Chapter 1I waited 8 hours at our engagement party.
And my firefighter boyfriend of ten years finally called.
"Sorry babe, something came up."
I massaged my aching legs and told him I'm fine.
His voice carried exhaustion:
"Let's reschedule the engagement party. Next week okay? I'll explain everything to your parents myself."
LIAR!
While I sat there like a fool, Wayne was on a plane—25 gifts in hand—rushing to his stepsister's arms.
The last one? A surprise flight to see her.
A taunting message from Jocelyn Campbell popped up:
"Wayne only cares about ME. Still want to marry him, Xylia Linton?"
I darkened my phone screen. No more desperate questioning.
But you know what? I'm done being the backup plan.
"Dad, I accept the contract marriage. I'll marry Cameron Sherwood!"
...
"That's great, sweetheart. When it comes to love, you have to know when to cut your losses."
I hung up and prepared dinner as usual.
Wayne came home holding a bouquet of white bellflowers, my favorite.
"Made a special detour to get these for you. Don't be mad anymore."
Usually, I'd run over happily to take the flowers and fallen into his arms.
This time I just kept eating, very calmly.
"Still angry? How about I buy you flowers for a whole week?"
He shook the dampness from his hair, looking at me with that roguish expression.
Handsome enough to make anyone's hormones surge.
I lowered my eyes and cleared the dishes, walking into the bedroom.
"No need."
Wayne followed me in, his coaxing tone much more subdued.
"Come on, Xylia. I know I was wrong to miss the engagement party, but I apologized, didn't I? You know how busy the rescue team is..."
I cut him off.
"Your missing it had nothing to do with the rescue team. You went to celebrate Jocelyn's birthday."
He froze instantly, eyes flickering away.
"Xylia, you know that..."
I interrupted him calmly again. "Wayne, it's been many times now."
On my birthday, he accompanied Jocelyn to watch a meteor shower.
On our anniversary, he took her to a candlelit dinner.
Five Valentine's Days in a row, he lit up Hudson fireworks for her.
The cold air between us crystallized.
I took a deep breath.
"Wayne, you knew she did it on purpose, but you still went."
"Eight full hours. I stood there at our engagement party waiting for you like an abandoned doll."
My eyes reddened despite myself. I didn't want to say more.
Wayne frowned and pulled out a small gift bag from his pocket.
"Xylia, it's all my fault. I specially picked out a gift for you."
Inside the shabby bag was a necklace.
A cheap accessory that came free with one of Jocelyn's luxury birthday gifts.
My temples throbbed. I held back the surge of anger with sheer willpower.
All these years, no matter how deep my relationship with Wayne was, Jocelyn Campbell had always been wedged between us.
Wayne's parents died when he was young.
Jocelyn's parents took him in, raised him, paid for his education.
The day we got together, he confessed everything to me.
He said he owed them a debt of gratitude, that he'd treat Jocelyn well for the rest of his life.
I didn't object.
But for Jocelyn's sake, he abandoned me again and again, hurt me again and again.
And every time I tried to have a serious conversation with him about it?
He'd just laugh it off, saying Jocelyn was just a kid who hadn't learned to distinguish romantic love yet.
But what about him?
Did he understand what love was?
Chapter 2
I closed the door, locking Wayne outside.
Early the next morning, a carefully prepared breakfast sat on the table with a warm note stuck to it.
[Babe, the rescue team has a mission today. Had to head out early.]
After breakfast, I packed up everything that belonged to me, boxed it all up, and moved back to my parents' house.
Wayne came home just as I was wheeling out my suitcase.
He panicked, his brows drawn tight.
"Xylia, I already apologized. Why are you still making a scene?"
I loved Wayne very much.
Sophomore year, our entire class went camping in the wilderness.
We had the terrible luck of encountering both a mudslide and a wildfire.
I remember it clearly—so many rescue workers came that day.
But only Wayne pulled me back from death alone.
The way he risked his life protecting me in that wildfire—I still remember it.
Afterward, he suffered burns to half his lung and spent an entire year in the hospital recovering.
That was a debt I carried in my heart.
So when we started dating afterward, I tried to understand Wayne.
When he chose Jocelyn Campbell over me, I didn't argue much.
But this time was different.
I looked at him, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Wayne, I'm not making a scene. I've just given up."
Panic flashed in his eyes.
His fingers whitened as he grabbed my suitcase.
"You're not leaving. Xylia, we're about to get married. You can't be this selfish."
Rain began pattering against the windows outside.
I'm sentimental, but also painfully clear-headed.
