1 My engagement party with Billy was supposed to take place on a luxury cruise. We had agreed that I would bring my Gran, the only family I had left in this world. On the day of boarding, I waited at the pier for a long time. When Billy finally showed up, he wasn't alone. He brought his childhood friend, Lily, her parents, and about seven or eight of her extended relatives. They were all holding keycards to the penthouse VIP suites. Every single one of them, except my Gran. I looked at Billy. "Where is Gran's room card?" He was busy adjusting Lily's mother's silk shawl and didn't even look up. "The VIP suites are fully booked." "I got Gran a standard cabin on the lower deck." The lower deck. Right next to the engine room. No windows. Reeking of diesel fumes. My Gran had a severe heart condition and crippling claustrophobia. She couldn't handle stale air or tight spaces. My voice trembled. "Then why do all of Lily's relatives have VIP cards?" Billy frowned. "Lily's parents are older. They need a good environment to rest." "Besides, her relatives were added at the last minute. I couldn't exactly stick her family in the steerage, could I?" I looked at the loud, laughing crowd swarming around Billy. Suddenly, I felt like this engagement didn't need to happen anymore. Lily walked over right then, her eyes looking a little glossy. "Stella, please don't be mad at Billy." "I can ask my aunt to give up her suite for your grandmother." She paused, lowering her voice into a pathetic whisper. "It's just that it's my aunt's first time on a luxury cruise, and she's been looking forward to it for months. Plus, she gets a little seasick." Billy immediately patted the back of Lily's hand. "This has nothing to do with you. I made the arrangements." He turned back to me, impatience dripping from his words. "Lily's relatives are already here at the dock." "We can't just treat guests poorly." A woman from Lily's family chuckled under her breath nearby. "An old country lady would probably feel more at home in the bottom cabins anyway." "The penthouse has too many rules. She'd probably just stain the carpets and make a fool of herself." Billy definitely heard that. Yet all he said was, "They don't mean any harm." "Today is our engagement. It's a happy day. Stop being so sensitive." I stared him dead in the eye. "My Gran has severe heart disease and claustrophobia." "You want her to sleep in a windowless box next to a roaring engine?" Billy's brows knit together. "Stop making it sound so dramatic." "Gran is used to living simply upstate. She won't mind a standard cabin." "Besides, I already tipped the crew to deliver her meals on time. It's very convenient." He said it so casually. But the moment I pictured my Gran's hunched, tired back, a woman who had swallowed so much bitterness in her life, it felt like a fist was crushing my chest. My phone rang. It was Gran. The background noise was deafening, a relentless mechanical roar of the ship's engines. Her voice was overly cautious, terrified of being a burden. "Stella, sweetheart, I made it to my room." "It's a very nice room. No windows, sure, but the lights are very bright! Don't you worry about me." A huge lump formed in my throat. "Gran, get out of there right now." "I'm coming down to upgrade your room." Gran panicked. "No, no, don't waste your money!" "Billy set this up beautifully." "I've never been on a ship this fancy. I'd just embarrass you two up there with the rich folks." I heard a muffled, heavy wheeze over the line. She quickly pulled the phone away from her face, trying to hide it. "Don't tell the girl," I heard her whisper to herself. "It's her big day. Don't ruin it." My eyes immediately filled with tears. "Gran, is your chest tight?" She forced a breathless laugh. "Not at all! I promise, perfectly fine. Just walked a little too fast down the stairs." But a second later, a loud, irritated voice yelled in English in the background. "Hey, lady! Move your junk out of the hallway! You're blocking the path!" Gran immediately started apologizing, her voice shrinking. "I'm so sorry, sir. I'm sorry. I'll move it right now." My grip on the phone tightened until my knuckles turned white. I could picture it perfectly. My frail Gran, dragging her heavy, battered canvas bag, pressing herself against the wall of a dim, narrow corridor to let strangers pass. She had never left our small upstate town her entire life. Before this trip, she had been as excited as a little kid. Half a month ago, when I went back to pick her up, she was sitting under a dim lamp with her reading glasses on, sewing a dress. She had saved up for six months to buy a piece of beautiful velvet fabric, insisting she couldn't look shabby at my engagement