She hadn’t been hit by the chandelier, but her
clothes were stained with my blood.
Did he care so much about Melanie that her
dress was more important than my life?
I watched Jason walk away, my heart aching,
but I didn’t even have the right to be sad.
He was just worried about his girlfriend. He
hadn’t done anything wrong.
Pushing down my confused thoughts, I asked
the paramedics, “Where’s the person who got
hit by the chandelier with me?”
I had to thank him.
If he hadn’t saved me, I might be dead.
“Right here.”
A handsome, rugged young man wheeled
himself over, his legs and forehead wrapped
in thick bandages..
It was Alex, my childhood friend, and my only
friend.
I wasn’t surprised that he’d risked his life to
save me.
But seeing him so injured made me feel
guilty.
“Thank you, Alex. I’m so sorry you got hurt
like this because of me.”
“Hey, we’re like family. I couldn’t just watch you die. And don’t worry, I exaggerated these injuries. It’s just a scratch on my forehead.
Don’t tell anyone, okay? My family’s been driving me crazy about getting married, and this is a perfect excuse to hide out in the
hospital!”
Alex wheeled himself to my bedside, speaking
in a whisper, constantly glancing at the door.
For the next two weeks, whenever his parents
and sister visited, he’d lie in bed and groan.
As soon as they left, he’d bring the food
they’d brought to my room and we’d chat.
My family visited me during my hospital stay.
<
We weren’t close, and I didn’t know what to
talk about.
They always steered the conversation
towards Jason. After a few days of not seeing
him, they stopped coming.
I was discharged after sixteen days.
Alex, bored of being alone, checked himself
out too and drove me home.
As I got out of the car, he flicked my
forehead.
“Your uncle’s getting married. If you’re not comfortable staying at Jason’s place and your don’t want to go back to your parents‘, just tell me. I’ll find you a place to stay. Don’t
bottle things up, okay?”
“Okay, I know. By the way, I’m free now, so I
can start working on your wedding dress and
suit designs. Do you have any preferences?”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “Nope. As long as
you like them, they’re a success.”
I nodded and asked him to stop a couple of
blocks from Jason’s house.
Jason didn’t like me getting too close to other
people, male or female.
And I never disobeyed him.
Alex got out, opened the door for me, and
leaned against the car. “Don’t focus on just
one person. Look around, okay?”
“What?” I asked, not hearing him clearly.
L
“Nothing. Let’s round up the budget for the
dresses. 5.2 million, going straight to your
account!”
“You don’t have to pay me for the design and
labor. We can knock off 2 million.”
“No way. If I don’t pay you, who am I making
money for?”
Alex got back in the car and closed the door.
I waved goodbye and walked to the front
door. I heard the car start only after I was a
good distance away.
It seemed like he always watched me leave
before driving off.
I paused, then went inside.
The housekeepers were busy. They greeted
me and continued working.
The house looked completely different,
unfamiliar.
My favorite lilies and peonies were gone, replaced by roses.
The paintings I’d carefully chosen, the
decorations on the shelves, the furniture, and
even the curtains had been changed.
This house, from its owner to its decor, was
rejecting me, the outsider.
Melanie came down the spiral staircase and
apologized.
r
“Sorry, Chloe, Jason and I have been busy preparing for our engagement. We haven’t had time to visit you. And this is our wedding house, so I thought we should renovate it.
You don’t mind, do you?”
“No, not at all,” I replied after a moment of
stunned silence.
They were getting engaged after less than a
month of dating?
That was fast.
I remembered Jason telling me he might never
get married, and a pang of pain shot through
my heart.
Jason came out, and Melanie looked at him
L
sheepishly.
He smiled and tapped her nose. “Just say
what you want, sweetie. Chloe’s very
understanding.”
Melanie bit her lip and walked over to me.
“Chloe, I saw your wedding dress designs. I
love them. Can I have them?”
I turned sharply to Jason, my throat
constricting.
Those designs were the result of four and a
half years of work, kept in the drawer in my
room.
I’d told Jason more than once that I wanted to
wear one of my designs when I married him.
<
He couldn’t have forgotten.
And he knew I didn’t like people going into my
room without permission.
Yet, Jason just smiled at me. “I know you put
a lot of effort into those designs, sweetie.
