The room fell silent for a moment. Mom, Noah, and Jeanette looked uneasy. For once, Jeanette actually seemed flustered. She stepped toward me as if she wanted to explain her side of things.
That was when my phone buzzed.
I pulled out my phone. It was a text from the city clerk's office. It was a reminder to attend the marriage registration appointment tomorrow at 8:00 am.
I froze before realization dawned upon me. Stella Zahn.
We hadn't spoken since the call. I thought she was just teasing. After all, marriage wasn't a trivial matter. Yet, she had scheduled the license for the following morning. That was fast.
Her playful, drawn-out, "Honey" replayed in my mind, and I felt my ears burn.
Jeanette peeked at the screen and let out a sigh of relief. "Nathan, I know you've been upset because I've been neglecting you. Don't worry. I'll be there on time tomorrow."
Her gaze flicked to the bag of medicine in my hand. She softened her tone. "You're actually sick? I thought you were making it up. But since you're here, it can't be that serious. I promise I'll make more time for you."
I didn't respond to her. Taking my silence as agreement, she tugged me toward the study and asked, "Where's that charm I gave you? Hand it over. Noah wants it."
Her words slammed into me. "What did you just say?"
The charm wasn't worth much, but she had once waited hours in line at the store for it back when she was courting me. She had even fallen sick afterward. Because of that, I swore I'd never let her down. I had carried it with me everywhere ever since.
"I'll buy you another one later. Noah has been in a bad place since the accident. As his older brother, you should let him have it," Jeanette scowled.
Let him have it? Hadn't I let him take enough already? He got everything he wanted—even my fiancee.
I pulled the charm from around my neck but didn't hand it over. "Tell me the truth, Jeanette. Did you ever actually love me?"
She snatched it and said, "Don't be difficult. I've already agreed to marry you tomorrow, haven't I? Yet you're whining over a trinket? If you can't part with something like this, what kind of husband will you be?"
She then stormed out.
I stood there with blood dripping from my temple onto the hardwood floor. Whatever feelings I still had for her bled out with it.
The moment I left, I put the apartment up for sale.
There was something I hadn't told them. I had been promoted, but it meant relocating out of state. Before, I couldn't bear to leave Jeanette. Now, I couldn't wait.
I checked into a cheap hotel nearby. Not long after, I received a video.
It showed neon lights and played pounding music. It was a bar.
Jeanette, dressed to tease, perched on Noah's lap. They fed each other mouth-to-mouth as the crowd egged them on.
Someone asked, "Aren't you supposed to be marrying Nathan tomorrow? What happens when he finds out you're with his brother?"
"He already knows I'm pregnant with Noah's baby. What can he do? Throw a tantrum? He's the one rushing to tie the knot." Jeanette curled against Noah, smirking. "Besides, he's Noah's sibling. The kid will still be a Rowley. If Nathan had any generosity, he'd accept it and act like a real man."
The crowd howled in laughter.
"Jenny really knows how to keep a man in line!"
"You've got to keep your man in check!"
The video cut off, followed by a text that read, "You were born to be beneath me, Nathan."
I didn't need to wonder who had sent the video.
Instead of feeling angry, I felt strangely calm. All I could think about was standing at the clerk's office with Stella tomorrow morning.
I wondered if, after all these years, she was still the same.
