10
The next morning, Eliza woke me early, serving breakfast. Then we drove to Town Hall and were the first in line. She pulled me right in as the doors opened. Holding the marriage certificate, I felt dazed. That was fast.
That evening, I got a call from an unknown number. When I picked up, it was Sammy on the other end.
“Tyler, since she got back from seeing you, Rena’s been drinking non–stop, hasn’t touched food in days. The bottles are piling up, and if this keeps up, she’s going to end up in the hospital. Could you talk to her?”
I heard Little Ev’s voice in the background, sounding scared. “Tyler, my sister’s scaring me.”
I sighed. If it weren’t for the kid, I’d have ignored them.
“Put her on.”
“Hello?” Rena’s voice was shaky.
“If you’re going to drink, do it away from the kid. And next week is my wedding; you’re welcome to come.”
Then I hung up and blocked the number. Like I’d ever comfort her.
Sammy, hearing what I said, took the phone back. “Alright, Rena. He’s done pretending. He’s really over you.”
“Stop drinking!” Sammy shouted as Rena downed another bottle and passed out cold. Panicked, she took Rena to the hospital, where it turned out she’d suffered stomach bleeding.
When she woke, she pulled out her IV and left.
11:54 AM
<
That evening, I got home to find Rena standing outside, holding a rose in a white dress. She looked up, a faint smile on her pale face, her eyes bright.
She hurried toward me. “Tyler, let’s start over. Give me another chance.”
I gave her a blank stare. “Rena, do you not understand English?”
Her expression twisted as she grew desperate. “Tyler, Eliza did this on purpose. She’s trying to break us up. Don’t fall for it!”
“When we were in school, someone hung a huge banner saying they loved you, but you never showed up to meet them. That banner was from Eliza.”
She clutched the rose, looking close to collapsing. The banner? That took me by surprise since back in school, everyone thought Eliza wasn’t interested in men. She turned down everyone, girls included. But she’d done that?
Rena pressed on, “She’s only acting this way because she was jealous of what we had.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Are you kidding? Did Eliza force you to get engaged to Grant? Did she make you go through all those guys after
that?”
Rena fell silent, dropping her head. Then she tried to guilt–trip me. “Tyler, my stomach hurts. I haven’t eaten in days. Can I come in and rest?”
“Go to a restaurant if you’re hungry. There’s nothing for you here.”
Then I found Sammy’s number and called. “Hey, Rena’s outside my place. She might pass out soon; come get her.”
She agreed, “On my way.”
4
By the time Sammy arrived, Rena had slumped to the ground. Sammy, looking exasperated, pulled her up, sighing. “Didn’t I tell you? Who’s this for, Rena? Get up.”
They’d been friends forever, so Sammy didn’t hold back. I ignored them and headed upstairs.
Later that night, I found Rena was still there, holding the charm bracelet.
“Tyler, I picked up all the beads and strung them back together. I’ll never take it off again.”
I laughed sarcastically. “That’s not my bracelet. It’s Grant’s. They don’t even match.”
She grabbed my hand, pleading, “No, this one’s yours.”
Annoyed, I pulled my hand away, and a shadow appeared in front of me–Eliza.
The second Rena saw her, she lunged forward, hand raised to slap her. Eliza didn’t even flinch. She took the hit. My heart sank. How could she let her do that?
Quickly, I stepped between them and called the police. After explaining the situation, they took Rena away.
Back inside, I tended to Eliza’s bruise with antiseptic. “Why didn’t you defend yourself?”
She laughed, wincing, “You told me not to fight.”
Just then, my phone pinged with a series of messages, one reading, “Tyler, this has all been orchestrated by Eliza to get you to marry her. The project you’re working on is her setup, designed to make you say yes,”
Eliza glanced at the screen, eyes flashing with worry. I didn’t look at her but deleted the message. She murmured, “Tyler…”
S
I stared at her, my expression serious. But the tension vanished as I chuckled. “Kidding. I trust you.”
Her face lit up. “Really?”
“Yes. You’ve done so much for me. No matter what, I’m happy to marry you.”
Eliza exhaled, visibly relieved.
