get off being so confident?"
One slap wasn't enough, so I gave him a few hard kicks for good measure.
"You want me to be your mistress? Pfft! In your dreams!"
My sudden hostility scared Julian Gideon so much that he took off running, but not before trying to brainwash me one last time.
"Just think about it! I know you can't accept this right away because of your amnesia, but I'll wait for you!"
I stood at the door, panting. On my way back in, I bent down and picked up the roses from the ground.
'The flowers are innocent, at least. I'll take them back and have Mrs. Chambers put them in a vase for a few days.'
But as soon as I turned around, I saw Leo Sutton, who was also holding a bouquet of roses.
'I'm so screwed.'
Leo Sutton, who had come rushing over with flowers after a single text from me, was now staring at me holding roses from my ex-boyfriend.
"Let me explain—!"
Before I could catch up, Leo Sutton got in his car and drove off.
Over the next few days, he was a no-show for everything, from the menu tasting to the wedding dress fitting.
Then, just a few days before the wedding reception, I got a call from one of the vendors.
"Hello, Miss Sinclair? Your fiancé just called to cancel the wedding reception. We just wanted to confirm that with you."
'That damn, scheming bastard!'
Honestly, I had no idea if Leo Sutton would even show up.
I'd sent him several selfies in my wedding dress today, but he hadn't replied to a single one.
But since it had come to this, I just told the wedding planner to proceed as scheduled.
