Old Promises, New Rings

For the 23rd time, I'm left standing at the altar as Jace Larkin hurries off because his foster sister, Celine Keaton, threatens to end her life again. The guests mock me, saying that we'll never tie the knot and attending our wedding will bring bad luck.

I tune them out, holding on to Jace's promise that he'll come back and marry me. I buy his promise yet again, only for him to prove me wrong one more time.

After I clean up the mess and pacify the angry guests, I reach home in the middle of the night. While passing the study, I hear Jace's voice. "Cece's always been mentally unstable. Of course, I have to stay with her. Regina will never leave me, even if I postpone our wedding a hundred times."

Sorry, Jace, but I'll have to disappoint you this time. Blinking back tears, I unlock my phone and text my childhood friend, Clement Halloway. "Let's get married in three days."

After my fiance left me standing alone at the altar for the 23rd time because of his foster sister, I finally decided to leave.

The moment I sent a message to Clement Halloway, my phone rang. "Rina, did he hurt you again? Stay put. I'll go teach that scumbag a lesson right now!"

Before I could answer, Jace Larkin emerged from the study. I hurriedly muttered that it was nothing and hung up on Clement.

Jace's brows drew together. "Who were you talking to just now?"

"It was just a telemarketer."

He didn't buy it and insisted on checking my phone. Fortunately, he didn't recognize the number. After seeing the unfamiliar digits, he relaxed.

That was typical of him. He never loved me, but he knew exactly how to keep me under his thumb.

His demeanor immediately softened. He sat beside me, twirling my hair around his fingers. Having been with him for seven years, I knew that whenever he felt guilty, he couldn't help these small, telltale gestures.

"I shouldn't have left you again today, but Cece tried to take her own life once more. This time, the hospital called me and gave me a heart attack!" he said apologetically. "The doctor said she lost a lot of blood. If she had arrived a few minutes later, she might have died."

This was the 23rd time he had apologized to me, and Celine's 23rd suicide attempt. To be honest, I had once passed her hospital room and caught her looking fine and perfectly lively.

Instinctively, I shifted away and freed my hair from his hand. "It's fine."

It was fine, because I was about to leave him anyway.

He leaned closer and brushed the tip of my nose with his finger. I was about to say something when the doorbell rang.

He went to answer it and returned with a cake. "I knew you'd be upset, so I bought your favorite strawberry cake! See? I remember the little things." He smiled as he unboxed the cake.

Yet, the one who had always loved strawberry cake was Celine.

The first time he walked out on me during our wedding, he had made up for it with dinner. I accidentally ate shrimp and ended up in the emergency room with a severe allergy. The second time he left, he bought me a puppy. I started sneezing nonstop because of my rhinitis.

Every make-good of his missed the mark completely.

"Come on, have a bite, Rina!" He tried to feed me, but his phone went off with an incoming video call.

I instantly knew it was Celine because he had set a special ringtone just for her.

Without the slightest bit of hesitation, he set the tray down and answered the video call.

"I feel so dumb, Jay. The water pipe at my place burst, and I don't know how to fix it. I'm not brave enough to call a plumber at this hour.

"I even cut my leg. Look!" The camera panned to her ankle.

Her wound wasn't even bleeding. If she had given it another minute, it would have healed.

Jace, however, panicked. His voice was filled with concern. "Hang on, I'll be right there!"

He wanted to explain himself to me, but I merely nodded. "Go ahead."

I no longer begged him to stay like before. I was even more obedient than I used to be.

He froze for a second and surprisingly promised, "I'll definitely be back tonight. Cece was just discharged from the hospital, so she can't be left to her own devices."

Celine had met Jace when he had been doing charity work. She'd been abandoned by her parents and tried to take her own life, and Jace had happened to see it. He'd taken it on himself to be her older brother, telling her that from then on, she had a family now and wasn't allowed to give up on life.

I'd always seen this as proof of his kindness and would smile as I told my friends I hadn't fallen for the wrong man. Looking back, it was laughable.

Less than ten minutes after Jace left, Celine called to taunt me. "You can forget about marrying Jay. See? All it takes is a video call from me, and he's at my door in a heartbeat.

"He even went out in the middle of the night to buy me Band-Aids and said he'd stay with me tonight!"

This time, I chose strength over silence and shot right back, "May you two rotten souls stay together forever and never ruin another life!"

Instead of arguing back, she deliberately left the line open so I could hear her greeting Jace at the door. I hung up and sat in the living room, drowning in memories of the past.