At that moment, Laura's call came through. "Ryder, I just heard from the project department manager that you've handed off all your work to others. What's going on?"

"I told you yesterday, didn't I? I'm taking care of the rest of the wedding planning. I can't juggle everything at once. The others in the department are seasoned employees—I trust them to handle things," Ryder explained.

"Oh, alright. I thought... Never mind," Laura dismissed.

"Mm," Ryder hummed.

After hanging up, Laura couldn't shake the uneasiness in her heart.

Something about Ryder didn't feel right, but his explanation made perfect sense, leaving her with little to question.

Suddenly, she stretched her hand into the air, making a grasping motion.

The air slipped through her fingers, leaving her empty-handed.

It felt as if something was slipping away from her—something she couldn't hold onto.

-

Ryder hailed a cab and headed to an orphanage on the outskirts of town.

This was the same orphanage his parents had supported while they were alive. The director, Alexander Sawyer, had been one of his father's closest friends.

As soon as Alexander saw him from afar, he began waving enthusiastically. "Ryder, you're here!"

He led Ryder into the orphanage.

"What about Laura? Didn't she come with you this time? Aren't you two about to get married?" he asked.

Forcing a weak smile, Ryder replied, "There's been... an issue. The wedding might not happen after all."

Alexander's expression grew cautious. "What happened? Did you have a fight with Laura?"

Shaking his head, Ryder answered, "No, it's not that. My professor emailed me recently, encouraging me to return and pursue further studies. I thought about it and decided to focus on my growth first."

"Don't give me that nonsense! I've watched you grow up—what's really going on?" Alexander pressed.

Faced with no way out, Ryder finally told Alexander about Seth.

After listening, Alexander fell into a long silence.

Eventually, he spoke. "Ryder, as long as this is truly what you want, I'll support you. All I want is for you to be happy."

For the first time since deciding to leave, tears welled up in Ryder's eyes.

Alexander's words struck something deep within him.

He nodded firmly. "Thank you, Uncle Alexander."

Alexander then asked, "Will we see you again soon, or..."

"I'm not sure. It'll probably be a while. Once everything settles down, I'll come back and visit everyone," Ryder replied.

-

After bidding Alexander farewell, Ryder picked up some fruit and headed to a nearby hospital.

Inside one of the rooms, an elderly woman with gray hair lay quietly in bed.

"Granny Bambra, it's me. I came to see you," Ryder greeted.

The old woman, Lisa Bambra, stirred, raising her head slightly.

When she saw him, a soft smile spread across her face. "Ryder, you're here."

She reached out a hand to touch his head, and he obediently leaned down to let her.

Lisa was someone Ryder and Laura had met back in university. One day, while shopping, Lisa had suddenly collapsed in front of them. The two had rushed her to the hospital.

It was only later that they learned she had no family.

Feeling a connection, the two of them had decided to look after her in her twilight years.

Over the past two years, Lisa's health had been steadily declining, and she had been frequently hospitalized.

Pulling up a chair, Ryder sat by her bedside as she took his hand.

"Ryder, I heard from Laura that you two are getting married soon, right?" she asked.

Her words made him visibly uncomfortable. Explaining things to elders was always the hardest part.

Upon noticing his hesitation, Lisa's expression grew concerned. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Just as he opened his mouth to respond, the hospital room door swung open.

Standing there with a bag of supplements was Seth. He froze momentarily at the sight of Ryder but quickly smiled.

"Granny Bambra, hello! Laura and I came to see you," he greeted.

Then, he turned to Ryder. "What a coincidence to see you here, too!"

Pushing past Seth, Laura stepped into the room.

When she saw Ryder, she asked, "You're here too? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was a last-minute decision," Ryder replied. "Didn't think it was worth bothering you over."

Lisa pointed to Seth and asked Laura, "Laura, who is this?"

Before Laura could answer, Seth jumped in with a cheerful grin. "Granny Bambra, I'm Laura's assistant. Just call me Seth."

Lisa's gaze lingered on Laura and Seth momentarily, and a knowing look crossed her face. She turned back to Ryder as if to ask, "Is it because of this?"

