"Are you getting in or just standing there?"

I snapped out of it.

The bloodstain on my pants was huge, and I didn't want to mess up some stranger's car, so I opened his passenger door.

Kelvin glanced at me.

"Wait."

He handed me a black plastic bag.

I took it, confused.

"You knew your period was coming and still didn't bring a pad. Zoey, you're twenty-eight. Can you at least take care of yourself?

"You spent the whole day walking around school with blood all over your pants. Students kept asking me if you had some serious illness. It was embarrassing."

Embarrassing?

The metallic smell of blood seemed to hit me all over again.

I had remembered to bring pads.

But Kelvin's note made me stop.

I thought he'd finally learned to keep me in mind.

Turns out, the person he cared about was someone else.

I opened the bag.

Inside was a pink pack of pads covered in dust. Some random brand from a corner store, obviously.

"If you really didn't have one, you could've borrowed one. Instead, you hid at school and wouldn't come out. I waited an hour. Go change and get back in. Don't mess up the seats."

He kept talking.

I watched his mouth move and felt drained.

I closed the bag and said quietly, "I can't use this brand."

More accurately, I couldn't use most brands.

They all had fluorescent whitening agents, and I was severely allergic. Even touching it on a normal day left my skin red and irritated.

And during my period? On the most sensitive part of my body?

No.

There was only one brand I could use.

Only one.

Actually, I'd told Kelvin about it when we first started dating.

"Kelvin, I'm allergic to fluorescent whitening agents. This is the only brand of pads I can use. If you ever see them on sale, can you help me stock up?"

Without looking away from his game, he scoffed.

"You're so high maintenance."

My finger paused over my phone.

"Forget it. I'll buy them myself. It's kind of a hassle, and you don't really know much about this stuff anyway..."

He'd always talked to me like that.

Sometimes his words hit out of nowhere, leaving me hurt and wondering what I'd done wrong.

But other than that, he'd treated me pretty well.

After we moved in together, he handled most of the chores. He was a great cook, too, and somehow made me gain five pounds.

He never stopped me from buying things I liked. Even when I brought home weird decorations that totally clashed with his place, he'd just shake his head with a helpless smile.

"Childish."

Over time, I convinced myself that was just who he was. Careless about other people's habits. Sharp-tongued sometimes.

Besides, I was the one who'd chased Kelvin first.

So I used every rare sweet moment to water down the hurt.

I put up with it for three years.

Until today.

I couldn't do it anymore.

"Why can't you use it?"

He'd asked me that question seventeen times.

I'd explained it sixteen.

This time, I didn't.

I tossed the pads in the trash.

"I said I can't use them. Since you're so worried about your precious seats, I'll get my own ride."

His frown tightened.

Then he got out, opened the passenger door, and shoved me in.

####CHAPTER-NAME:

"It's getting late. Is it even safe for you to ride home alone? Whatever. Guess I'm the unlucky one. I'll just get the car detailed tomorrow."

There it was again.

A little kindness wrapped around a knife.

I gripped the seatbelt across my chest, my throat tight.

Instead of answering, I pulled out my phone and messaged the studio we'd booked for our wedding photos.

[Hi, I'd like to cancel the wedding shoot scheduled for next week. What do I need to do?]

The studio owner's chat kept flashing [typing...]

Then nothing.

[typing...]

Nothing again.

After more than a dozen starts and stops, a message finally came through.

[Ms. Zane, the wedding package was changed to a couple's birthday shoot three days ago. Your fiancé also asked us to move the session up. The edited photos will be ready tonight. Didn't he tell you?]

My finger hovered over the screen.

A few seconds later, I realized it was shaking.

Badly.

I had to grab my wrist with my other hand to keep from dropping my phone.

I turned and looked at Kelvin.

His eyes stayed on the road.

Everything looked exactly the same as always.

Maybe he felt me staring.

He tilted his head slightly, irritation creeping into his voice.

"What are you looking at? Are you seriously upset because I called you out?"

I didn't answer.

Once my hands stopped shaking, I slowly typed:

[Can I see the photos?]

The studio owner paused again before sending several photos and a ten-second video.

[Mr. Bowyer assured us multiple times there wouldn't be any issues, so we agreed to change the package and move the shoot up. Ms. Zane, please don't make this difficult for us...]

I barely saw the rest of her messages.

I opened the photos.

A familiar face filled the screen.

My eyes burned.

The woman in the pictures was Paige Jensen.

