Lumi’s POV

I had barely gone three streets down before I felt it again. That same unease, it settled somewhere in my chest, low and persistent, like it had been there all along and I was only just noticing.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel slightly.

“You’re overthinking,” I murmured, but the words sounded thin, unconvincing.

I exhaled slowly, trying to focus on the road ahead. The city light stretched in front of me, steady and familiar, but my thoughts kept circling back—to the message, to the tone, to the way Caius already knew where I was going. It didn’t make sense.

Then something else clicked, my second phone. I blinked. And my wallet.

My stomach dropped slightly.

“I left it.”

Of course I did, out of everything I needed tonight, I forgot something important. I let out a small breath and reached for my phone, already dialing Wren. 

The line rang, once, twice, three times. No answer.

I frowned. “That’s strange…”

She usually picked up, especially if she knew I had already left the house. I ended the call and stared at the screen for a second.

Maybe she was busy, maybe she didn’t hear it.

Or maybe—

I shook my head lightly.

“Relax.”

I dialed again, this time it rang longer. Still nothing.

My brows pulled together slightly. “Wren?”

I lowered the phone slowly, unease creeping in just a little deeper.

“Okay…”

I inhaled, then exhaled. “It’s fine. Just recheck.”

I shifted slightly in my seat, reaching down to search through my bag. Lip gloss, compact mirror, keys, but no wallet. I leaned toward the passenger side, opening the compartment. Nothing.

A small sigh left my lips. “I definitely left it.”

I leaned back into my seat, staring ahead for a second before my gaze drifted to the dashboard, then to the screen, the home system.

I hesitated, then reached forward.

“Let me just check…”

My fingers tapped lightly against the screen as I pulled up the security feed. It flickered for a second before the image came into view. The house, still, no wallet on sight. 

I let out a small breath. “See? Nothing.”

I was already about to close it when…I noticed movement. My eyes narrowed slightly. The feed shifted to the closet, my walk-in closet. My breath slowed. Wren stepped into view, alone.

I frowned faintly. “What is she doing in my closet?”

She didn’t look rushed, or like she was searching for anything. She walked in like she belonged there. I leaned slightly closer to the screen. Her hand reached out, toward the rack, then the dress. 

My chest tightened.

The white dress, the engagement dress. The one she said didn’t fit me.

My fingers stilled. “Wren…”

She touched it slowly. Her fingers dragged along the fabric like she was feeling it—really feeling it. My stomach twisted. Then, she took it off the hanger. 

My breath caught, but I didn’t move nor blink. She stepped out of her clothes like it was nothing, like she’d done this before, and there was no hesitation in her body at all. Then she slipped into it.

My chest rose slowly, fell slowly. I couldn’t look away. She stood in front of the mirror, adjusting, smoothing the fabric over her body. Then she smiled, like she wasn’t trying it on for fun, but for herself. 

My fingers curled slightly against my palm. “That’s… weird.”

The word felt too small for what I was seeing. She reached behind her back, pulling the zipper up untill it sat perfectly.

My throat tightened. She turned again, and her expression changed into satisfaction. 

My stomach dropped. A strange feeling spread through my chest, discomfort.

I leaned back slowly against the seat. “What are you doing…?” My voice came out barely audible.

I told myself it didn’t mean anything, that she was just curious. That she just wanted to see how it looked. But the way she looked at herself, that wasn’t curiosity.

I swallowed hard and turned my face away from the screen. I didn’t want to watch anymore.

I reached for my phone again, Caius. The name sat there for a second before I pressed call. The line rang, once, twice, no answer. 

My grip tightened slightly. “Pick up…”

Nothing, the call ended. I stared at the screen, then it buzzed. A message.

Caius:

Driving. I’ll call you when I get home.

That was it. My chest tightened.

The unease from earlier came back stronger. I hope this isn’t what I’m thinking. I stared at the message longer than I should have.

“It’s nothing,” I whispered.

But it didn’t feel like nothing. Something wasn’t lining up.

I leaned back in my seat, exhaling slowly.

“Okay…”

Maybe I was reading too much into it. My eyes flicked back to the screen. The image of her in that dress flashed in my mind again.

My fingers tightened around the steering wheel. “No.”