party. The stitches were incredibly tight and neat, but her fingertips were covered in pricks and dried blood. Still, she had smiled brightly at me. "Stella, do you think I'll embarrass you in front of the wealthy folks if I wear this on the boat?" She had packed boxes of homemade peach preserves and her famous shortbread cookies into her luggage. "It's my first time meeting Billy's family. I can't show up empty-handed." "Billy treats you so well. We have to show them we have manners." Back then, I laughed and told her she was taking it too seriously. I told her Billy had handled everything, and all she had to do was enjoy the luxury. Her eyes had lit up like stars. The next day, she bragged to anyone who would listen at the local market. "My granddaughter is getting engaged on a massive luxury cruise!" "My future grandson-in-law is putting me in a massive penthouse suite!" But now. She wasn't in a suite. She didn't even have a tiny porthole to look at the ocean. On the other end of the line, Gran was still trying to coax me. "Stella, please don't be mad." "Billy is a busy man. It's hard enough organizing all these people." "An old lady like me sleeping down here saves you kids some money. You'll need it for your future together." I closed my eyes, letting a tear slip free. "Gran, grab your bags and come up." "I'm not getting engaged anymore." Gran was terrified. "Don't say foolish things!" "I am perfectly fine down here. Don't be stubborn and make Billy angry." I couldn't listen anymore. I hung up, turned around, and marched toward the boarding gate. Billy grabbed my arm. "Where are you going?" "To get my grandmother." His face darkened. "The ship is about to set sail. What about the banquet tonight if you leave?" I glared at him. "If my Gran isn't there, there is no banquet." Lily's mother let out a delicate cough and massaged her temples. Billy immediately let go of my arm, turned around, and handed a glass of warm water to her. "Are the sea breezes giving you a headache, ma'am?" His movements were practiced, gentle, and incredibly attentive. I stood there, suddenly feeling like arguing was completely pointless. He knew perfectly well that older people had fragile health and shouldn't catch a chill. He knew exactly how to pamper an elder. It was just that his kindness was never meant for my Gran. Billy looked back at me, thoroughly annoyed. "Stella, stop throwing a tantrum." "I've already handled your grandmother. The crew will keep an eye on her." I pulled my arm back, swatting him away. A deafening, windowless cabin vibrating with engine noise. A cramped hallway where she couldn't even put down her luggage. And my Gran, constantly swallowing her pride to maintain his perfect image. That was how he "handled" it. Just as I turned toward the lower decks, my phone rang again. Gran again. This time, the sheer panic in her voice was impossible to hide. "Stella, honey... I think I just got kicked out." My stomach dropped to the floor. "What do you mean you got kicked out?" The background was noisy, filled with the sharp complaints of a janitor. Gran lowered her voice, terrified of being overheard. "They said a pipe burst in the cabin. It needs maintenance." "They told me to wait in the hallway for a bit." "My bag got a little wet." A loud ringing filled my ears. Billy said he handled it. His grand arrangement was sticking my Gran in an abandoned, leaking utility cabin. I gripped my phone tightly. "Gran, exactly where are you right now?" She rushed to explain. "Stella, don't blame Billy for this." "He had to book for so many people, and this boat is massive. A mix-up is normal." A heavy fit of coughing interrupted her, followed by a wet, ragged intake of breath. "I'll just sit on the stairs for a bit." "It's fine." "Go entertain your guests." She had been evicted from a flooded room. She was standing alone on a swaying, massive ship. And she was still finding excuses for Billy. My eyes burned hot with rage. I whipped around to face him. "You put my grandmother in a flooded, broken cabin?" Billy's expression shifted slightly. "What?" I shoved my phone screen in his face. "She got kicked out into the hallway." "Is this what you call 'handled'?" He finally frowned. It seemed to dawn on him that this might actually be an inconvenience. "My assistant must have messed up the booking." "Just calm down." He pulled out his phone and made a call. "I'll have my assistant bring her up." "She can crash in the staff breakroom for tonight." "We'll find her a real room tomorrow when one frees up." He spoke quickly, his tone softening a little. Like he was putting out a minor PR fire. But looking at him, the last remaining warmth in my heart turned to absolute ice. If I