1 Today was meant to be my wedding day after seven years with Austin. Driving my self-purchased Tesla Model S on the outer ring road, the car jolted as a remote override warning lit the dash, capping my speed at twelve miles per hour. Assuming a glitch, I called support. "Manual override by the primary account holder, ma'am. Nothing we can do," they said. Heart racing, I called Austin. He answered lazily. "Cici found out about today and threatened suicide at the registry. I locked your car to keep you clear. Didn't know you were on the highway." "Reschedule the wedding. I can't let her die, can I? You've waited seven years—a few more days won't matter. Be good, stop making a scene. She's crying again." He hung up before I spoke. But right before he hung up, the faint, theatrical whimpering of a woman drifted through the receiver. Another massive truck roared past, shaking my sedan. On a busy, treacherous stretch of the highway, my fiancé had willingly abandoned me to tend to his precious first love. I sat there, staring at the flashing dashboard, and felt like the biggest fool alive. If he didn't want to marry me, then we wouldn't. Taking a deep breath, I dialed his worst rival's number. "You've always said you wanted to marry me. Does that offer still stand?" The response was instantaneous. "I've been waiting seven years for you." Gavin's voice was deep, steady, and entirely free of hesitation. "Where are you right now?" "On the outer beltway. My car is speed-locked, and I'm stuck on the shoulder." "Send me your location. Turn on your hazards, slowly pull over as far as you can, and stay inside. I will be there in fifteen minutes." The call disconnected. I pulled the Tesla tightly against the guardrail, stepped out, and stood in the grass behind the barrier. The car had cost ninety thousand dollars. It was my own hard-earned money, saved over five years of grueling work, meant to be my personal contribution to our marriage. When we picked it up, Austin had insisted on setting up the primary profile. "I'll register the master account under my name," he had said smoothly, offering me a brilliant smile. "I'll give you an authorized driver profile. That way, if my sweet girl ever gets stuck on the road, I can manage things for you remotely." I hadn't thought twice about it. Now, he had used that exact master account to trap me on our wedding day. My phone buzzed. A text from Austin. Babe, Cici is all bandaged up. The doctor said it was just a superficial scratch, nothing serious. You don't have to worry about us. I'll take her home first, and I'll bring you back some dinner tonight. Tomorrow is the weekend, and I promise to make it up to you. I'll take you to that high-end sushi place you've been dying to try, okay? Don't be mad. I was just worried it would turn into an ugly scene if you showed up. You know how dramatic Cici can get. Once I calm her down, we'll get our papers. Our future is set in stone anyway, so there's no rush for a single day. You know you're the one I love, right? Be good. He added a blowing-kiss emoji at the end. Not a single question about my safety. No concern for whether I was stranded in harm's way. The text made me physically sick. I locked my phone and opened Instagram. Cici had just posted a new photo: a close-up of a caramel macchiato, a thick white bandage wrapped around her wrist, and a man's hand resting gently beside it. The caption read: Thank you for always being there when I need you most. I recognized that hand immediately. There was a faint scar on the ring finger, a reminder of a college basketball injury that I had spent nights worrying over. Underneath the post, Austin had liked it, and his mother had left a comment: Cici, you silly girl, you gave me such a fright. I'm just glad you're okay. Please promise me you won't do anything reckless again. I scrolled further down her profile. Three days ago, she had posted another close-up. It was a shot of her hand wearing a delicate, sparkling diamond ring. The caption was a simple smiley face. But I knew that ring. I had spotted it at the jewelry store last month and begged Austin to look at it. He had frowned, saying, "Twelve hundred dollars for a piece of silver? We should spend that money on health supplements for my mother." I had put it back, hiding my disappointment. Yet here it was, gracing Cici's finger. A comment from their college classmate read: What a gorgeous ring! Is it from a boyfriend? Cici had replied: No, no! Just a gift from a very dear friend. A friend. A twelve-hundred-dollar ring was too expensive for his fiancée, but he bought it for Cici without a second thought. A sleek black sedan pulled over smoothly behind my Tesla. The driver's door opened, and Gavin stepped out. No chauffeur, just him. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he said, his eyes scanning me for injuries. "The car..." "I'll have my team tow it to the dealership to wipe the system. You can set up a fresh master account under your own name tomorrow. Don't worry about it." He opened the passenger door for me. "Where to?" "I don't know," I admitted, my voice barely a whisper. "Let's get some food first." I blinked back tears. He still remembered my coping mechanisms. Whenever I was overwhelmed with grief, I sought comfort in a quiet meal. Ten minutes into the drive, my phone lit up with Austin's name. I answered. "Babe, the app says your car is still parked on the shoulder. I've unlocked the speed restriction now. Drive home and wait for me. I'll cook your favorite dinner tonight, okay?" His voice was dripping with that familiar tenderness. If this had happened yesterday, I would have been thrilled. Now, it just sounded hollow. "Austin, did you buy Cici that twelve-hundred-dollar ring?" There was a brief, telling silence on the other end. "What ring?" "The one she posted on Instagram three days ago. The one I pointed out at the mall last month." He sighed, his tone turning defensive. "Oh, that. It was her birthday, and she wouldn't stop talking about it, so I just grabbed it for her. Rainey, it's just a casual gift. Don't take it to heart. I'll buy you a much bigger one later, I promise!" "A casual twelve-hundred-dollar gift," I repeated. "On my last birthday, you were working late and venmoed me twenty dollars, telling me to treat myself to a nice lunch. Is that your definition of casual?" "That's different! She doesn't have a boyfriend to look after her, and she had to spend her birthday alone. I'm like a brother to her, it was only right to give her a little attention. You have me. I'm with you every single day. Why do you need those superficial gestures?" Beside me, Gavin's grip on the steering wheel tightened, but he remained silent. "Austin, I have one last question." "Go ahead." "In seven years, what exactly is Cici to you?" He sighed heavily. "Rainey, how many times do we have to go over this? We grew up together. She’s been attached to my hip since we were kids, and I can't just abandon her. But you're the one I'm marrying. Isn't that enough?" "You locked my car today. You stopped me from going to city hall." "That was an emergency! She was literally trying to end her life. What was I supposed to do? Let her die because we wanted to get a marriage license?" "You could have called 911." Silence. "You could have called an ambulance, or her parents. But your first instinct was to lock my car." "Rainey, I panicked..." "No, Austin. The only decision you made with absolute clarity was keeping me away." The line went silent for a long time. When he spoke again, his voice had softened. "Rainey, you're completely misunderstanding me." "I'm not." "Then why are you acting like this? You used to be so understanding. Did someone put these ideas in your head?" I almost laughed. His first reaction wasn't self-reflection. It was suspicion. For seven years, every time I raised a concern, his response was always the same: You're overthinking things. Who have you been talking to? He never once considered that he might be the one in the wrong. "Nobody put anything in my head, Austin. I just opened my eyes." "To what? Don't start getting paranoid, Rainey. My patience has limits, and..." I hung up before he could finish. Gavin noticed my pale face and pulled the car into a quiet parking space. He turned to me and handed me his phone. Inside was a photo of Austin standing at a jewelry counter with Cici. She was pointing at the display case, a wide smile on her face. "A friend of mine snapped this at the mall last week," Gavin said softly. "He didn't just buy a ring. He bought two things. A ring and a necklace." My phone rang again. It was my best friend, Tess. "Rainey! Did you guys get the license?" "No. He locked my car." I explained everything in a few short sentences. Tess went quiet. "Rainey, give me a minute. I need to check something." Two minutes later, her voice returned, sounding incredibly tense. "Rainey, Cici posted something else on her private feed last week. A necklace. A delicate silver chain with a floral pendant." The second item Austin bought. "What was the caption?" I asked. "She wrote... Worth it." "And Austin's mother commented: My beautiful girl looks stunning in this." My beautiful girl. In seven years, Austin's mother had only ever called me Rainey or Miss Sinclair. She had never once called me her girl. As I hung up, my phone rang again. It was Austin's mother, Mrs. Campbell. "Rainey, dear, Austin told me you weren't feeling well today and had to postpone the wedding?" He had lied