Ryder smirked and gave her a nearly imperceptible nod.

The three of them stayed with Lisa until the sun dipped low in the sky. She said she was tired and wanted to rest.

"Alright then, you rest up. We'll head out now," they said.

"Ryder, you stay. Read me a few stories. I haven't been sleeping well lately," Lisa requested.

Ryder nodded and watched as Seth followed closely behind Laura, whispering something to her as they left the room.

The hospital room fell silent again.

"What about the wedding?" Lisa asked. "What are you planning to do?"

"I'll take care of it. She'll be satisfied," Ryder replied.

"And you?" Lisa pressed.

"I'll go abroad, continue my studies, and probably settle there long-term," he answered.

A heavy silence settled between them.

"Alright. Granny supports you," Lisa said.

Ryder stood up, gave her a tight hug, and left the room.

Outside the hospital, Laura's car was parked by the curb. She waved at him as he walked out.

"Come on, let's go home," she said.

Ryder raised an eyebrow. "Where's Seth? Why isn't he with you?"

Laura gestured toward the distance. "Over there. I told him to take a cab home."

Ryder turned and saw Seth sitting on the curb, crouched at the corner of the street, far away.

When he looked back at Laura, her gaze remained fixed on Seth. A wry smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"You should drive him home instead. It's a short walk for me from here—I'll walk back," he suggested.

Laura hesitated, unease growing in her heart.

She wanted to reach out and grab his hand but faltered when her eyes drifted back to Seth.

"Alright. Be careful on your way," she said finally.

The cool night breeze swirled around Ryder as Laura drove away, leaving only the fading trail of her car's exhaust.

-

Laura didn't come home until late again.

Ryder sat on the bed, bathed in warm light, flipping through a book.

Laura leaned in to take a look. It was a book on architectural design.

"Isn't this what you studied abroad? Why are you reading it now?" she asked.

Ryder continued flipping through the pages. "No reason. I found it while packing, so I figured I'd give it another look."

Laura's instincts kicked in.

"Packing? What are you packing for?" she pressed.

"I told you a few days ago—I'm going to stay at Harry's place for a bit. Did you forget?" Ryder replied.

Relieved, Laura exhaled. "Oh, that. Right."

The room grew quiet again.

"By the way, what did you end up talking about with Granny Bambra?" she asked.

Without lifting his gaze, Ryder answered calmly, "I read her a fairy tale. She fell asleep after a while, so I came down."

Laura opened the closet and noticed it was half-empty.

Apart from one outfit of Ryder's, the rest were all hers.

"Why did you pack so much?" she asked.

"I'll be staying for a few days. Thought I'd bring a few extra things so I wouldn't have to come back for more," he answered.

She went to the bathroom next, where only her toiletries remained on the sink.

"Why did you pack all your bathroom stuff, too? Doesn't Harry have that covered?" she questioned.

"It's not my place, so I figured I'd bring my own. Just to be safe," Ryder replied.

Something about this unsettled Laura, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. The same unease from days before crept back into her heart.

Pulling out her phone, she messaged Harry.

Laura: [Is Ryder going to stay at your place?]

Harry: [Yeah, I just moved into a new house. Why?]

Laura: [Oh, nothing.]

With confirmation from Harry, Laura's eyes returned to the sink.

The single, solitary set of toiletries stared back at her.

She didn't like the feeling it gave her—it was as if Ryder was systematically peeling himself away from her life, one piece at a time.

They were getting married, weren't they?

Laura tried to convince herself everything was fine.

"By the way, Ryder, when are you moving to Harry's place?" she asked.

"Tomorrow," he answered.

Laura barely slept that night, and by the time she woke up the next morning, Ryder was already gone.

Looking around the empty house, she felt a wave of irritation.

Her phone buzzed with a notification. It was a message from Seth.

Seth: [Laura, it's already 9:00 a.m.! Why aren't you back at the office yet? Don't tell me you're still sleeping in?]

He added a skeptical sticker at the end.

Laura's annoyance flared, but she forced herself to reply calmly.

Laura: [I'm on my way. If anyone comes looking for me, just handle it for now.]