The new intern teacher.

The same woman Kelvin had given my pads and painkillers to.

There were dozens of photos.

I swiped through them one by one.

Kelvin was in every photo.

They wore matching outfits and looked exactly like a couple in love.

Then I opened the video.

Paige looked tired from the shoot and stuck out her lower lip. "My shoulders hurt, Kelvin. Give me a massage."

In those ten seconds, I saw a version of Kelvin I'd never seen before.

Gentle.

Patient.

Almost impossibly soft.

"Okay, princess. Just one more set. Hang in there. When we're done, I'll take you out for a big dinner."

Paige instantly lit up and threw her arms in the air. "Yay!"

My eyes stung.

I touched them, expecting tears.

Nothing.

I wouldn't cry over Kelvin anymore.

It just dragged up old memories.

After we got engaged, I suggested taking our wedding photos early so we wouldn't be rushed later.

Kelvin refused.

"I hate taking pictures. You know that. Wedding photos are useless except to stare at. Why are you forcing me to do something so pointless?"

I bit my lip and tried again. "They matter. When we're old and can barely remember each other's faces, we can look at them. Our future kids can see how happy we were. I promise, just two locations—one indoor, one outdoor. It won't be exhausting."

He looked at me and said one word. "Ridiculous."

Still, I didn't give up.

I spent forever trying to convince him.

He said plenty of hurtful things before he finally agreed, and I cried more than once.

To make sure we could finish everything in one session, I researched nonstop.

Outfits.

Locations.

Photographer.

I stayed up until two or three most nights making plans, then dragged myself up the next day to teach.

####CHAPTER-NAME:

Because the wedding was so close, I'd even paid extra to rush the edits.

But the wedding shoot I'd spent months planning had been handed to someone else behind my back.

The man who always said he hated taking pictures had patiently gone through five different sets with Paige.

For a second, I couldn't tell if he actually hated photos—

or just hated taking them with me.

The car rolled into the underground garage.

I opened Paige's social media.

Sure enough, she'd posted another batch of photos, carefully blurring Kelvin's face.

[Ta-da! The best early birthday gift this year is definitely these gorgeous photos. Thanks to a certain someone!]

Outside the car, Kelvin pulled out his phone.

A second later, his like appeared under her post.

I stared at that tiny red heart and laughed.

He had never liked a single one of my posts without me asking.

When I didn't move, Kelvin knocked on the window.

"We're home. Why are you still sitting there?"

I looked at him through the glass. "Since you already took photos with Paige, why didn't you just use my wedding shoot? You two looked good together anyway."

His face froze for half a second. Then he frowned.

"Zoey Zane, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"You changed my wedding shoot into birthday photos with another woman, and you're asking what's wrong with me? You're the one who lost it!"

I thought I could hold it in.

I couldn't.

All the hurt and anger spilled out anyway.

I stared at Kelvin, waiting for an answer.

He just clicked his tongue. "Paige is young and new to work. She had no one to celebrate her birthday with.

"As her supervising teacher, I'm supposed to look after her. Besides, it's just wedding photos.

"If we missed it this time, we'll do it next time. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

At his calm, careless face, my anger vanished.

"Forget it."

In my heart, I finished the sentence.

'It won't matter soon anyway.'

Only then did Kelvin relax.

He sent another text.

After I got out, Kelvin climbed back into the car.

"Go inside. Paige's birthday is tomorrow. She wants to have a few coworkers over for dinner, but there's too much to prep on her own. I'm heading over to help."

I blinked.

I'd planned to tell him tonight that I was canceling the wedding.

Now there didn't seem to be any point.

I nodded and walked into the apartment we'd bought together.

Alone.

I pulled out a suitcase.

Looking around at the home filled with pieces of my life, I realized I didn't want any of it.

The only things I packed were my pads and painkillers.

Then I called the venue and canceled the wedding.

The deposit was nonrefundable.

Every dollar Kelvin had given me for the wedding was still sitting in a separate account.

I left the bank card on the nightstand.

Untouched.

Then I slipped off my engagement ring and set it on top of the card.

Dragging my half-empty suitcase, I got into a car headed for the airport.

Right before takeoff, I sent Kelvin one last text.

[Kelvin, let's call off the wedding. I've already told both our parents. I hope you find the person you actually love.]

Then I switched my phone to airplane mode.

I leaned back and fell into a dead sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, I'd already landed.

The second I turned airplane mode off, hundreds of missed calls flooded my screen.