One month before our wedding, my fiancé told me he was going to marry his first love in secret. "Celeste has cancer. The doctors say she has less than a month. All she wants is to give her family some peace before she goes. Why do you have to make everything so complicated?" I said no. So he went behind my back and married her at the courthouse anyway. My opinion never actually factored into his calculations, did it? Enough. This ends here. I'm done. I packed my things. Before the wedding, I joined a classified research project. The kind that requires an NDA and federal security clearance. After that, we had nothing to do with each other. *** One month before the wedding, my fiancé went behind my back and married his first love. They announced it on Instagram like it was some kind of victory. The photo showed Celeste tucked against his chest, marriage license in her hand, smile dripping with sugar. "We did it! ❤️" That single line hit like a public slap. Everyone saw me become the punchline. Friends started reaching out, asking what happened. "How did Hayden end up marrying Celeste? Wasn't he your fiancé? Weren't you two supposed to get married in a month?" Facing my closest friend's question, I answered calmly. "He married his dying ex. So I took out the trash before it rotted in my life." Someone leaked my words back to Hayden Pierce. He called me, demanding answers. "What the hell, Sage? We broke up? Since when?" "You married Celeste. Did you expect me to be the other woman in your marriage?" That set him off. He launched into a full-blown tirade over the phone. "How can you be so heartless? Celeste has cancer. She has less than a month to live. All she wants is to leave without regrets, Sage. One small wish. Can't you be the bigger person just this once?" "I thought we talked about this already. You didn't put up a fight back then, so I assumed you understood. Sage, I know you're upset, but is fighting over these details really worth it right now? Celeste is dying." I nearly laughed out loud. Wait. He said "notified." Not "discussed." When exactly did I agree to anything? So I asked him. "When did I ever agree to you marrying another woman?" Hayden froze. He clearly hadn't expected me to push back. After all, in all the time we'd been together, I almost never told him no. No wonder he said I agreed. In his mind, I was supposed to just go along with it. Why the hell should I? "I thought we talked about this already. You didn't put up a fight back then, so I assumed you understood." Hayden's voice was tight with restrained fury on the other end. He took a deep breath. "Sage! I'm at the hospital. I don't want to fight with you. Can you swing by Whole Foods and grab Celeste some of that organic vegetable broth? She's post-chemo and can only handle liquids right now. Oh, and grab me a black coffee while you're at it. I haven't slept in days." "We'll talk when I get back—" "Hayden? What are you doing? Cough... cough... I... I'm dizzy. Can you get the doctor?" Celeste's frail voice drifted through the receiver. Hayden's tone dropped to a murmur instantly. "Celeste? What's wrong? I'll get the doctor right now." The line went dead. He'd hung up to tend to Celeste. I stared at the ended call screen. The last thread of attachment I had for Hayden snapped clean. Five years. I gave this man five years of my heart. I believed if I gave enough, he'd eventually see me. But now, looking down at the call-ended screen on my phone, the silence that followed was louder than any scream. Something cold and final settled in my chest. He wasn't worth another tear. Hayden didn't call back until the afternoon. "Sage! Where's the soup I asked for? Why haven't you delivered it yet?" I hung up. I had no desire to engage. It was the first time Sage had ever hung up on him. He called again. And again. And again. Until his phone died. He tossed it onto the hospital bed, irritated. She hung up on me. Sage. Hung up on me. He'd done one thing to fulfill Celeste's wish. That was it. And Sage was reacting like this? Not long after, a message from Celeste appeared on my phone. "Hey Sage. How does it feel watching your fiancé marry someone else? Satisfying, isn't it?" "This is just the beginning. I've got an even bigger surprise waiting for you." Right after that, I received a pregnancy test result. I opened it. Celeste's name was on it. She was three weeks pregnant. The father was obvious. Three weeks. Right around the time he and I had a fight. The time he stayed out all night. No wonder he'd been avoiding me back then. And I'd been stupid enough to think he was just sulking. Throwing a tantrum. He'd been out sleeping with someone else. A guilty conscience keeping him away. No wonder he was in such a rush to marry Celeste. She was pregnant. She was actually pregnant! "How do you like the surprise, Sage? You're a total loser! You mean nothing to him! What are you even good for?" In that moment, the world spun. Hayden had told me he wanted to save our first time for the wedding night. "I want to wait until we're married. Is that okay?" Back then, I thought he just took that kind of thing seriously. I didn't push. He didn't want to wait. He just didn't want to do it with me.
