Chapter 1Christmas—my Fiancé finally agreed to come home with me.
One minute before tickets dropped, his secretary called sobbing:
"Rhys! My mom fell—signal's shit here, I can't book tickets!"
I was confirming our info in the last 30 seconds.
Rhys RIPPED my phone.
Deleted my name. Entered HERS.
Booking confirmed.
Him + Chloe.
Destination: Spokane—her hometown.
My ticket? SOLD OUT.
"You promised Grandma! She's DYING—meeting her grandson-in-law was her last wish!"
"Chloe can't wait. I'll explain to your grandma later."
I froze.
Later?
Grandma's in ICU and he thinks there's a "LATER"?!
I wiped my tears and texted the guy I'd ghosted years ago:
"Come get me. Grandma wants to meet you."
...
I kept refreshing franticlly, but all I saw was SOLD OUT.
Rhys poured himself tea.
"Relax. Just try again tomorrow."
"Rhys, Christmas tickets are limited. Once they're gone, they're gone."
His hand froze. Like he just remembered that was a thing.
He grabbed my phone.
I watched him tap around the screen.
But no matter what he did, every single ticket to Portland for the next five days?
Gone.
Dead silence.
A few seconds later, he put the phone down. Didn't look up.
"I panicked. Thought you could keep trying."
I stared at him, stone-faced.
"I told you half an hour ago—they release all the tickets at once. Not in batches."
Rhys sighed and walked to the balcony to make calls.
"Let me ask around. Maybe someone's got extras."
I watched him dial a few numbers.
When he came back, he tossed his phone on the table and wouldn't meet my eyes.
Whatever hope I had left? Dead.
Both our phones buzzed at the same time.
Mine: Mom and Dad asking if I got tickets.
His: booking confirmation for him and Chloe Hale.
Rhys cleared his throat.
"Chloe's mom twisted her ankle. She has to get home."
"I'll explain to your grandma next time I see her."
My fists clenched.
"Grandma's dying, Rhys. How's she supposed to wait for your 'next time'?"
He frowned.
"Isla, does Grandma know you're lying about her like this?"
I froze.
"What do you mean?"
Rhys leaned back on the couch, irritation creeping into his voice.
"You said Grandma's dying. Begged me three times."
"The second I said yes, you booked tickets."
"Pretty sure you're just exaggerating to guilt-trip me into going home for a wedding."
I stood there, cold all over.
"You think I'm faking this to trap you into marriage?"
He didn't answer. But his mouth tightened.
That was answer enough.
"Rhys, my grandma's in ICU right now on meds just to stay alive."
"I showed you the video."
Rhys looked away.
"Videos don't mean anything."
"Chloe heard your cousin pulled the same stunt to lock down some rich guy."
My arms dropped to my sides.
I laughed. Empty.
He didn't believe the video my dad sent from ICU.
But he believed whatever garbage Chloe fed him.
The doorbell rang.
Rhys got up to answer it.
The second he cracked the door open, Chloe threw herself at him.
"Rhys! You actually got me a ticket!"
I stood up.
Watched him catch her. His hands on her waist.
"Yeah. I'll go with you in three days."
Something lit up in Chloe's eyes. But then she hesitated.
"Wait—you're coming with me?"
"Weren't you supposed to go with Miss Sinclair?"
Rhys barely glanced at me.
"She didn't get a ticket."
The hesitation vanished.
Chloe tried to hide her smile as she pulled back from him, all fake panic.
"Oh my god, Miss Sinclair, I didn't know it was your ticket..."
She pulled out her phone.
"Let me pay you back! It was $4,300, right? I'll send it now!"
I didn't say a word.
Rhys stopped her.
"No need."
He shot me a look.
"You're not hurting for cash. Why make a big deal out of it?"
I hadn't even opened my mouth.
Chloe caught my stare and shrank back, clinging to his sleeve like some wounded puppy.
Yeah, I didn't care about the money.
That wasn't the point.
I looked at Rhys and forced myself to stay calm.
"Rhys. If I told you Grandma really is dying—what would you do?"
He paused.
"Isla, stop talking about your grandma like that. It's bad luck."
"After Christmas break, I'll find time to go see her. Promise."
He still didn't believe me.
I didn't answer.
Just turned and walked to the bedroom.
As I shut the door, our wedding photo rattled against the wall.
We'd had our engagement party a year ago. Wedding photos six months ago.
But the actual wedding? Rhys kept finding excuses to push it back.
I pulled out my phone and opened a chat window.
"Come get me. Grandma wants to meet you."
He replied instantly:
"On my way."
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
This wedding that only I'd been waiting for?
It was over.
Chapter 2
When I walked out of the bedroom, Rhys and Chloe were gone.
I packed my stuff and shipped it all out.
Around eight that night, I was getting water when I heard Chloe's chirpy voice.
"Rhys, isn't this too much?"
"My parents are just regular people. Something THIS expensive—they've never even seen before."
Rhys opened the door.
The moment he saw me, he deliberately raised his voice.
"People who live honest lives and don't play games?"
"Those are the real gems."