hadn't pushed the issue. If my Gran hadn't called. Would she have been left sitting on a cold, damp staircase, hugging her wet luggage until sunrise? Lily walked over then, her eyes completely red. "This is all my fault." "If my family hadn't joined at the last minute, Gran wouldn't have lost her room." She sniffled, lowering her head. "But it's my parents' first time on a cruise. I was just so scared they'd get sick if they didn't sleep well." Billy immediately stepped closer to her. "How is this your fault?" "Stop taking the blame for everything." Watching him protect Lily, I felt a wave of absolute disgust. My Gran was placed in a flooded room and banished to a hallway. His first reaction was annoyance, followed by tossing her into a staff breakroom. But the moment Lily shed a single fake tear. He acted like she had suffered the greatest injustice in the world. Half an hour later, the assistant finally brought Gran to the main lobby. The moment she saw me, she frantically tried to hide a cloth bag behind her back. It was the bag holding the homemade shortbread she made for Billy's parents. It must have been sitting on the flooded floor. The fabric was soaked through, dripping dirty water, and the cookies inside had turned into a mushy, sticky mess. Gran was clutching her chest. Her face was paper-white, and her lips had a terrifying blue tint. Yet, the very first thing she said when she saw Billy was an apology. "Billy, I'm so sorry for causing trouble." "My old eyes couldn't read the room number right. I went to the wrong place." My nose stung sharply. "Gran." Billy didn't even look at her. He just checked his Rolex. "At least it didn't delay the evening banquet." Gran timidly pulled the soaked bag from behind her back, offering a nervous smile. "Billy, I made these shortbread cookies myself." "And some peach preserves for your parents." "First time meeting the family. I couldn't come empty-handed." Billy glanced down at it. He recoiled. A look of pure disgust washed over his face. "Gran, we have a Michelin-starred French chef on board." "Please put that wet stuff away." "Tonight is a high-end luxury event. Bringing things like that out just isn't appropriate." Gran's hands froze in mid-air. The smile slowly drained from her weathered face, though she desperately tried to force it back up. "Oh. Right." "I don't know any better." She hastily pulled the bag to her chest, hugging the ruined cookies tightly. "I'll put it away. I won't embarrass you." It felt like someone had shoved a handful of glass down my throat. I couldn't even speak. Across the lobby, Lily's mother let out another delicate cough. Billy immediately rushed to her side. "Ma'am, please head up to the penthouse dining room and rest." "Have you been standing too long?" He ordered his assistant to fetch hot soup, then personally guided her to a plush velvet sofa in the lobby. Gentle. Patient. Impeccable. A stark contrast to the absolute ice he just gave my grandmother. Lily's aunt snickered loudly from the side. "Country folks really don't know the world, treating literal garbage like treasure." "Bringing that dirty junk here really ruins the vibe of a high-class event." Gran heard every word. She clutched her soaked bag tighter, burying her chin into her chest. "We don't know the world. We just made a mess for everyone." Billy acted like he didn't even hear the utter humiliation in Gran's voice. He just gestured toward the elevators. "Lily, you have a lot of family, take the guest elevator to the top floor." "Gran, you can take the freight elevator over there to the second-floor staff quarters." I glanced at the freight elevator. It was packed with Styrofoam boxes of raw seafood that had just been loaded. The stench of fish and stagnant water was suffocating. My voice was dead cold. "My Gran has a bad heart. She can't breathe in places that smell like that, and you want her to take the freight elevator?" Billy rubbed his temples, deeply annoyed. "Stella, can you stop being so difficult?" "The guest elevator is crowded right now. The freight is faster." "Once she's settled in, it'll be fine. Why do you have to pick a fight over every little thing?" I stared at him. In that exact moment, absolute clarity hit me. Billy didn't just forget to respect my grandmother. He fundamentally believed my grandmother was not a person worthy of respect. Gran frantically grabbed my wrist. "Stella, stop it." "I can take any elevator. The party is what matters." The party is what matters. Even now, she was terrified of ruining my special night. But looking at her ghostly pale face, looking at how she desperately clung to a bag of ruined cookies, the last tiny ember of hope I had for this relationship finally