Ronald pulled me into a hug, voice thick with emotion：
“Millie, you're so good to me. I swear I'll treat you right from now on. I'll never let anyone hurt you again.”
I let him hold me.
My body was stiff, my limbs ice-cold.
Over the next few days, I threw myself into the wedding preparations as planned.
Six months of planning meant most things were already locked in. What remained was just loose ends.
Ronald was by my side every day, agreeable to a fault.
He remembered I hated cilantro.
He held my hand when we walked.
He rubbed my shoulders when I was tired.
He played the part so well.
So well that sometimes I almost wondered if those messages had just been a nightmare.
Until the night before the wedding.
Ronald took a phone call, then turned to me with an apologetic smile：
“Millie, my buddies want to throw me a bachelor party. You know, celebrate me finally tying the knot.”
“I'll probably be back late, so don't wait up. After the wedding, your husband will make it up to you double.”
I raised an eyebrow, my expression perfectly calm：
“Oh? Are there friends of yours I haven't met? Why can't I come along?”
Ronald grabbed his jacket and threw it over his shoulders, his gaze sliding away from mine：
“Come on, it's all guys. We're just gonna drink and hang out, blow off some steam.”
“If you're there, everyone'll be on their best behavior. It defeats the whole purpose. After the ceremony tomorrow, we'll all celebrate together properly.”
I looked down, making one last check on the invitation list, the corner of my mouth lifting by a fraction no one would notice.
“Is that so? What about Hope? She mentioned she had plans tonight too.”
Something shifted in Ronald's face.
“Her……that's probably just a coincidence. You know me, I barely talk to other women.”
I smiled：
“Go ahead, then. Come home early. Don't drink too much.”
“Thanks, babe! You're the best, seriously!”
Ronald leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.
Then he pretended to take another call and hurried downstairs.
I stood by the window and watched him get into a cab.
Then I picked up my bag and hailed one of my own.
“Follow that car.”
The cab trailed his all the way to the most popular bar downtown.
Ronald got out and walked straight up to the second-floor VIP lounge.
I followed, stopping just outside the door.
It wasn't fully closed. Music and cheering poured through the gap, loud enough to rattle my teeth.
I looked through the crack.
The lounge was packed, men and women both.
Ronald sat in the center of the main couch. Hope was pressed against his side, her head resting on his shoulder.
Everyone had gathered around them, glasses raised.
“Congrats, Ron! You're finally getting rid of that nightmare Millicent!”
“Now you and Hope can be together out in the open!”
“To Ron and Hope! Happily ever after! And babies soon!”
Ronald laughed and raised his glass：
“Thanks, boys! Once the wedding's over tomorrow, dinner's on me!”
“Deal!”
They all drained their glasses in one go.
Someone suggested a round of Truth or Dare.
The bottle spun once and landed on Ronald.
The crowd started chanting：
“Truth! Truth!”
Ronald smiled, looking like he was having the time of his life：
“Go for it.”
“Ron, who's the woman you love most in this life?”
The whole room went quiet.
Ronald turned to look at Hope beside him, his eyes so tender they could melt.
“The woman I love most in this life is Hope.”
“From the very first time I saw her, three years ago, standing by the ocean in a white dress, I was gone.”