About a month ago, Hayden and I had a fight. Also about Celeste. He was going to the hospital to take care of her. I told him how I felt. "We can hire her a professional nurse. You don't have to go yourself." "More than that. You're my fiancé. Running off to the hospital to play full-time caretaker for another woman? What does that make me?" I tried to make him see my side. In Hayden's eyes, it became me trying to control his life. Me being jealous of Celeste. "Sage! Celeste is sick! What's wrong with me going to take care of her? What good is a nurse?" "And anyway, this is my business. What does it have to do with you? We're not even married yet and you're already trying to control everything I do?" I let out a breath. "Control? No. I'm drawing a boundary. The kind where my fiancé doesn't run off to play house with his ex-girlfriend. If you can't understand that, then our problems are a lot bigger than Celeste." "Yeah, yeah, I get it. It's all about saving face for you. You're just jealous of Celeste. I can't believe you're like this! Let me tell you something. Celeste is important to me! You don't get a say in this. Not today. Not ever." His words sent a chill through me. He actually said Celeste was someone important to him. "Important?" I stared at him. For the first time in my life, I didn't feel heartbreak. I felt disgust. I wasn't some side character in his cheap drama. I was the damn lead in my own life. I pointed at my chest and looked at Hayden. Hayden froze. A flicker of guilt crossed his face. "I... I don't have time to waste here with you!" He grabbed his bag and left. I watched his back disappear, step by step, until there was nothing left to see. That night, I don't even know how I managed to fall asleep. I was drifting in and out when my phone rang. I answered on reflex. A bright female voice came through. "Sage. Dr. Miller's research... we're short-staffed. I shouldn't be bothering you with this... but we're really desperate. Do you think... can you come?" I jolted upright in bed. Every trace of sleep vanished. Dr. Miller's project? "Didn't that start six months ago?" I asked. Anya, my postdoc cohort-mate from the lab, now technically my project supervisor, sighed. "We ran into some issues. The project never hit its first milestone." I went silent. Six months ago, Dr. Miller received a federal research grant commission. A highly classified, cutting-edge project. Since it was the first exploration in this field, it had drawn significant attention at the national level. At the time, Dr. Miller thought of me first. He sat me down and tried to talk me into it. "Sage! You're one of my most brilliant students. I want you on this team. This is monumental. For you. For scientific progress in this country." Back then, I was still basking in the joy of being with Hayden. I turned Dr. Miller down. He was deeply disappointed. He tried again and again to persuade me. "Dr. Miller called me personally. He said, 'Sage is the only person who can solve the Casimir resonance equation. Without her, the project stalls.' That's not flattery, Sage. That's the truth." I shook my head. Once the project began, it meant cutting off all contact with the outside world. At least a year. Maybe two. No coming home. "I'm sorry, Dr. Miller. I don't want to be separated from Hayden for that long." Dr. Miller sighed. Frustration and care mixed in his voice. "Sage! Are you sure you want to pour all your energy into a relationship? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Once the research succeeds, you can get married then. You'd be able to marry him with honors, wouldn't you? Or is your boyfriend not willing?" I shook my head again. "I haven't told my boyfriend. It's me. I don't want to leave him." Dr. Miller finally gave up trying to convince me. "Sage, you're not a child anymore. Dr. Miller respects your decision. But I hope you won't regret it." After that, we lost contact. Until today. Anya's call was the first I'd heard about Dr. Miller since. "Hello? Sage, have you thought about it?" Anya's voice pulled me back to the present. I exhaled. "Of course I want to go. But... me and Dr. Miller... I'm afraid he won't want to see me." Anya's relief was audible. "Don't worry about that. Dr. Miller's all bark. His heart's soft. If you come, he'll welcome you." That gave me more comfort than I could say. Dr. Miller. The mentor I respected most in this world. Worst case, he'd scold me again. With that thought, I gave Anya my answer. "Okay, Anya. When do I leave?" "Originally, the sooner the better. But aren't you about to get married? Maybe... you should discuss it with your fiancé first. Once you sign the NDA and pass the federal security review, you'll be gone for at least three to five years. Can you give me an answer in two weeks?" I nodded, so excited I forgot she couldn't see me. "Yes. I won't need two weeks. I can give you my answer tonight." Anya laughed and added one last thing. "Talk it through with your boyfriend. Properly." Then she hung up.
