Chapter 2

A clerk passing by smiled at Jason and Sierra, teasing:

"What a sweet couple."

"A foot massage in public? You're making the rest of us look bad."

Sierra blushed, looking demure.

Jason smiled awkwardly, yet offered no correction, letting the clerk believe the lie.

Without a word, I turned and took my seat.

My nose stung with tears, but I forced them back.

Sierra sneaked a glance at the queue board. Seeing our number skipped, her cramp miraculously vanished.

She pulled Jason up and shot me an apologetic grin:

"Chloe, I'm so sorry. I made you miss your turn again."

Jason helped her settle into her chair, then turned to glare at me with annoyance:

"Why were you rushing?"

"You gave Sierra a cramp from all your hurrying. Couldn't you just wait five minutes?"

Sierra lightly tugged Jason’s sleeve, pretending to take my side:

"Jason, don't be mean."

"Chloe is just excited to marry you... You guys will just have to pull another ticket."

I didn't answer. I didn't even look at them.

I walked up to the ticket kiosk and printed another slip.

The attendant beside the machine recognized me and sighed:

"Honey, you've missed your slot several times now. Don't miss this one."

"This is the last batch of tickets for the morning session. If you miss it, you'll have to come back this afternoon."

I looked back over my shoulder.

Over in the waiting area, Jason was whispering something into Sierra's ear, their shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Got it. Thank you."

Jason, this is the very last chance I will ever give you.

Holding the ticket, I sat back down.

My phone buzzed in my bag. It was my mom.

I answered.

"Chloe, did you two finish signing the papers?"

"You left at eight this morning, didn't you? I’ve reheated lunch twice already. Why aren't you back?"

I stared down at the floor, not knowing what to say.

After a long silence, my mom sensed something was off.

"Is that brat Sierra there with you? Is she causing trouble again?"

A wave of humiliation hit me, tears threatening to spill:

"Yeah. We missed our number twice because of her."

Mom took a sharp breath.

"Chloe, his heart isn't in this. Even if you marry him, you won't have a happy life."

"Put Jason on the phone. I'll talk to him."

I turned and shoved the phone toward him.

"My mom."

Jason was midway through a lively chat with Sierra. Getting interrupted by me annoyed him.

Suppressing his irritation, he took the phone, softening his voice slightly:

"Hey, Mom. What's up?"

"You haven't signed the papers yet, so call me Mrs. Carter. Chloe got up at dawn to get ready and booked Slot 1 just to be the first. You being an hour late was bad enough, but how on earth are you still not done?"

Jason shot me an accusatory glare, answering smoothly:

"Did Chloe complain to you again?"

"It's really no big deal. Sierra needed a moment, so we missed a number. We already have a new ticket. It'll just be a few minutes, nothing is ruined."

Hearing his nonchalant tone, Mom exploded over the speaker:

"No big deal? Missing your own marriage registration isn't a big deal?"

"Jason, you're getting married to Chloe! Why did you drag another woman along to make a mess? And Sierra—what kind of shameless girl inserts herself into someone else’s wedding day?!"

Mom's voice was loud enough to carry.

Hearing it clearly, Sierra’s eyes welled with tears on cue.

She leaned toward the phone, whimpering:

"Mrs. Carter, I'm so sorry..."

"I really didn't mean to. Chloe and I have been friends for years. I just wanted to witness her special moment. I didn't mean any harm."

Seeing Sierra cry, Jason’s attitude toward my mother turned sharp:

"Show Sierra some respect, please. She's Chloe's friend."

"She came with good intentions. It's a tiny issue, there’s no need to blow it out of proportion and scream at me."