to his family. It wasn't his remote-locking stunt or Cici's theatrical suicide threat that ruined our wedding day. It was my poor health. "Mrs. Campbell, I'm perfectly fine." Before she could process that, the phone was abruptly snatched away on her end. Austin's panicked voice broke in. "Mom, Rainey has severe cramps today. She's resting at home. It's fine, really." "Austin, are you at your mother's house?" "Yeah, I just got here." He was home. He wasn't at the hospital with Cici. He had handled her, gone back to his mother's house, and framed the canceled wedding as my physical failure. He hadn't checked on me once. "Austin, when did you get home?" "Just now. Rainey, listen to me..." "You went home, and you didn't even think to come pick me up? My car is still disabled on the highway." "I'll come get you right now!" "Don't bother, Austin. We're done." I hung up. Five minutes later, a text arrived from Cici: Rainey, I'm so sorry about today. I was in a terrible headspace and lost control. Austin told me you were resting because you weren't feeling well. Take care of yourself. He mentioned you've been under a lot of stress lately and have a bit of a temper, so he warned me to stay out of your way. But if you're ever feeling down, you can always talk to me. I'm great at listening! She used the word temper. In Austin's eyes, I was the unreasonable, unstable fiancée who needed to be handled. I drafted an Instagram post to set the record straight, but before I could post, Austin uploaded a photo: a beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting on his living room coffee table. Caption: Rainey wasn't feeling well today, so we're postponing the big day. Thanks for all the love, we'll keep you updated! The comments were flooded with well-wishes and playful teasing. He had rewritten the narrative. In everyone's eyes, I was the one who flaked. If I posted the truth now, it would only look like a desperate, hysterical outburst. Tess texted me again: Did you see Cici's latest post? I opened her feed. It was a photo of Cici and Mrs. Campbell in the kitchen, making fresh pasta together. Caption: Mom said she'll teach me how to make Austin's favorite garlic-herb ribs next time. She called Mrs. Campbell Mom. Mrs. Campbell replied: I can't wait, my sweet girl. I closed my phone. A cold numbness washed over me. When Gavin handed me a tissue, I realized my face was already drenched in silent tears. My heart was completely dead. We sat in silence as the sky turned dark. City hall was long closed. Today was supposed to be the start of my married life, but instead, it was the most devastating day of my existence. I turned to Gavin. "Gavin, when you said you wanted to marry me... were you serious?" He looked at me, his gaze fierce and sincere. "I have never joked about you, Rainey." "I'm a mess right now." "I know." "Aren't you afraid I'm just doing this out of anger?" "You aren't," he said softly. "Rainey, you are the last person to make a reckless decision about marriage. You've simply reached your limit." We had known each other since college. In our junior year, both Gavin and Austin had asked me out. I had chosen Austin. Austin had smirked at Gavin, saying, "You were a step too late, man." Gavin had simply walked away. After graduation, they became fierce corporate rivals. Austin claimed Gavin was petty and couldn't handle a loss. But in seven years, Gavin had never once spoken ill of Austin in front of me. And every year on my birthday, at exactly midnight, he would send a simple text: Happy birthday. "Why did you wait seven years?" "Because you didn't give me a reason to step in. I only wanted you to be happy." I let out a sad laugh. Austin made me wait seven years just to get a marriage license. Gavin waited seven years without ever crossing a line. One used waiting to delay me, the other used waiting to respect me. "On Monday morning, let's go to city hall." Gavin smiled, starting the car. "Okay. Let's get some food first." Sunday night, Austin was having dinner with some old college friends at a local tavern. He was in a great mood. He hadn't called or visited me all weekend, only sending three casual texts that I had ignored. He likely thought I was just having a petty tantrum and would cool down in a few days. He had sent a bouquet of flowers to my apartment with a card: Cool off, babe. We'll reschedule the wedding soon. Along with two movie tickets. I had thrown them directly into the trash. At the tavern, Austin was laughing, raising his glass with his friends. Then, a notification popped up in their alumni group chat. He clicked it lazily, but as he read the screen, his smile vanished. His face went entirely pale, and he froze.
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