Chapter 3

Back home, I started packing.

There wasn't much to pack, really. I just mechanically folded clothes from my closet, one by one, and put them into a box.

Until my fingers brushed against the velvet box hidden deep in the closet.

I opened it. Inside lay a silver bracelet, with a small, irregularly shaped starfish charm.

Ethan had given it to me during our junior year, when he confessed his feelings.

That day, he was so nervous his forehead was slick with sweat, and he could barely string a sentence together.

As he pressed the box into my hand, he said:

"Chloe, I don't have much money now, but I want to give you this piece of the ocean first."

"I promise you, very soon, I'll take you to see the real thing."

In his eyes, I saw my own reflection shimmering, like a constellation filling the entire sea.

I ran my fingers over the starfish, which had already oxidized a bit. A cold touch spread through my fingertips.

At the very bottom of the drawer was a photograph.

It was a group photo of the four of us, with a Gothic cathedral from a college trip in the background.

In the picture, Cassie and Liam were laughing carefree, Ethan had his arm around my shoulder, and I leaned into his embrace.

All four of us, in the prime of our youth.

I remembered that day, sunlight streaming through the cathedral's tall stained-glass windows, falling on us.

Liam had exclaimed, "This church is so sacred; I'm going to get married here someday, how grand!"

But I had frowned, murmuring softly:

"It's too ornate and oppressive. I don't like it."

"If I get married, I'd still prefer it by the sea."

"Blue skies, white clouds, and the sound of waves as the best background music."

Ethan had then squeezed my cheek, smiling indulgently:

"Okay, whatever you want."

"Later, the four of us will have a wedding on the island together. You and I as one couple, Liam and Cassie as the other, how about it?"

"It's a deal!"

"Pinky promise!"

Four pinky fingers hooked together, making that vow.

It seems laughable now, but to preserve that sense of sacredness, I had yearned for the ocean countless times, yet never once gone.

I stubbornly held onto the hope that the first time I saw the sea, it would be with him.

Dressed in a white wedding gown, embarking on the next chapter of my life.

But now, he casually said the beach was full of people and not much fun.

The sound of a key turning in the lock came from the living room. Ethan was back.

I quickly wiped my eyes, stuffing the bracelet and photo back into their places.

I walked to the living room sofa and sat down, starting to flip through the bridal boutique brochures on the coffee table.

As he changed his shoes, he said in a relaxed tone:

"What happened with Mia today was an accident.

There was an emergency patient who needed surgery at noon, and she stood with me in the operating room for five or six hours.

Plus, she had some family issues and didn't want to go back to face them, so I brought her along to lighten her mood."

His explanation was perfectly logical, completely watertight.

I calmly nodded: "Mmm, I understand."

Ethan seemed to relax, then turned with a satisfied expression to take a shower.

My phone rang.

It was the bridal boutique consultant.

"Ms. Chloe, hello. The wedding gowns you and Mrs. King liked yesterday have arrived in your sizes."

"When would be a good time for you to come for a fitting? Will Mr. Ethan be able to join you?"