Chapter 8
Callum looked at me in disbelief.
He seemed genuinely surprised that I wasn't making a scene.
In the past, I would have been furious. I would have demanded that he stay, reminded him what day it was, and asked why Briar always seemed to matter more than I did.
But not anymore.
Callum stared at me for another moment before checking his phone.
"Fine. Take a cab to the wedding venue. Wait for me there. I'll come as soon as I've dealt with Briar."
With that, he hurried away.
I didn't wait around.
As soon as he was gone, I called an Uber and headed straight to Asterion Group.
I had no intention of wasting another minute on a wedding I never wanted.
During the ride, my phone kept buzzing.
It was Briar.
She'd sent several pictures.
In the first, Callum was sitting beside her hospital bed, gently tucking the blanket around her.
In another, he was holding her hand while a group of doctors examined her leg.
Apparently, he'd summoned specialists from across the hospital to treat her injury.
All that fuss over a scratch on her lower leg.
Then came her messages.
Briar: Maren, you have no idea how worried Callum is about me.
Briar: He even called in all those specialists just to make sure my leg was okay. Has he ever treated you like this?
Briar: So what if you've been with him for six years? You're still the one who lost.
Briar: I'm the most important person in Callum's heart.
Briar: If I ask him to, he'll even leave your wedding for me.
I stared at the screen.
This wasn't the first time Briar had tried to provoke me.
Before, I'd have been furious. I'd have questioned Callum, demanded an explanation, and spent hours arguing with him.
I'd wasted enough time doing that already.
Now, her messages seemed almost childish.
I turned off my screen and put my phone away.
A few minutes later, I arrived at Asterion.
Someone from HR showed me to my workstation and helped me settle in.
Everything was new, but I felt surprisingly comfortable.
I'd spent years working in an environment where every decision seemed to revolve around Callum and Briar. It was refreshing to finally have somewhere else to focus my attention.
I had barely settled down when my phone rang.
Callum.
I answered.
His furious voice came through immediately.
"Maren! The wedding coordinator just called me. They said you haven't shown up. What are you doing?"
I leaned back in my chair.
"Working."
"Working? What does that even mean? Why aren't you at the wedding?"
I frowned. "Callum, I never agreed to attend."
There was a brief silence.
Then he snapped, "What are you talking about?"
"We broke up. Why would we be getting married?"
He seemed completely thrown by my response.
After all, I'd spent six years wanting to marry him. Even my birthday wishes had once been about becoming his wife.
Callum had always believed I couldn't live without him.
In his mind, he was the successful CEO who had supported me all these years, while I was simply a woman who depended on him.
He never imagined I'd actually walk away.
After a moment, his voice turned cold.
"Maren, I've already invited all the guests. Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is? What am I supposed to tell everyone?"
I said nothing.
"Get to the wedding venue right now. Explain everything to the guests yourself!" His tone grew harsher. "Otherwise, we're breaking up!"
I almost laughed.
He was threatening to break up with me.
As if we hadn't already been over for days.
Before I could respond, Briar's voice came through the phone.
"Maren, this is such an important day. Can you please stop throwing a tantrum?"
She sounded concerned, but I could hear the smugness underneath.
"A wedding can't go ahead without a bride. You're putting Callum in such an awkward position."
She paused.
"Callum, don't worry about me. I can manage on my own. You should focus on Maren and the wedding."
I cut her off before she could continue.
"Since you're so concerned about the wedding, why don't you be the bride instead? You and Callum look much more like a couple anyway."
Callum exploded.
"Maren! Do you even hear yourself? You—"
I hung up.