After the call, I started packing. Two weeks. More than enough time to settle everything and leave. When Hayden came back that evening, he saw the closet half empty. He frowned at me. "Sage! What are you throwing a fit about now? I've told you a thousand times. Celeste and I are doing this so her family can have peace. Can you stop making a federal case out of everything?" I kept folding clothes into my luggage. My voice was flat. "Yeah. I know. I understand." Hayden blinked. Surprised. It was the first time since he'd brought up marrying Celeste that I'd discussed it without a fight. "You... you've come around?" I nodded. "Yeah. It's your choice. I have no right to interfere. I was making myself too important before. From now on, I won't control you anymore." Hayden frowned. Something felt off about Sage today. But before he could think it through, a phone call pulled him away. "Mr. Pierce, it's bad! Your wife collapsed at the hospital. She needs surgery. Please come immediately." Hayden hung up and rushed out the door. Before he left, he tossed one more instruction over his shoulder. "We'll talk when I get back. I have to go to the hospital first." I went along with it. Same as before. "Yeah. You should hur—" He was gone before I could finish. Anything involving Celeste. He was always that attentive. People really are different. I remembered when I was hospitalized. Hayden left me with a few dismissive words. "The hospital has doctors and nurses. If that's not enough, I'll hire you a caregiver. I have my own things to handle. Where would I find the time to take care of you?" But with Celeste, suddenly doctors, nurses, and caregivers weren't good enough. Hayden and I met in college. Before that, he and Celeste had been together. She ended it. Said she couldn't handle the long distance. Though "ended it" isn't quite right. It was more of a one-sided freeze-out from Celeste. Hayden chased after her relentlessly. Until she found a new boyfriend. Hayden fell apart after that. He started drinking heavily at the bar where I worked part-time. That's how we met. Back then, what I felt for him was more of an inexplicable curiosity. A quiet pull. How could anyone hurt someone this good? We existed in parallel. Doing our own things. The shift came late one night. Hayden was passed out drunk. A few guys nearby were eyeing him with bad intentions. "This dude looks loaded. We could use some cash." "Let's check it out." One of them, some guy with dyed-red hair, grabbed a drink and walked over to Hayden. "Drinking alone, buddy?" When Hayden didn't respond, the guy got bold and started rifling through his pockets. Even drunk, Hayden fought back on instinct. But his mind was a blur. His resistance was useless. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" My voice stopped the guy. He turned to me, scowling, annoyed. "None of your damn business. You got nothing better to do? Get lost." I set my glass down and looked straight at him. "I'm a student of Dr. Miller." Dr. Miller. His son was the district attorney for this city. DA Miller was known for his aggressive stance on crime. And Dr. Miller was known for being fiercely protective of his own. Red hesitated for a beat. "Prove it." I pulled out my student ID and tossed it to him. "There. My ID. If you don't believe me, you can go ask around at my school." He examined it carefully, then threw it back. "What's this guy to you? You two together?" I glanced at Hayden, completely unconscious, and made up a lie on the spot. "My cousin." Red snorted. "Your cousin? What's his name?" That stumped me. I looked at Hayden and pulled a name out of thin air. "Distant cousin." He let it go. Reluctantly. "Out of respect for DA Miller, I'll let this slide." After they left, I stayed at the bar with Hayden until he sobered up.