died. I didn't argue anymore. I simply held Gran's arm, completely ignored Billy's orders, and walked her straight onto the guest elevator. Gran apologized the entire ride up. "Stella, I'm really fine." "Did I make things hard for Billy just now?" She looked down at the dripping bag, her voice barely a whisper. "Maybe I should just throw this in the trash." "I don't want his parents laughing at you." Looking at how small and terrified she had become, my tears finally fell. She hadn't done a single thing wrong. Yet she was acting like a criminal. I didn't take her to the staff breakroom. I took her straight to the ship's medical center. The doctor checked her blood pressure and heart rate. His expression turned grim. "Her cardiopulmonary function is extremely weak. She cannot handle stress, and she absolutely cannot be in poorly ventilated areas." "She needs immediate bed rest. No more moving around." Gran turned whiter than the sheets. And still, she tried to cover for Billy. "It's just my useless body failing me." "It's not the kids' fault." I pressed my hands gently over hers. "Gran." "You never have to explain yourself to anyone ever again." "If you're in pain, you're in pain. If you're mistreated, you're mistreated." "Nobody in this world has the right to force you to swallow it." Gran looked up at me, her cloudy eyes slowly filling with tears. Once the doctor got her settled on a comfortable observation bed, I pulled out my phone. I texted the ship's event coordinator. "The engagement party is canceled." "Tear down all the decorations in the ballroom." The coordinator called back almost instantly, sounding panicked. "Miss Stella, the banquet is tonight! The guests are already waiting. Are you absolutely sure?" I looked through the glass at my Gran, who had finally fallen into an exhausted sleep. My voice was quiet, but unshakeable. "I'm sure." At eight o'clock that night, Billy finally came looking for me. He threw the clinic door open. He looked furious. He had probably lost face in front of the crowd when I didn't show up. He stood at the door, glaring at me. "Stella, what the hell is your problem?" "Everyone is waiting for you in the penthouse dining room, and you're hiding down here?" He paused, his jaw clenching. "Lily has been crying for an hour." "She thinks she made your grandmother sick. She feels so guilty she hasn't eaten a single bite." "Come upstairs right now, apologize to Lily, and we can put this whole mess behind us." I froze for a second. Then, I actually laughed out loud. "Apologize to Lily?" Billy scowled. "Her family came all this way to celebrate and be happy." "You've completely ruined the vibe with your cold attitude." "You made a scene in front of dozens of people. Don't you think you owe them a sorry?" So my Gran being shoved into a flooded closet and nearly having a heart attack wasn't a tragedy. But Lily's family not enjoying their free luxury dinner was a catastrophe. I looked at the man I was supposed to marry. Suddenly, I didn't even have the energy to scream at him. "Okay." Billy breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped forward to grab my hand. "Then hurry up. My parents are getting impatient." I sidestepped him. I sat on the edge of the empty hospital bed, looking down at my phone. I had just booked two first-class plane tickets back home for the moment this ship docked. My heart was terrifyingly calm. "You guys eat. I'm not going." Billy's face instantly went black. "Stella, enough is enough." "Do you even know what day it is?" "Do you have any idea how much money and effort I spent putting this party together?" I looked at him, and my mind flashed back to a memory from years ago. I had acute gastroenteritis in the middle of the night. I called him, begging for help. He told me he had a very important client meeting the next morning and told me to catch a cab to the ER by myself. Back then, I defended him. I told myself he was a rising star in his career, and I couldn't drag him down. But the truth was, he wasn't incapable of dropping his work to take care of someone. He just didn't want to do it for me. Because today, the moment Lily complained about a minor headache, he instantly canceled a video call with a multi-million-dollar client just to accompany her on the deck. I offered a small smile and stayed completely silent. Seeing that I was entirely unfazed, Billy let out a cold sneer. "Fine. Suit yourself." "Rot down here if you want. Come up when you finally decide to stop acting like a child." He turned on his heel and stormed out. The moment the heavy clinic door slammed shut, the very last thread tying my heart to him snapped forever.
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