6
Chloe’s messages continued to flood in. I turned off my phone and went to the guest room. The next morning, Ethan expressed his displeasure about me sleeping in the guest room. “Why did you sleep in the guest room?” he asked.
“I have a cold. I didn’t want to get you sick,” I replied casually.
He ruffled my hair, his voice laced with exasperation. “I’d rather catch a cold than not be able to cuddle with my wife!”
Just like always, he made me feel like he couldn’t live without me. But I wouldn’t be swept away by the sweetness
anymore.
“You’ll be late,” I said.
an
Before leaving, he hugged me.“I have international conference tonight; I’ll be back late.” After he left, I checked my phone. Four days until my departure, four days until Ethan and Chloe’s wedding. Pre–wedding arrangements were complicated; no wonder Ethan was SO “busy” again.
I pushed those thoughts aside and went to work. After a morning of intense work, I finalized the documents for my overseas training program. As I was about to take a break, I saw a breathtaking wedding dress design. It was a fishtail style, light as mist. But the most striking feature was the headpiece. Instead of a veil or tiara, it consisted of two delicate feathered shell. It was light and ethereal.
It was the wedding dress I designed for myself, and I called it “Eternal.” I’d planned to use the headpiece to hide my hearing aid so I could present myself to Ethan in the most beautiful way possible. I’d gone through ten–plus iterations of the design and sample making. It was finally finished a few weeks ago. I swallowed the lump in my throat. It was useless now; I should just treat it as a normal work. After all, it was my first clothing design, and it almost became my wedding dress.
When I called the bridal shop, however, I was told that my “husband” had already picked it up. At the same time, I got a message came in from Chloe.
“Natalie, what do you think of this dress?”
“Natalie, I want to change it to a strapless one. It’ll really wow my groom.”
A chill ran through me. Why was the dress with Chloe?
I raced to the hospital.
In the luxurious private room, Chloe sat nonchalantly on the sofa; next to her was “Eternal.”
“Natalie, you got here fast,” she said.
I bypassed her, reaching for the dress. Chloe reached for it, too.
“Crash-” The fabric tore. The train of the dress was ripped.
My heart plummeted.
Chloe gasped, feigning surprise. “Natalie, I was trying to help! I’m so sorry!”
Despite the apology, her eyes gleamed with triumph.
I
suppressed my anger, clutched the dress, and left.
Back home, I spent three hours sewing the tear. I used a similar fabric, but “Eternal” was never quite the same; it wasn’t eternal anymore.
The door opened quietly. Ethan
walked in. Seeing
my pale face, “Natalie, Chloe wanted to see your wedding dress, so I got it to her.”
he embraced me.
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“I’m sorry; I didn’t expect this. I’ll apologize to you on her behalf. I’ve already talked to her.” For a moment, I really saw a flicker of guilt in his eyes.
But the next second, his words were like a bucket of cold water to me.
“But Chloe is very unstable now; she’s in the emergency room. Maybe you should just give her the dress.”
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