Chapter 5

At 11:00 PM, Brooks wasn't home.

I sat in the living room of our new house, flipping through the wedding program from start to finish.

My name only appeared twice.

This didn't look like a wedding between Brooks and me. It looked like a celebration of three people.

At 1:00 AM, the front door unlocked.

Brooks walked in, smelling heavily of hospital sanitizer.

Seeing me still sitting there, he frowned. "You're still up?"

I asked, "Where are the earrings?"

He stopped unbuttoning his collar.

"Michelle has to shoot the promo video tomorrow morning. They're staying with her tonight."

I stood up. "Get them back. Now."

Brooks’ face darkened, the last of his patience completely evaporating.

"Alice, I am marrying you tomorrow!"

"What more do you want?!"

I said, "I want my mother’s things."

Brooks let out a cold, arrogant chuckle that cut like a knife.

"She’s literally just wearing them for a video, and you can't even handle that?"

"Alice, don’t be so greedy."

I stared at him, dumbfounded.

To him, wanting my deceased mother’s heirloom back was "greedy."

Right then, Bryant called Brooks. His voice was frantic.

"Brooks, we have a problem."

"Michelle says the earrings are gone."

My entire body went rigid. Half an hour later, we rushed to the hotel dressing room.

Michelle was sitting in front of the vanity mirror, wrapped in Brooks’ coat, her eyes swollen red from crying.

The vanity table was a complete mess.

But the pearl earrings were nowhere to be seen.

I looked at the stylist. "Where's the security footage?"

The stylist kept her head down. "The cameras broke this afternoon."

How convenient.

I looked at Michelle. "Give them back to me."

Tears streamed down Michelle's face.

"Alice, I swear I didn't take them!"

"Then we call the police."

Michelle’s face turned pale. She suddenly stood up and made a move to throw herself against the wall.

"It's all my fault! I shouldn't have touched Alice's things! I should just die!"

Brooks caught her in his arms, and Bryant rushed over to help hold her back.

The two of them shielded her, one on each side, keeping her safe in the middle.

Brooks looked back at me, his eyes colder than ice. "Apologize."

I thought I had misheard him. "What did you say?"

"Apologize to her."

He said it slowly, emphasizing every word.

"She is already having a breakdown. How much further do you want to push her?"

I stared at him. "Brooks, she lost my mother’s only keepsake."

"She said it wasn't on purpose!"

"And you just believe her?!"

"Do you have any proof that she did it on purpose?"

I was speechless.

Bryant pleaded in a low voice, "Alice, just swallow your pride."

"You've already won. Why do you have to make things so hard for her?"

Looking at them, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion washed over me.

Michelle was clearly the one winning everything, yet everyone treated her like the victim.

So, I nodded. I didn't want to fight anymore.

"Fine."

The dressing room went quiet.

Brooks frowned, clearly not expecting me to give in so easily.

Even Bryant looked stunned.

I turned to Michelle. She was still shrinking behind Brooks, tears pooling in her eyes.

I said, "I'm sorry."

Bryant stared at me, his lips parting. "Alice..."

I didn't look at them again.

I slipped off my engagement ring and placed it quietly on the vanity.

"The wedding can go on tomorrow."

"Don't let me ruin your fun."

I turned and walked out.

Brooks looked like he wanted to chase after me.

But Michelle suddenly clutched her neck, her voice trembling, "Brooks, it hurts so bad..."

Brooks immediately turned back to her, and Bryant instantly focused all his attention on her.

In that split second, I stepped out of the room.

By the time they looked up again, the door had closed, and I was gone.

That night, I went back to the house and canceled every single wedding vendor, one by one.

The wedding planner took my call at 3:00 AM, her voice trembling with panic.

"Does Mr. Brooks know about this?"

"He doesn't need to."

Before the sun rose, I dragged my suitcase and left the city.

On the morning of the wedding, at 10:00 AM.

Brooks went to the jewelry store himself and picked out a pear-cut diamond ring.

He stared down at the ring, his voice quiet. "She's loved this cut since she was eighteen."

Bryant stood beside him, holding a long, black umbrella.

My name was engraved on the handle.

He smiled softly. "This should work too."

"She’s remembered that rainy night when we were eighteen for so many years."

Brooks shot him a look. "You still remember that?"

Bryant’s smile faded a bit. "Yeah."

He paused, then added, "She apologized way too quickly last night."

Brooks scoffed.

"She was just tired."

"After throwing a tantrum all night, she needed a way out."

Bryant nodded. "True."

He forced a laugh.

"Alice has a soft heart."

"With you giving her the ring and me giving her the umbrella, she won't be able to stay mad once she sees them."

But when the two arrived at the hotel venue, they found the staff taking down the wedding decorations.

Brooks froze. "Who told you to tear this down?"

The coordinator was shocked to see him.

"Mr. Brooks... wasn't the wedding canceled?"