3
The second he saw me, his expression turned to ice. He lunged forward, his fingers clamping around my wrist like a vice.
“Why didn’t you wait for me that night?” he roared, his voice so loud it made my ears ring. “Why didn’t you answer your phone? I fou-
nd a pool of blood at the venue. I’ve been looking for you like a madman!”
“I thought… I thought you…”
As he got closer, I saw that his eyes were bloodshot, filled with a raw, undeniable worry. I stared at him, my heart pounding. A wild, impossible thought began to bloom in the back of my mind.
“You…?” I whispered.
In an instant, the storm of emotion in his eyes vanished, replaced by his usual cold composure. He looked me up and down, then released my wrist with a sneer.
“Weren’t you supposed to be dead if we didn’t get married?”
I rubbed my bruised wrist, my gaze darkening with self–pity. “I didn’t know you were looking for me. My phone died.”
“Sorry to disappoint you by not dying,” I added, a sharp, bitter edge to my voice.
He flinched, as if I’d struck him. A complex mix of emotions warred on his face. “That’s not what I meant.”
[System detects male lead is showing concern for Host!] the System chirped excitedly in my head. Try again! Push him!J
A flicker of hope ignited within me. I decided to try. “Perry,” I said, my voice trembling with desperate hope, “I wasn’t lying. I really am dying.”
“Can we please… can we have another wedding? Even if it’s just for show. I promise I’ll disappear from your life forever after.”
The System had never said we had to be a real husband and wife. I was looking for a loophole, begging for just the ceremony.
“Alright.”
He only hesitated for a second before agreeing. I was stunned.
This time, we planned a simple ceremony at a chapel, with no guests. But I waited from morning until the dead of night, and Perry never showed. He didn’t answer his phone.
I sat alone on the chapel steps in my wedding dress, staring up at the stars as silent tears traced paths down my cheeks.
I couldn’t understand. If it was all just a bet, he never had to go that far. When I was sick, he had abandoned a billion–dollar project and flown for twenty hours on the first international flight just to see me. When he fed me, he’d always cup his hand under my chin to catch any spills, despite his obsession with cleanliness.
I wiped my tears and unlocked my phone to try calling him again. That’s when a headline caught my eye: “City’s Top Heir, Perry Vance, Engaged to Bianca Sterling.”
My hand trembled as I clicked on the link. My world imploded.
He and Bianca had gotten engaged. Today.
He had promised me…
