Chapter 2

Nora's POV

Arthur stared at me as though he hadn't heard what I'd said.

"Say that again."

"The wedding is off."

His voice dropped, and his expression darkened.

"All the guests are waiting. The media is already here. Do you really think this is the time to throw a tantrum?"

Before I could respond, several of my friends rushed over.

"Arthur, you should at least apologize to Nora first."

"Any bride would be upset after hearing what you just said. You can't expect her to pretend nothing happened."

Chloe immediately looked startled.

She shrank behind Arthur as though every accusation had been directed at her.

Without hesitation, Arthur stepped in front of her.

"That's enough. Chloe is only here as a wedding guest. There's no reason to turn this into an attack on her."

I stood a few feet away, watching him shield another woman from every uncomfortable word.

The first time Chloe ruined a multimillion-dollar deal, he explained to the board that she was just inexperienced.

The second time, she went to our new house without permission and forgot to turn off the faucet before leaving. The water ruined the brand-new flooring, but Arthur insisted it had been an accident.

The third time, she accidentally sent my private photos to the company group chat. Instead of asking whether I was all right, he blamed the people who discussed the incident privately.

Not once had he asked how much she'd hurt me.

After the others finally backed off, Arthur turned to me.

"What exactly do you want me to do?"

I didn't answer. I simply took off my engagement ring and placed it on the table.

"This ring doesn't fit."

Arthur frowned.

"I already explained. I was too busy traveling for work last month to double-check the size, so I asked Chloe to handle it."

I stared at the ring.

Not only was it too loose, but the design was completely different from the one I'd originally chosen.

A childish cartoon cat had been engraved around the band.

It was Chloe's favorite design.

I'd once asked Arthur why he'd suddenly changed the ring. He'd simply said Chloe had better taste when it came to younger, more modern styles.

Looking back, he hadn't even bothered to hide his indifference.

"Arthur, how many things have you actually handed over to her during these eight years?"

He was about to answer when a sudden scream came from outside.

"Arthur!"

Somehow, Chloe had fallen beside the stairs. She was clutching her wrist, tears welling in her eyes.

Arthur rushed toward her.

He didn't even stop to check how badly she was hurt before bending down and scooping her into his arms.

"Don't move. I'm taking you to the hospital."

I stood there, remembering how I'd spent several consecutive days preparing for the wedding the previous week, only to end up in the emergency room with acute gastroenteritis.

I'd called Arthur over and over that day. When he finally answered, the first thing he said was, "Nora, I'm in a meeting. Can you stop calling me at times like this?"

But now Chloe had only taken a fall.

And he was willing to abandon our wedding for her.

As he rushed past the display cabinet, his arm struck it. Two decorative wedding figurines toppled to the floor.

I bent down and picked one up.

When I turned it over, I noticed some embroidery hidden underneath the base.

One figurine had the letter A.

The other had the letter C.

I stared at the two initials, and suddenly, everything became clear.

"Arthur."

He was already carrying Chloe toward the exit. At the sound of my voice, he finally turned around.

"I'm done arguing with you today. We'll postpone the wedding. Are you happy now?"

I gestured to my friends, who were blocking his way.

"Let him go."

Arthur seemed about to say something, but Chloe was already leaning against his shoulder, whimpering in pain.

In the end, he carried her out without another word.