I knew exactly he was mocking me.
But I'd already decided to leave. No point defending myself now.
I glanced at the dozen shopping bags crowding the entryway, and turned to go back to my room.
Chloe suddenly skipped over, all smiles.
"Miss Sinclair! I picked this out just for you. Perfect for going home, right?"
She held up a red dress.
Cheap fabric. Outdated pattern.
The price tag dangled in plain sight.
Ten bucks.
My fingers curled. My voice went cold.
"I don't need it."
Chloe's eyes instantly welled up. Her voice trembled.
"Miss Sinclair, I just wanted to use my own money to buy you a gift."
"I didn't mean to pick something so cheap—please don't be mad at me."
Rhys stepped in front of her.
"Don't be ridiculous. Chloe just graduated. This is the best she can afford."
The best she can afford?
Earlier today she was ready to Venmo me $4,300 without blinking.
Now ten bucks is her limit?
I met Rhys's glare head-on.
"My grandma's dying. You think I should wear this to see her?"
His eyes flicked to my face, then away.
"You don't need to bring her up every two seconds."
"If you were really in such a rush, you would've just driven home."
"Why wait for me to say yes before booking tickets?"
I stared at him in disbelief.
"Rhys. You seriously don't know why I didn't just drive?"
His back stiffened. He looked away.
The first time Dad called, I ran straight to the car.
But Dad said Grandma kept asking for her grandson-in-law before she lost consciousness.
Grandma raised me. I couldn't ignore her last wish.
So I begged Rhys to come with me.
I begged him three times.
It took him two days to finally say yes.
And even after that, he said he was too busy at work.
Earliest he could leave was Christmas Day.
Christmas traffic is a nightmare. So I had to get train tickets.
I spent days panicking, terrified Grandma wouldn't make it—
While also trying to be understanding about his "busy schedule."
Turns out? He wasn't busy at all.
He just believed whatever Chloe told him.
Decided I was lying. And dragged his feet on purpose.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
I set down my glass.
Before I turned to leave, I remembered something important.
"Rhys. At our engagement party last year, Grandma gave you a pocket watch."
"It was Grandpa's. Give it back. I'm taking it home."
Rhys picked up my glass. Took a sip.
Then said, casual as hell:
"Chloe liked it. I gave it to her."
I froze.
Chloe gasped.
"I—I didn't know it was that important! I accidentally lost it."
Chapter 3
I lunged forward, my voice rising uncontrollably.
"Lost? Where the hell did you lose it?!"
Rhys frowned.
"Why are you yelling? It's just a watch."
Chloe's eyes got even redder.
I whipped around to face him.
"It's not just a watch—it's my grandpa's!"
"I know. But your grandma said it was for her grandson-in-law."
"Once she gave it to me, it's MINE."
"I can give it to whoever I want."
I couldn't believe how unreasonable he was being.
My voice hardened. I clenched my fists.
"We're not even married yet. It's not yours. Give it back."
"If you can't return it, then we're done."
Rhys's face went dark.
"Isla, you're seriously calling off our engagement over a watch?"
"Chloe didn't lose it on purpose!"
"There's a limit to how petty you can be!"
Tears rolled down Chloe's cheeks.
"Rhys, don't fight with Miss Sinclair—it's my fault, I should've taken better care of it..."
Rhys glanced back at her.
"This has nothing to do with you. She gave it to me, so it's mine."
"I gave it to you, so it's yours."
"If it's lost, it's lost."
I stared at his cold expression.
"Rhys. My grandpa's keepsake is gone and you think 'it's lost, it's lost'?"
"What else do you want? She's just a girl—what's she supposed to do?"
"Isla, you're being ridiculous."
My grandpa's keepsake was gone, and he said I WAS being ridiculous.
That's when I realized—he'd changed.
He didn't used to be like this.
The year we started dating, Grandma heard I had a boyfriend and knitted him a pair of gloves.
He treated them like treasure.
He even posted online saying he couldn't bear to wear them.
Back then, he valued everything my family gave him.
Said they were proof that my family had accepted him.
But ever since he hired Chloe as his secretary, he stopped letting my relatives send anything.
He said things from small towns were too cheap.
Any good food or drinks had to be saved for her.
If I said one word about it, he'd call me petty.
And now he'd given away Grandpa's watch without even asking me.
Chloe lost it, and somehow I was the bad guy.
Maybe he didn't change.
Maybe I just stopped mattering.
"Rhys. I'm not joking."
I said quietly:
"No watch, no wedding."
He stared at me, suddenly roared.
"Isla. You're seriously ending our engagement over a watch?"
"Are you done throwing your tantrum?!"
Chloe flinched and stumbled back.
She clutched that ten-dollar dress, tears streaming down her face.
"Rhys, please stop fighting."
"Miss Sinclair, how much was the watch? I'll pay you back, okay?"
"I'll get the money together right now..."
I didn't move.
"I'm not throwing a tantrum."
Rhys's entire face tightened.
His jaw clenched. He gave a sharp nod.
"Fine. Since you want to call it off, then get the hell out of MY house!"