After that, we got closer. Until the day Hayden confessed. He said he liked me. Asked if I'd give him a chance. I looked at the sincerity in his eyes and nodded. Just like that, we were together. Hayden loved teasing me about the cover story I'd invented that night. He kept calling me "cousin" until my ears turned red. He'd lean in close and ask, "Why didn't you just say I was your boyfriend? Or that I was chasing you?" Every time he asked, my ears would burn. He never let it go. "If I'd said that, they wouldn't have believed me. And besides, it wouldn't have been good for your reputation." When he heard that, his laugh was wide and unrestrained. Watching him laugh warmed something inside me. I thought I could pull him out of Celeste's shadow. I overestimated myself. And I underestimated Hayden's obsession with her. He never forgot her. The moment he heard she was sick, he dropped everything to take care of her. He threw away years of us because of one word from her. Married her behind my back. And got her pregnant. The next morning, Hayden came back looking exhausted. He looked at me and gave an order. "Fix me a bowl of oatmeal. Add cinnamon and apple chunks. I'm going to sleep for a bit. I need to go back to the hospital later." I ignored him. I was busy preparing for the lab. When I didn't answer, he didn't blow up. Unusual for him. He just told me not to overthink things. Same as always. I watched him walk away. I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt. Tomorrow. We were supposed to get married tomorrow. I'd already picked out my wedding dress. But now he had a family. A child. Where did I fit in any of that? One word from Celeste and he discarded me without a second thought. The love was never there. That much was obvious. I was done hemorrhaging energy into this relationship. It wasn't worth it. I deserved better. "Oh, there's something I need to discuss with you," Hayden said. He stopped walking. Turned around. His eyes wouldn't meet mine. "What?" I looked at him. Nothing good, I was sure. "So... tomorrow's pre-wedding dinner... can we cancel it? Celeste, she..." He finally looked at me. "Fine," I cut him off. "Whatever you want." My response threw him off. "What's that supposed to mean?" I met his eyes. "It doesn't mean anything." That's when he noticed my luggage. "What are you doing?" I brushed him off. "Oh. Just packing up some clothes I don't wear anymore." Funny thing. When you stop loving someone, lies roll off the tongue without effort. Hayden frowned. "You have that many clothes you don't wear?" "Yeah. Plus some old stuff. Clearing it all out." I looked up at him. "Didn't you say you were going to rest?" He snapped back to the present. "Yeah. Celeste has more tests tomorrow. I need to rest up so I can be there for her." I nodded. "Got it." He'd already made his decision. Why would I waste my energy caring?
Hayden went to the bedroom. Before he went in, he reminded me again. "Tomorrow's pre-wedding dinner is canceled." I looked at the calendar on the table. Tomorrow's date was circled in red Sharpie. The words "Pre-Wedding Dinner" written in bold letters. I didn't know why he wanted to cancel it. But I wasn't planning on going through with this wedding anyway. Even if Hayden hadn't said it, I would have found a reason to cancel. Him bringing it up first saved me the trouble. I nodded. "Alright. I'll call the restaurant and cancel." The words landed. Hayden paused. He hadn't expected me to agree this easily. He'd assumed I'd demand an explanation. Every detail of this wedding had been meticulously researched and finalized by me. Even the photographer was someone I'd stalked on Instagram for six months, refreshing his booking page daily until I snagged a cancellation slot, just to get the perfect wedding photos. But after he spoke, I just agreed. Quietly. Hayden looked at me. His expression was complicated. "Don't cancel." "Celeste says she'll never have a wedding of her own. She wants to do a bridal shoot with me. To pretend, just once, that she got married. So she won't have regrets." "Tomorrow, let Celeste do the shoot with me. We can always do our own photos later." His tone was casual. Like he was discussing what to have for dinner. Same tone he'd used a month ago when he told me he and Celeste would hold a commitment ceremony. Let her walk down an aisle in a wedding dress one last time. On the surface, it sounded like a discussion. But every word told me he'd already decided. He was just informing me. I kept my eyes down. Hid the disdain. Later? Hayden didn't know I only had thirteen days left in this city. There wouldn't be a later. I murmured a quiet "okay" and headed to the bedroom to rest. If the wedding wasn't happening, then who Hayden did his bridal shoot with was none of my concern. Hayden watched my back. An uneasiness crept up on him. I was too calm. Not a single question. None of the arguments he'd prepared had been needed. Then Celeste called. He shoved the unease aside and walked onto the balcony to answer. I woke up just as Hayden was heading out the door. He gave instructions while putting on his shoes. "After the shoot, Celeste and I are going on a trip. She's always wanted to go to Hawaii. I'm