-

Meanwhile, Ryder had already settled into Harry's place, dragging his suitcase inside.

He was busy coordinating with the wedding planners, making sure every detail of the upcoming ceremony was adjusted—swapping the groom's name with Seth's.

The invitations had been reprinted, the suit tailored for Seth was ready, and even the wedding photos had been photoshopped to include him.

The final task was notifying Seth about his role in the wedding.

"There's no need to notify him," Ryder muttered. "He's bound to show up and cause a scene anyway."

He stared at the edited wedding photos on his laptop. "Showing up is easy. Getting him to wear the suit will be harder."

Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"Harry, the day before the wedding, can you pick up the suit and deliver it to Seth's place? Tell him it's from Laura," he said.

Harry frowned but eventually nodded.

Glancing at his schedule, Ryder saw the countdown—three days left until his departure.

Harry sighed. "Time flies. Soon, we won't be able to meet up whenever we want."

Ryder chuckled. "It's fine. Once I settle down over there, I can fly back to see you anytime you want."

-

For two days, Ryder hadn't contacted Laura.

By the afternoon of the third day, as Ryder boarded his flight, Laura suddenly felt a pang of unease, her chest tightening with an inexplicable dread.

She quickly grabbed her phone and called him, but the call didn't go through.

Panicking, she dialed Harry instead. "Where's Ryder? Why isn't he answering his phone?"

On the other end, Harry rolled his eyes so hard it seemed like they could hit the ceiling.

"Seriously? Ryder's been swamped these past two days with wedding prep. He's exhausted! On top of that, he's been helping take care of my grandma. He doesn't have time to keep checking his phone!" he lied.

Laura was momentarily speechless.

"Sorry, I was just... worried about him," she mumbled.

"What, do you think my house is some kind of danger zone?" Harry retorted.

"No, that's not what I meant, I just—" Laura started.

"Alright, alright. I'll let him know you called. Happy now?" Harry cut her off.

Before she could respond, the line went dead.

Laura tried to reassure herself. Maybe she was just overthinking things.

Back at the office, Seth sauntered in and casually stood behind her chair, starting to massage her shoulders.

"Laura, I haven't seen Granny Bambra in ages. Will she attend the wedding?" he asked.

Laura shook her head. "Her health isn't great. She can't handle big, lively events like this. Why are you suddenly asking about her?"

"No reason, just wanted to check in on one of your elders," Seth replied.

The mention of elders reminded Laura of Alexander.

Technically, Alexander was one of Ryder's elders, but since they were about to get married, he was practically hers as well.

She called Alexander to let him know about the wedding date.

"So the wedding's still happening as planned?" Alexander's tone carried a hint of curiosity, which Laura found odd.

"Yes, why? Is there a problem?" she asked.

Alexander gave a forced laugh. "Oh, no, no problem at all. It's just that the orphanage is undergoing renovations, and the place is full of kids right now. I really can't get away."

"That's alright. You handle your work. After the wedding, Ryder and I will visit you and the children," Laura said.

After hanging up, Seth started pestering her to join him for dinner.

Laura studied him for a long moment, her intense gaze making him squirm uncomfortably.

"Something wrong, Laura?" he asked.

"No," she finally said, pulling her eyes away. "I'm just tired today. Go have dinner on your own."

-

Fresh off his flight, Ryder saw Harry's message and found a quiet spot to call Laura back.

"I'm fine, just tired," he reassured her.

"If you're so tired, stop overdoing it. Whatever's left to prepare, let me handle it." Laura's tone was anxious, but it only made Ryder's forced smile grow heavier.

To an outsider, it might have seemed like she still cared for him.

"It's all taken care of. Don't worry. Oh, by the way, I've got a surprise planned for you. But you'll have to wait until the wedding day to find out what it is," he said.

The mention of a surprise caught Laura off guard, stunning her for a moment before she said, "A surprise? Oh! Okay! Thank you, hubby! You've worked so hard!"

After the call ended, Laura felt her earlier worries dissipate.

See? Ryder still loved her.

-

Far away in a foreign land, Ryder blocked her number after ending the call.