This time, the word came out firmer.

I didn’t want to sit with this feeling. I turned the wheel, a sharp U-turn. The car shifted smoothly as I redirected back to the house. 

My pulse picked up slightly.

“I just need my wallet,” I said under my breath.

That was the reason, that was what I told myself. But deep down, I knew that wasn’t all. Something wasn’t right.

And for the first time…I wasn’t willing to ignore it.

Lumi’s POV

The road stretched endlessly ahead of me, but I barely saw it. All I could see was Wren in my dress.

The image kept replaying in my head like something I couldn’t shut off. The way her fingers moved over the fabric. The way she looked at herself. That look.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.

“Stop it,” I muttered under my breath. “You’re reading too much into it.”

But even as I said it, I didn’t believe it. My phone sat beside me, silent. Caius hadn’t called back.

I exhaled slowly and reached for it, dialing Clover. She picked up on the second ring.

“Bride-to-be!” she sang immediately. “On your way yet?”

A small smile tugged at my lips despite everything.

“I need your help.”

There was a pause.

“With what?” Clover asked, her tone shifting slightly, more alert now.

“The dress.”

“The white one?”

“Yeah.”

She let out a small, satisfied hum. “I knew it was the one.”

I huffed lightly. “Yeah.”

“So,” she said. “What’s the ish?”

My eyes are fixed on the road. “Can you come over? I want to wear it tonight.”

“Of course I can,” she said immediately. “You should’ve said that earlier.”

A quiet breath left me. “Thank you.”

“Always,” she replied, softer now. “Wait… are you okay?”

My fingers tightened slightly.

“Yeah,” I said quickly. “I just…changed my mind.”

Clover didn’t respond immediately.

“You sure that’s all?” she asked carefully.

I swallowed. For a second, the image flashed again. My chest tightened.

“I’m sure.”

Another pause, then Clover exhaled lightly. “Alright. I’ll head over now.”

“Okay. I’m on my way.”

The call ended, silence filled the car again. But this time, It didn’t feel empty. I drove.

..

The closer I got to the house, the heavier everything felt. My chest, my thoughts. Even my breathing felt… forced. Like I had to remind myself to do it. I tried to focus on the road and push everything else aside. But my mind wouldn’t stop.

Wren’s voice echoed faintly. ‘You could’ve at least lost some weight’ Then, the way the dress fit her.

My jaw tightened.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” I whispered.

It didn’t. But then, another memory surfaced.

Wren asking too many questions about the engagement, about Caius. About details she didn’t need to know. I had brushed it off, because t was Wren, she was family.

My fingers curled slightly against the wheel. I slowed at a traffic light. The car came to a stop.

I exhaled slowly, resting my head briefly against the seat.

“Just go home,” I muttered. “Check your things. Get ready. That’s it.”

Nothing more. The light stayed red, I glanced to the side. A car pulled up next to mine. I barely paid attention at first, then something pulled my gaze back.

The driver, he sat still, one hand resting lazily on the wheel. Tattoos, they stretched along his arm, disappearing under the sleeve of his shirt.

My eyes lingered for a second longer than necessary. When he turned his head, the light had turned green. I drove off first. 

…

By the time I pulled into the driveway, my chest felt tight again. The house stood exactly the same, quiet. I turned off the engine but didn’t move immediately.

My hands rested on the wheel. My thoughts are racing faster now.

“Just go inside.”

I opened the door and stepped out. The air felt colder. I walked toward the house, each step heavier than the last.

The door unlocked easily, I  pushed it open. Silence greeted me again.

“Wren?” I called.

No answer. My heart picked up slightly.

“She’s probably upstairs,” I muttered.

I stepped inside, moving slowly now. I walked past the living room. I climbed the stairs, two at a time. By the time I reached the top, my pulse had picked up.

The hallway stretched in front of me, still. Wren’s door was slightly open. My gaze lingered on it, then moved to my room. I walked toward it slowly.

I pushed it open, the room was dark, empty, no sign of Caius.

My brows pulled together. “That’s weird…”

I stepped inside, and turned slowly. That’s when a sound, faint, from down the hall. My heart skipped.

I stepped out of the room. A muffled movement from Wren’s room. My pulse quickened. I walked toward the door, each step slower now, more careful.