taking her." "Let's keep the wedding simple. I don't have time to deal with details. You decide. Don't ask me." I swallowed my bite of toast. "Okay." Simple. Very simple. This wedding would have no photos. No guests. No officiant. No bride. Hayden watched me eating breakfast in silence. So calm. A strange feeling stirred in his chest. He thought for a moment, then added, "After the wedding, let's honeymoon in Europe. You've always wanted to go." Before, if Hayden had suggested a honeymoon on his own, I would have been ecstatic. Immediately planning every detail. I'd asked him to travel with me so many times. He'd always said no. Said he didn't like it. Said traveling was exhausting. Now I just focused on my toast. Didn't respond. There wouldn't be a wedding. Where exactly would this honeymoon come from? Hayden gave me an odd look. Started to say something else. His eyes caught the clock on the wall. He rushed out, leaving only a "We'll talk when I get back" behind him. I picked up the calendar. Took the red Sharpie. Drew a giant X over "Pre-Wedding Dinner." Twelve days left. After breakfast, I started packing. Time to clear out everything unnecessary. A photo album with fewer than five pictures. A dusty projector. Matching pajamas that had never been worn. Five years. Every item in this house had been carefully chosen by me. Slowly turning an empty space into something warm and lived-in. But looking closer, so many things had never been touched by Hayden. He'd told me that even in a relationship, he was still his own person. He hated couple items. Said they made him feel tied down. I pulled my thoughts back and kept clearing. No point leaving this stuff behind to clutter his space after I was gone. Better to get rid of it now. Destroy all the memories along with it. Hayden didn't come home for the next week. I still knew exactly what he was doing. With a girlfriend like Celeste who posted everything on Instagram, it would've been harder not to know. Surfing together. Sunset walks. Sunrise selfies. On my phone screen, I saw a different Hayden. So he was capable of acting like a normal boyfriend after all. Just not with me. I didn't obsess over their daily adventures. I glanced and scrolled past. I wasn't idle. The apartment was full of things. It took days to finish clearing. I also made time to go home. Told my parents I'd be leaving for the lab soon. That I wouldn't be able to contact them for long stretches. My father was surprised. "You and Hayden are about to get married. Won't this mean you'll be separated for a long time?" Worry settled in my mother's eyes. She held my hand. "Think this through carefully, Sage. You and Hayden have come so far. If you go to the lab, Hayden might not agree. Your wedding..." I understood what they meant. My parents had watched my devotion to Hayden for years. They'd also watched how he treated me. Before he proposed, they'd gently tried to warn me. They didn't think I held much weight in Hayden's heart. Asked me to reconsider. Back then, I was confident. I believed I could change Hayden. Make him fully accept me. So my parents gave their blessing. Now the wedding was approaching. They were afraid that if I went to the lab, Hayden would object. Might even cancel the wedding and break up with me. They feared I'd get hurt. That's why they wanted me to think it through. But the person canceling this wedding was me. I told them. They went quiet for a long time. I didn't tell them about Hayden getting another woman pregnant. They didn't need that blow. I just said I wanted to focus on making a contribution to scientific research. My parents exchanged a look. If their daughter had made her decision, they'd support her fully. In the end, my father sighed. Clapped me on the shoulder. Said as long as I didn't regret it. Back home, I called my best friend Riley to help haul everything down. Boxes stacked up in the living room. Took up so much space. We went up and down the stairs over and over until every box was gone. The apartment felt empty. Riley looked around. A little wistful. She remembered two months ago. When Hayden had said yes to my proposal. I'd dragged her out to drink all night. Kept saying I'd finally gotten what I'd always wanted. Barely two months later, I was calling off the wedding. "Honey, you're actually doing this. I thought you were joking when you said you were canceling." "I've watched you chase after Hayden for years. Tell me what's really going on." Maybe it was because I was about to leave. I actually felt like talking. I told Riley everything that had happened over the past month. Including that Celeste was pregnant with Hayden's child. Riley had witnessed everything between Hayden and me. When I finished, she let out a string of curses. "You gave him everything. And he gets another woman pregnant before your wedding? Then expects you to just nod and smile? What the hell is wrong with him?" I shook my head. Swallowed the bitterness. "Who knows. He says Celeste saved his life. He has to fulfill all her wishes." Riley's face was full of indignation. "You saved his life too! How can he treat you like this!" I didn't say anything. Maybe he just didn't love me. But it didn't matter. Soon, I'd be gone.
