Chapter 5

I didn't argue.

Instead, I quietly guided my parents to a hotel right next to the airport.

My dad spent the entire walk apologizing.

"Kayla, I'm really fine."

"Did I make things difficult between you and Mason?"

My mom held the sticky bag of candy, whispering, "Maybe we shouldn't have come."

"I don't want his family looking down on you because of us."

Seeing them so incredibly small and anxious broke my heart.

They had done absolutely nothing wrong.

Yet they were carrying all the guilt.

Once we got to the hotel room, I told them to rest.

Then, I pulled out my phone and canceled my flight to the resort.

Instead, I booked three first-class tickets to Montana.

Next, I opened WhatsApp and messaged the wedding coordinator.

"Cancel the wedding."

The coordinator called me back within seconds, her voice panicked.

"Kayla! The ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow! Are you absolutely sure?"

I looked at my parents, who had collapsed onto the hotel bed, fast asleep from sheer exhaustion.

My voice was quiet but steady. "Yes. Cancel it."

At 10:00 PM, Mason returned to the hotel room.

He slammed the door, his face tight with anger.

The drama at the airport had clearly ruined the mood for Eve's family, and he was taking it out on me.

He stood by the door, glaring at me.

"Kayla, we all fly out tomorrow morning."

"Drop the attitude."

He paused, his tone shifting to accusation.

"Eve cried for hours today."

"She thinks she’s the reason your parents didn't get plane tickets."

"When you see her tomorrow, you owe her an apology."

I stared at him, momentarily stunned, before letting out a dry laugh.

"I owe "her" an apology?"

Mason scoffed.

"Her family had their travel perfectly sorted out."

"Because of your little stunt, everyone had to rebook their flights."

"You made a dozen people delay their trip. Don't you think you should say sorry?"

In his mind, my parents being humiliated and thrown out of a bus station was nothing.

But Eve's family having their flight delayed by a day was an unforgivable tragedy.

I looked at him.

The urge to explain, to argue, to make him see reason, completely vanished.

"Fine," I said softly.

Mason let out a sigh of relief, assuming he had won, and walked into the bathroom to shower.

I sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the three digital tickets to Montana on my phone.

My heart was completely quiet.

In the middle of the night, a soft rustling in the living area woke me.

Mason was on a hushed FaceTime call.

"Eve?"

"Why are you crying?"

I couldn't hear the other side, but his voice immediately softened into a tender whisper.

"Don't be scared."

"I'm coming over right now."

As the hotel door clicked shut behind him, a memory flashed in my mind.

Years ago, I had a high fever in the middle of the night and called him.

He had told me he had an early meeting the next morning and told me to just take some Advil and go to sleep.

Back then, I had made excuses for him.

"He's just busy."

"He's ambitious. That’s a good thing for our future."

But the truth was simple.

He was entirely capable of running out in the middle of the night to comfort someone.

It just was never me.

The next morning, Mason returned. There was a faint smudge of pink lipstick on his collar.

He didn't seem to notice.

Eve was standing right behind him, her eyes red, her voice dripping with sweet regret.

"Kayla, I am so sorry about yesterday."

"I really didn't mean to cause so much trouble for you and your family."

Mason shot me a warning glance.

The message was clear: "Apologize now."

I smiled slightly and said absolutely nothing.

When we arrived at the airport terminal, Eve’s family was already waiting at the first-class check-in desk.

Mason handed over their passports, smoothly checking them in.

Eve's parents, her aunt, her cousins—everyone was booked in first class.

When it was my parents' turn, the agent checked the system.

"Mr. Robert Miller, Mrs. Margaret Miller. You're in basic economy."

My mom blinked, quickly waving her hands.

"Economy is perfect! Really, we don't mind."

"We can sit anywhere."

Mason stepped forward, speaking to me in a low, placating voice, clearly trying to head off another scene.

"Rebooking at the last minute was tight."

"These were the only first-class seats left."

"Economy is fine for your parents. It's only a two-hour flight anyway."

Two hours.

Suddenly, he knew the flight was only two hours.

Yet yesterday, he had no problem sending my parents on a thirty-hour bus ride.

Eve chimed in, her voice sweet and helpful.

"Maybe I should swap seats with your mom, Kayla?"

Mason immediately cut her off.

"No way."

"You didn't sleep at all last night, Eve. Don't push yourself."

I looked at the deep concern in his eyes for Eve.

Then I looked at my dad's pale, weary face.

The very last thread holding me to this man snapped.

The boarding announcement echoed through the terminal.

The first-class passengers were called to their priority lane.

Mason was busy guiding Eve's mother and helping her father with his carry-on.

Just before passing through the gate, he finally remembered to look back at me.

"Kayla, take your parents and line up over there."

"See you at the resort."

With that, he walked down the priority lane with Eve’s family.

My mom whispered, "Kayla, we should get in line. We don't want to miss the gate."

I took her hand and smiled gently.

"Mom, Dad."

"We're not going to that wedding."

"I'm taking you somewhere else."

My mom's eyes widened. "But the wedding..."

Over the loudspeaker, the final boarding call for Mason's flight echoed.

I took one last look at the empty priority lane.

Mason probably thought we would meet him at the baggage claim on the island.

He had no idea.

We would never meet again.