My fingers brushed against it. Then, I pushed it open.

Lumi’s POV

The door opened. And for a second, nothing made sense. My brain refused to catch up with my eyes. It was like I had stepped into the wrong room, the wrong house, the wrong life.

Because what I was seeing couldn’t be mine. Wren on the bed, her body half-covered by the sheets, but not enough to hide her nakedness. .

What broke me was the lingerie, my lingerie. The one I bought, the I folded carefully, and hid away for tonight. For Caius. 

My stomach dropped so hard it felt like something inside me tore loose.

“No…”

The word didn’t even sound like mine, It came out thin, weak, unreal. And then, Caius beside her, not scrambling or shocked even. Just there, like this wasn’t wrong.

The air left my lungs, completely. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even feel my own body. All I could see was her, on top of Caius. My chest tightened painfully.

My fingers went numb around my bag, my knees buckled slightly. I reached for the doorframe without thinking, my hand gripping it tightly just to stay upright.

“Lumi…” Wren’s voice, soft and careful. Like she was afraid of breaking something, like she hadn’t already shattered everything.

My eyes moved to her slowly, mechanically. Like I was forcing myself to look. And God…she looked comfortable. Not even ashamed, like she had been there before.

My stomach twisted violently. “How long?”

The question slipped out before I could stop it. Wren froze, just for a second.

My heart dropped.

“No…” I shook my head slowly. “No… no…”

Because that meant, this wasn’t a mistake. This wasn’t sudden, they had history. My vision blurred, I blinked hard.

I tried to steady myself, but everything felt like it was slipping. My gaze shifted to Caius, waiting, begging for something. Anything.

Even a lie would have been something, but he just looked at me like I had walked in on something inconvenient. Not devastating.

“…Caius?”

His name felt foreign. Like it didn’t belong to me anymore. He didn’t answer immediately, he just watched me. And somehow, that hurt more than anything else. Because it meant, he didn’t even feel the need to explain.

Finally, he spoke.

“Why didn’t you call me when I told you to?”

My breath caught. I blinked, once, twice. Trying to understand what he just said.

“That’s… that’s what you’re asking me?”

My voice shook now, from disbelief. From something breaking inside me piece by piece.

He shrugged slightly. “What else is there?”

The world tilted, not physically. But everything inside me cracked and fell apart.

Clover’s voice came from behind me, sharp and disbelieving.

“What the hell is this?”

I hadn’t even heard her walk in, but now I felt her presence beside me. Real and solid. The only thing in that moment that felt real.

“Lumi…” she said, softer now.

But I couldn’t respond, because my chest felt too tight.

“How long, Caius?” I asked again, this time louder.

He didn’t blink. “Does it matter?”

I laughed. A short, empty sound that didn’t feel like mine.

“Does it—” My voice broke.

I swallowed hard, tried again. “Does it matter?”

I stepped forward, my legs unsteady. But I forced them to move.

“Months?” I asked. “Years?”

Silence.

“That whole time?” I continued. “While you were with me? While you were planning this—”

My voice cracked again.

“While I trusted you?”

He watched me, unmoved. 

“You can’t undo what’s done,” he said flatly.

Something inside me went still, completely. I straightened slightly. My breathing slowed, not because I was okay, but because I was done.

“I know,” I said softly.

My fingers moved to my hand to the ring. I hadn’t even realized I was still wearing it, until now. I pulled it off slowly. Caius’s eyes flickered slightly, just for a second.

I stepped closer, then tossed the ring toward him. It hit the bed. Soft and meaningless. Just like everything else.

“I’m done,” I said.

My voice didn’t shake this time. “I’m done being the woman you take for granted.”

Silence filled the room, heavy and final. 

“The engagement is over.”

Wren inhaled sharply. “Lumi—”

I looked at her, then at the lingerie and the way it fit her. On the way she sat there, in something that was never meant for her.

“You can keep it,” I said coldly. “Clearly it suits you.”

Her face changed, but I didn’t care. I took one last look at both of them, and burned the image into my mind. So I will never forget.

“So yeah,” I said quietly. “Screw you both.”

Then I turned. And this time, I didn’t hesitate. I walked out.