Five days left. I submitted my resignation to the university. Back when I chose Hayden, I'd turned down Dr. Miller's invitation to continue working with him. I stayed at a local university as a teaching assistant. Following Hayden's path. My colleagues were shocked. "Why are you leaving, Sage?" "You just sent us wedding invites a few days ago. Are you going to be a stay-at-home wife? Hayden's so lucky." Some teased me. I held my box of things and smiled. "No. The wedding's off." When I got home and opened the door, I found Hayden and Celeste on the sofa. I hadn't seen him in a week. Hayden saw the box in my hands. "What's all that?" I gave him a random excuse. "Just some stuff I don't need. Brought it back." He nodded. Scanned the room. A confused look crossed his face. "I've only been gone a week. Why does it feel like so much is missing?" I carried the box to the bedroom. Answered flatly. "I cleared out some things I don't use anymore." Hayden opened his mouth. Celeste cut him off. "Sage. Hayden worked so hard taking me on this trip. And thank you for letting him do the bridal shoot with me. You made my dream come true. You're so generous. I told Hayden, 'You must have married a saint. Any other woman would've keyed your car by now.'" "Let me treat you both to dinner. To thank you for taking care of me. I'll probably need to trouble you both for a while longer. I hope you won't resent me." I saw the smug victory in Celeste's eyes. She was getting impatient. Ever since I'd received that pregnancy test, I hadn't reacted at all. I hadn't even confronted Hayden. But I had no desire to play her games anymore. Five more days and I'd be gone from Hayden's life forever. Right now, I just wanted to wrap things up and leave clean. When I didn't answer, Celeste's eyes instantly reddened. "Hayden, is Sage upset? I know you two are about to get married, but..." Hayden's brow furrowed instantly. He rounded on me. "Celeste is kind enough to thank us, and you put on that face? It's just dinner. It won't kill you. You're going." I hadn't said a single word. In Hayden's mouth, I was already the villain. In the end, he dragged me there. At the restaurant, the server came to take our order. I'd just opened the menu when Hayden spoke. "Nothing too oily. Easy on the seasoning. No onion in any dish." When the food arrived, Hayden carefully served Celeste. Placed food in her bowl. Then he pushed a seafood dish toward me. "Celeste can't eat seafood right now. I ordered this specially for you." I stared at the plate. Every bit of appetite I had died. "I'm allergic to shellfish." What a joke. Five years together. Hayden didn't know his own girlfriend was allergic to shellfish. But he knew every single one of Celeste's dietary restrictions. Even something as small as no onions. He remembered that. A brief flicker of confusion crossed Hayden's face. When he looked at me again, there was a rare trace of guilt in his eyes. He ordered a few more dishes. I didn't touch my fork again. Just sipped water. After the meal, as we stepped off the front steps, Anya called. "Sage. Dr. Miller asked me to confirm. You're following the standard project timeline, right? The first phase involves classified work. There's a strong possibility you won't be able to contact the outside world for one or two years." My gaze fell on Hayden and Celeste ahead of me. Walking side by side. Hayden's hand carefully supporting Celeste's waist down the stairs. My voice was perfectly level. "I'm certain." Anya exhaled in relief. "Good. Dr. Miller was so afraid you wouldn't be able to leave your boyfriend." I pulled my eyes away. Turned in the other direction. "The wedding's off." "I'm ready to leave." A confused voice sounded behind me. "Who's leaving?"
