Chapter 4

Russell had moved into the small apartment near his startup, the one he usually used for late-night crunches.

My sudden wedding plans have suffocated him.

He went there for some peace and quiet.

That was fine. We both needed room to breathe.

I handled everything quietly.

I contacted a realtor and listed the condo we shared.

On the afternoon I was supposed to hand the spare keys to the agent, I was packing up some loose items around the house.

I found a project folder tucked inside an old magazine.

I glanced at it.

It was the exact pitch deck Russell had been stressing over lately.

After a moment of hesitation, I decided to drop it off for him.

When I got to his apartment, the door was shut tight. I could hear muffled talking and laughing from inside. It sounded like he had the guys over.

I raised my hand, about to knock.

A familiar female voice drifted through the door.

"Russell, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have caught that bouquet at the reception last week. The company Slack is going crazy. A bunch of people keep private-messaging me, asking if we're..."

A dramatic pause.

"You have to clear this up for me in the general channel. I'm too embarrassed to even look at anyone."

My raised hand froze in mid-air.

Before Russell could say anything, one of his college buddies chimed in with a teasing laugh. "Come on, Lila. Do you really want him to clear it up, or are you just fishing to hear him say something else?"

An ambiguous round of laughter followed.

"Shut up, you guys are the worst!" Lila whined, though there wasn't a hint of real anger in her voice.

"Alright, leave her alone," Russell's voice finally sounded out. It carried a careless sort of indulgence. "Don't worry about it, Lila. Just ignore them. People will forget in a few days."

People will forget in a few days.

That phrase unexpectedly flipped a switch in my memory.

Once, I had gone to the office to help him sort out some paperwork.

Forgetting where we were, he naturally threw his arm around my shoulder.

A coworker accidentally walked in on us.

That very afternoon, Russell sent a brisk message in the company Slack.

He told everyone not to misunderstand and to stay focused on work.

Back then, I understood. To avoid unnecessary gossip, I stopped going to the office.

My fingertips grew slightly cold.

It turned out, he probably never cared about the rumors of an "office romance."

What he cared about... was that the woman they saw was me.

Another guy spoke up, sounding genuinely confused. "Speaking of which, man, how did you handle things with Seren? I actually got a wedding invitation in the mail this morning. It’s pretty damn sudden."

A brief silence fell over the room.

Russell let out a cold, humorless chuckle. "Let her be."

"I usually indulge her over the little things. But this time, she needs to learn a lesson. Throwing a tantrum isn't going to get her what she wants."

"Whoa," someone whistled. "So, the groom is dead set on being a no-show at his own wedding?"

Russell didn't say a word. His silence was an arrogant confirmation.

Finally, another friend spoke up, his tone hesitant and probing. "Russ, are you really going to let things get this ugly? You and Seren have been together for years. We've been waiting forever to drink at your wedding."

He paused, his voice taking on a half-joking, speculative edge. "You're playing hardball... unless you actually have other plans? Like... our lovely EA, Lila?"

"Oh, stop it," Lila giggled, dragging out her words. "Don't make jokes like that about me. Russell... he knows exactly what he wants."

She said those last few words softly, loaded with implications.

Russell didn't bother explaining or denying it. A round of knowing chuckles echoed in the room.

Another guy chimed in, quickly agreeing. "If you ask me, Russ has been more than loyal. Anyone else would've lost their patience years ago."

"Aside from throwing fits, what does Seren actually do for you? Not like our Lila here. She's smart, she knows the ropes, and she actually steps up when it counts."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Lila interrupted playfully.

Outside, the motion-sensor light in the hallway had quietly timed out.

The corridor was plunged into dim shadows.

I gently placed the project folder on the floor by the door. Using the tip of my shoe, I nudged it right against the gap under the doorframe.

Then, I turned around and walked away.

Keep laughing, Russell, I thought to myself, the last trace of warmth in my heart finally going cold.

I truly hope you can still laugh this confidently on the day of the wedding.