Althea's face drained of all color, and the tears brimming in her eyes finally spilled over, streaming down her cheeks.
Thayer shot to his feet. "Fred..."
"No need to say another word," Dad told him.
Thayer opened his mouth, but the half-formed words never made it out. "Fine. I understand."
Colin stood rooted to the spot, his eyes boring into me like a hawk.
In the end, he just said indifferently to his assistant, "Let's go. I need to change."
*****
The day before the wedding.
I sat before the vanity as my childhood friend, Chloe, was helping me try on a necklace, seething with anger.
"Aria, have you heard the gossip? They're saying Thayer dumped you and you're still shamelessly throwing yourself at him," she practically growled. "And now they're saying you're chasing after him like some desperate fool, disgracing your mother's memory..."
I let out a small, bitter laugh.
In my last life, I didn't fight for myself. I went along with Thayer's wishes and broke off the engagement, thinking that stepping back would win his heart. And what happened? The rumors never stopped. I became the city's biggest joke when my wedding was live-streamed.
In truth, the moment Thayer deliberately lost that bet, my fate as the talk of the town was already sealed.
"Chloe, call me a car. I need to get out for a bit."
I slipped into a café, and no sooner had I settled down than I overheard voices from the next booth discussing me.
"Clinging, ungrateful, utterly shameless. If her mother were still alive, she'd be rolling in her grave."
I sipped my coffee, my face a mask of perfect indifference.
Suddenly, the booth curtain was yanked open.
Thayer walked in.
He slid into the seat beside me, his tone just as gentle as it had always been. "I caught a glimpse of your back and thought it was you. And sure enough, here you are. Why come out alone without someone to keep you company? It's not safe."
I turned, looked him straight in the eye, and finally asked the question that had been weighing on my heart for two lifetimes. "Why?"
He froze for a beat.
"You were clearly holding the mint candy in your right hand. Why did you deliberately lose to her?" I continued.
He fell silent for a long moment. Then his lips curved into that soft, gentle smile. "As I thought, I can't hide anything from you. She's your best friend, and she bet everything she had. How could I have the nerve to win? But I honestly had no idea she'd make that kind of demand."
Really?
I stared into his eyes, and with a sharp pang of disappointment, I realized he had started lying to me now. Or maybe he'd been lying all along, and I was just too blind to see it until it cost me my life.
He reached for my hand and I pulled away, avoiding his touch. However, he didn't get angry, he just withdrew his hand and continued coaxing me in that soft, honeyed voice. "It's just a postponement anyway. Don't worry, I'll marry no one but you in this life. It's only a matter of time." He paused, his voice softening into an earnest plea. "But I refuse to be the one who breaks a promise. Picture this, the company's sailing smooth now, but if trouble strikes later, someone's bound to dredge up this old story and dump the blame squarely on your shoulders. So, go tell your dad that we're only putting the wedding on hold."
I listened in silence, and then a laugh burst out of me. "Alright."
His eyes lit up with delighted surprise. He hadn't expected me to cave so fast.
I rose, picked up my sunglasses from the table, and slid them on. "I'll make your wish come true." I spun on my heel and headed for the exit.
Just then, the booth curtain next door fluttered open. Althea stood in the doorway, Thayer's assistant hovering deferentially behind her.
I stopped, my gaze snapping from one to the other.
In a heartbeat, it all clicked. They'd planned this little rendezvous from the start.
I locked eyes with her. "You were my best friend. Why?"
She let out a hollow, broken laugh, her eyes blazing with obsession, not a flicker of remorse. "Because I love him." She tilted her chin up a fraction. "And I won't apologize. For your sake, I've swallowed my feelings for years. I've already done right by you."
Aksara