Hayden had just gotten Celeste into the car when he caught those last words. I realized he hadn't heard what came before. Made up an excuse. "A friend of mine. She's leaving soon." Hayden nodded. Didn't press. Four days left. Hayden brought home the bridal photos. His and Celeste's. Phone in one hand, video-calling Celeste. The other hand holding the framed photo out to show me. His expression soft with tenderness. "Celeste, our photos came back. The staff at the studio said they turned out beautifully." I walked out to get water right as he said it. A flicker of embarrassment crossed Hayden's face. He looked at me like he wanted to say something. I glanced at the photo. Gave an honest comment. "They do look nice." I'd paid a premium for this photographer. I wanted to capture the most loving moment between Hayden and me. I'd imagined the overwhelming happiness I'd feel when I finally saw the results. Hayden in his suit looked exactly as handsome as I'd dreamed. The only difference was the bride beside him. Not me. But it didn't stir a single ripple in my chest anymore. From the moment I learned about Celeste's pregnancy, I'd taken every ounce of my feelings for Hayden back. Hayden, on the other hand, was frozen. It suddenly hit him. I hadn't initiated a single conversation with him in a long time. Even during that whole week he was traveling with Celeste, not one message. It unsettled him. On the video, Celeste was still chattering away. He shook off the unease and told himself I was just exhausted from wedding prep. Two days left. I went to the hospital to pick up some medication. And ran straight into Hayden and Celeste coming out of her OB appointment. A rare flash of panic crossed Hayden's eyes. His mouth opened. Celeste beat him to it. She walked up, grabbed my hands, and started to kneel. Her voice thick with tears. "Sage. I know you still haven't agreed to Hayden and me having the commitment ceremony. But I can't wait any longer. The doctor says I have a year at most. I really want to see myself in a wedding dress." "After the ceremony, I'll leave Hayden forever. I won't interfere with your relationship." Before I could open my mouth, Hayden pulled her up. His eyes full of concern. "Your body is fragile. You shouldn't be doing this." Then he turned to me. "Since you know, I won't hide it anymore." "Don't worry. This won't affect our wedding." The me from a month ago would have raged. Broken down. Spun into despair. Questioned everything about myself. Was I not good enough? Was that why Hayden was so willing to do this ceremony for another woman? But after everything, I'd figured it out. It wasn't that I wasn't good enough. It was that Hayden didn't love me. He didn't love me. That's why he could disregard my feelings completely. I'd already known about the commitment ceremony. I'd already let go of every feeling I had for Hayden. They didn't need to put on this tragic act for me anymore. I gave them one blank look. Looked away. "I understand." I walked away with my prescription. My departure date was close. My luggage still needed organizing. They clearly hadn't expected me to be so calm. Especially Hayden. He stared at my retreating back with a complicated expression. I'd fought him for a month over this ceremony. Now I knew it was happening and gave nothing. An inexplicable unease took root in Hayden's chest. As if something had shifted without him knowing. I reached the stairwell when Celeste caught up and grabbed my sleeve. Hayden was still far behind. Celeste dropped the mask. "Sage Morrison. How does it feel? Watching your fiancé do a commitment ceremony with another woman?" I had no interest in pointless fights. I shook her off and moved to leave. The moment I pulled away, her body tilted. She started falling down the stairs. Reflex kicked in. I grabbed her hand and stopped her fall. My hand hadn't even let go when a furious shout came from behind. "What are you doing!" Hayden had been confused by my calm. Now he thought he understood. I'd only been pretending. Deep down, I couldn't accept it. When Celeste saw Hayden, her face instantly morphed into hurt. Eyes red-rimmed. Hand protectively over her stomach. "Hayden. I just wanted to thank Sage for being so understanding. I didn't expect her to..." Hayden's face went dark. "Sage Morrison. I didn't think you were capable of this." "Apologize to Celeste. Now."
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