I pulled out my phone and showed Wayne the texts Jocelyn had sent me.
"Do you really still think her feelings for you are just sibling affection?"
Wayne frowned. "No matter what, you're not leaving."
"Xylia, I love you. I'm absolutely certain of it."
I couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Wayne had said those words to me many times before.
When I saw his Instagram post about giving Jocelyn 99 roses, he was holding a single bellflower, telling me he loved me.
When I spent an entire night making him soup and delivered it to the rescue station, he kissed my forehead and said he loved me, then turned around to carefully feed the soup to Jocelyn.
When I stayed up three nights building his favorite airplane model as a promotion gift, he hugged me happily—then gave the model to Jocelyn because she said she liked it.
He said he loved me, but gave all his tenderness to her Jocelyn.
As if to prove my point, his phone rang with that jarring ringtone.
"Prince, Prince, your princess is calling you!"
That was the ringtone Jocelyn had set for herself on his phone.
I'd been jealous about it for ages.
Wayne had dismissed it lightly. "Come on, she's just a little girl. Cut her some slack."
Jocelyn was even a year older than me.
If she was a little girl, then what was I?
Her sweet voice floated through the air.
"Wayne, has sister-in-law calmed down? Bring her to the restaurant—I'll apologize to her in person!"
Wayne hung up and turned to reassure me.
"Xylia, Jocelyn's getting married soon. She's realized her feelings for me weren't romantic. Come have dinner with us, okay?"
Seeing I remained unmoved, his clear voice softened.
"If you still want to leave after that, I'll let you go."
Chapter 3
Finally, I went to the restaurant with Wayne.
Jocelyn looked like a little princess in her delicate pink dress, ordering a table full of dishes in one go.
Wayne was spinning like a top, serving both her and me.
Jocelyn smiled, eyes squinting as she looked at me.
"Xylia, I heard you're breaking up with my brother?"
"The engagement party thing was my fault. an't you just forgive him?"
Probably only Wayne thought those two light sentences counted as an apology.
I stared at her and forced a smile.
"Sure. I forgive him."
The next second, Jocelyn's face darkened. She stood up and smashed her plate on the floor.
"Brother! She's not even angry! Why did you make me apologize to her?"
Wayne stood up with a pained expression, looking at me.
"Xylia, weren't you angry? How come you're not angry now?"
His tone seemed to blame me.
Of course. He always believed whatever Jocelyn said.
People passing by in the restaurant were all staring at us.
Soft classical music played, easing the tension just slightly.
I picked up my bag and said flatly.
"I'm full. Going to the restroom."
Jocelyn followed me, arrogantly blocking my way.
"How can you be so shameless? I've been sabotaging you for ten years, and you're still desperate to marry my brother?"
I washed my hands and replied calmly.
"I broke up with him. Whatever happens between you two is none of my business anymore."
Jocelyn slapped herself across the face, then tore at her own clothes, speaking mysteriously.
"Since you put it that way, help me one last time."
She ran crying out of the restroom and threw herself into Wayne's arms.
"Wayne! She hit me! She said I ruined her engagement party and that I'll be your mistress!"
"I don't want this sister-in-law anymore! Please don't marry her, okay?"
Wayne looked at her reddened cheek, his eyes rimming with red, and said through gritted teeth.
"Xylia! First you want to go home, now you're hitting Jocelyn? When did you become this shameless?"
I smiled without restraint.
Jocelyn cowered in his arms, crying weakly.
As if afraid I'd reveal the truth, she urged Wayne to take her away.
Wayne looked at me with disappointment and left, protecting her.
I stood there alone, enduring everyone's pointing and whispering.
This wasn't the first time Wayne had abandoned me.
Whenever Jocelyn and I fought, he always comforted her first, then me.
He always said the same thing.
"When we started dating, I told you—I had to repay her."
Yes, he had to repay her.
And because of that debt, I'd endured for so many years.
Actually, when I went to the restroom earlier, it wasn't just for a break—I was genuinely afraid I wouldn hit Jocelyn.
She'd claimed she wanted to apologize, but she was wearing the ring Wayne had given her.
Over these ten years, I'd hinted to Wayne many times that I wanted to get married.
He never budged.
Instead, every year he gave Jocelyn diamond rings at her request.
He joked around with Jocelyn while refusing to marry me.
On the way home, Wayne called.
"Xylia, I helped coax Jocelyn to sleep. You must apologize to her for this."
I'd never hung up on any call from Wayne before.
This time, without hesitation, I ended it with a sharp click.
