As I heard Dad's tired voice on the other end of the line, something tightened in my chest.

I remembered the way he'd looked last time—cuffed and shoved into the back of a squad car.

My fists clenched.

"This time," I said firmly, "don't partner with the Young family."

He sounded confused, but I insisted. And in the end, he agreed, "Alright. Whatever you say."

I finally let out a breath.

By the time I hung up, the car had pulled up in front of the bridal shop. I got out and helped Grace out of the car. We walked in together.

The moment we stepped into the store, I spotted Connor. He was standing in front of a display, his eyes glued to a sleek designer suit, practically drooling over it.

"If Caleb wore this suit," he said dreamily, "he'd look amazing, huh?"

Madison stood beside him. At his words, her brow twitched. "Don't mention his name. He's lost his mind. Honestly, though, Connor, you'd look better in it than he ever would."

Connor gave an awkward little laugh. "Really? I mean, it's just… this suit's way too expensive. I'm not good enough for it."

Madison's eyes softened as she looked at him. "Don't say that. If you like it, we'll buy it. Right now."

She pulled out her card, ready to swipe, and then she turned and locked eyes with me.

"Caleb? What the hell are you doing here?"

She pulled her hand back quickly, the credit card vanishing from sight. Her gaze flicked to the woman beside me, and her face instantly twisted.

"You brought her to a bridal shop? Are you seriously going through with marrying that blind girl?"

I looked past her, calm, unfazed, my attention on the wedding dresses. "Who I marry is my business. It has nothing to do with you. And I'd appreciate it if you showed a little respect to my fiancée."

I handed a gown to Grace. "Go ahead and try this one."

She took it carefully and, with a store assistant's help, stepped into the fitting room.

Madison was fuming. "Caleb, this morning I was joking when I said you should marry her. You really can't take a joke anymore?"

A joke?

Every word hit me like a brick to the chest.

Suddenly, I was back in school when I was the quiet one, the kid no one talked to. The bullies had carved filthy words into my desk with knife and poured freezing water on my head in winter.

I'd reported it to the teacher, timidly, but they had just laughed and shrugged it off.

"We were just messing with him. Who knew he'd take it so seriously?"

Everyone laughed, except Madison.

When she found out, she stormed into my class and chewed them all out. I'd never forget the way she grabbed the ringleader by the collar and shouted, "A joke only counts when both people are laughing! If Caleb isn't laughing, then it's not a joke! And if anyone lays a hand on him again, I'll make sure they regret it!"

Alas, now ten years later, she'd forgotten everything she once stood for. She stood across from me now, just like those people, and said the same kind of heartless words.

I looked down, tamping down the sting in my chest.

I'd let it go, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Not when the past used to be so good.

"Madison," I said flatly, "you've aged, but apparently your brain hasn't kept up. Let me say it one last time: the engagement's off. I'm marrying her."

Just then, Grace came out of the fitting room in the dress. The gown fit like it had been made for her. Every fold and hem fell perfectly. She was breathtaking.

Connor rolled his eyes and snorted. "She can play dress-up all she wants. She's still ugly."

Well, I thought she looked incredible. Until now, I hadn't paid attention to her looks. Even without her sight, there was no hiding her beauty.

I stepped forward and gently straightened the hem of her gown. "You look amazing. Should we go with this one?"

Connor jumped in, all righteous indignation. "Come on, bro. Everyone in our circle knows you're head over heels for Madison. You're just doing this whole show to get under her skin, right? A little game of hard-to-get is fine, but you're pushing it too far. Madison might actually believe you."

Madison let out a bitter laugh, her eyes full of hurt and fury. "Caleb, how can you stand there and be that close with another woman in front of me? I'm your fiancée!"

"You think you can cheat and still expect our families to stay in business together?" Madison snapped. "Aren't you worried I'll cut ties with your father? What happens to your family's empire if there's a gap in funding? Can you afford the consequences?"

I had just finished adjusting Grace's dress when I turned to look at Madison. "Sorry, but I already told Dad to pull out of that deal. We've cut ties with your family. Completely."

"You… you canceled the deal?" Madison's face turned pale, disbelief tightening around the edges. "Caleb, are you seriously throwing away everything for a blind girl? You're really going to burn everything down just to spite me? Have you lost your mind, or has she bewitched you?"

Connor's brows knit together. He started patting his pockets, then suddenly froze. "My ring! Where the hell is my ring?!"

He turned toward us with wild eyes. "Did she take it?!"

Instantly, every pair of eyes in the boutique landed on us.

I stepped protectively in front of Grace, my gaze sharp. "She's blind. She never even passed by you. How the hell could she steal your ring?"

Connor frowned. "That ring was a gift from Madison. It's expensive. Even if I sold it secondhand, I could get enough to cover some serious medical bills. Who's to say this little nobody isn't eyeing it?"

He paused, then narrowed his eyes at me. "Or maybe… maybe you're just jealous that Madison gave it to me. So now you're putting on this whole show, trying to make her jealous and rile up a misunderstanding. Even so, Caleb, you can't let this blind girl steal from me."

Hearing that, Madison visibly relaxed. "Fine. If she gives the ring back, I won't press charges. We can still move forward with our engagement."

This wasn't the first time Connor pulled this kind of stunt. In my last life, he had slipped and fallen down the stairs but blamed me, saying I'd kicked him.

Madison had flown into a rage, ripping into me without a second thought.

Over and over, it happened. From me allegedly tearing up his homework to supposedly leading people to bully him…

Every time, no matter how outrageous the accusation, Madison always believed him without question.

At first, I'd tried to explain myself. Eventually, I stopped. She had never, not once, truly trusted me.

Now, here we were again. Same script, different day.

I stepped forward and slapped Connor across the face. "You say she stole your ring? Prove it. If you can't, that slap is your receipt for slandering my fiancée."

Connor reeled back, stunned, his eyes instantly welling up.

Madison's eyes went icy. She grabbed my wrist in fury. "Caleb, you actually laid a hand on Connor over a blind girl? Do you really think I'll let that slide?"

Her grip tightened. Her nails dug into my skin.

I flinched and was about to shake her off, but Grace moved faster.

Without hesitation, she reached out and snatched Madison's wrist, then threw it off with a sharp flick.

Madison hadn't expected it. She stumbled and crashed straight into Connor's arms.

I blinked, caught off guard.

Madison's face darkened. "How dare you lay your hands on me?"

Connor's face twisted in rage. "She's a damn blind girl. Even if she lived a thousand lives, she wouldn't be anything but a street rat, and now she thinks she can touch Madison? Caleb, this is your fault! I'm calling the cops. When they show up, neither of you is walking out of here!"

The commotion had grown terribly loud. The store manager, Colin Ward, rushed over.

Connor looked smug now. "This store is part of the Bellamy Group. Even Madison's family gives way to them. And your blind little pet dares to steal and attack people here? The manager won't let her off the hook."

He jabbed a finger toward Grace. "It's her! She stole my ring. Take her to the police!"

Mr. Ward followed his pointing finger and looked at the woman beside me. The moment he saw her face, his pupils shrank.

"Shut your mouth!" he barked. "How dare you speak that way to Miss Bellamy?!"