After a quick cleanup, Jacob and I headed out.

By the time we got there, the funeral was already packed.

The second we stepped out of the car, someone rushed over.

"Jacob..."

Wendy.

Black dress, tear-streaked makeup—she looked heartbreak-pretty.

Jacob went straight in, wrapping her up like it was instinct.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

She buried her face in his chest, barely holding it together.

"I don't know what I'd do without you."

They clung to each other like no one else was real.

To anyone watching, they looked like the grieving couple.

Wendy—daughter of the deceased—wasn't even inside with her dad.

She was out here, wrapped around someone else's fiancé.

Old me might've snapped. Thrown a few sharp words her way.

Now? I just walked right past them and into the hall.

I came to pay respects, not watch their drama play out.

Jacob saw. His jaw tensed.

He looked like he wanted to say something—

"Jacob, sit with me for a while," Wendy murmured, tugging him back.

He gave her that soft, familiar smile.

"Okay."

Barely a few days in, and they were already glued together.

I saw them slip off to a corner but didn't bother stopping them.

I headed inside, nodded to a few people, and paid my respects.

"Nina, thank you for coming."

Mrs. Lynn stood beside me—eyes red, voice soft, grief laced with guilt.

"About Wendy and Jacob... I was against it at first," she said. "But Jacob's always been loyal. He insisted on honoring my husband's dying wish. I'm sorry you got caught in the middle."

She sighed, like that somehow made it better.

But all I heard was the same old spin—

Jacob and Wendy weren't selfish, they were "honorable."

And if I didn't buy that?

I was the problem.

I stayed quiet. Just listened.

She took my silence as permission to keep going.

"Jacob's a quiet boy. He only really opens up around our family. What he did... it came from gratitude. Please don't hold it against him."

I almost laughed.

Part of me wanted to ask, 'If your husband ran off to have another woman's baby, would you just smile and take it?'

No way. No woman's that forgiving.

But I was already planning to swap the groom. No point dragging it out.

"It's fine. I understand," I said.

She blinked, then smiled, clearly relieved.

"That's wonderful to hear. You really don't need to overthink things. I'm sure Jacob's heart still belongs to you. He loves you."

'He loves me?'

I shook my head.

Maybe the old me would've clung to that.

Now? It was a joke.

If he loved me, how could he agree to something that insane?

If he loved me, did he think of me while hooking up with someone else?

If he loved me, why couldn't he marry me after all those years?

I'd been like some loyal little follower, chasing after him for years—grateful for every crumb he tossed my way.

Mrs. Lynn just kept going, praising how thoughtful Jacob was, how devoted Wendy was.

She even threw in a few lighthearted stories about the two of them—like I wasn't the one he was engaged to. Like her daughter hadn't helped wreck everything. Like she didn't owe me a single ounce of guilt.

Jacob stuck close to Wendy the whole service.

He already looked like one of them.

Once the guests started clearing out, I figured it was time to bounce too.

But just as I reached the car, the passenger window rolled down.

Wendy sat inside, all soft-smile and fake guilt.

"Sorry, Nina. I want to stop by the burial site again—just to make sure everything's perfect."

I raised a brow.

Nothing weird about her wanting to check on her dad's grave.

But why apologize to me?

Mrs. Lynn slid into the car like it was hers.

Next to them, I felt like the tag-along.

I reached for the back door.

Click.

Locked.

My brows pulled together. "What's this supposed to mean?"

Wendy let out a sigh, still not looking at me.

Instead, she grabbed Jacob's hand and said, all emotional,

"Jacob, I just... I hope, for this moment, it can be just the three of us—me, you, and my mom. Is that okay?"

He didn't even open his mouth before Mrs. Lynn jumped in.

"What are you saying? Jacob is Nina's fiancé."

"So what?!" Wendy snapped, tears streaming. "Jacob's been family since college. Now that my dad's gone, I don't want some outsider there for something so personal. Is that so wrong?"

Mrs. Lynn's face tightened. She clearly backed her daughter, but even she knew this wasn't a good look.

Before she could say anything, Jacob made the call.

"Nina, you can take a cab home."

Wendy threw me a quick glance, a smug little smile tugging at her lips as the window rolled up.

I didn't flinch.

Classic Jacob—always asking me to step back for Wendy.

Right on cue, snow started falling.

Light at first, then settling into a thin layer.

I crouched, scooped up a handful.

Cold.

But not colder than my heart.

***

When I got home, Jacob was already packing.

Without even looking at me, he said,

"Wendy's not doing well. I'm gonna stay with her for a while. You'll have to cab it to work."

I said nothing.

Wendy was upset, so he was off to spend the night. To comfort her?

I didn't ask. He didn't explain.

He zipped up his bag, walked out, and didn't come back for a week.

Not one text.

But I knew what he was doing every single day.

Wendy made sure of it—videos, selfies, picture-perfect updates.

That's when it hit me. Jacob did know how to love.

He just decided who was worth the effort.

He cooked for her—real meals, balanced and thoughtful.

Cut her steak, picked out cute gifts.

Took her to amusement parks and out-of-town getaways.

All the stuff I used to wish he'd do with me.

Things he once called childish.

I didn't dwell. Just saved every photo, every video.

Then I wrapped up my projects and handed in my resignation.

My friends were stunned.

"Nina, why are you quitting all of a sudden?"

I just smiled.

"I've been gone too long. I want to go back home."

Someone asked, "Is Jacob going with you?"

They all knew how hard he'd hustled for his job. No one thought he'd actually leave it to follow me.

One friend tried to talk me out of it.

"Don't go. You are getting married. Living apart now wouldn't be good."

Even now, they couldn't—or wouldn't—see it.

As for me?

I'd already dropped everything once for him.

Moved cities. Started from scratch. All for Jacob.

Did I ever complain?

Was love supposed to mean giving up everything?

I shook my head.

"No. We won't be living apart."

That's all I gave them. No extra details.

I had too much to handle to waste time convincing people who didn't want to see the truth.

After wrapping things up and brushing off my boss's last-minute offers, I headed back to the apartment I shared with Jacob.

He was already there—with Wendy cozied up next to him.

They sprang apart when the door creaked open.

I acted like I didn't see a thing, walked past with my box of office stuff, and headed straight for the bedroom.

"You're back. No work today?" He frowned at the box. "Did you... quit?"

"Yeah." I didn't bother explaining and veered into the study.

He trailed after me, clearly annoyed. "Why would you just quit without telling me?"

Before I could answer, Wendy popped up behind him.

"Jacob, don't be mad. It's hard for women her age to keep up with the younger crowd. Totally normal she couldn't hang."

She said it like she was defending me, but every word dripped with mockery.

I just nodded.

"Useless," Jacob muttered, only relaxing when Wendy gave his arm a little squeeze.

If she hadn't been sending me all those snarky videos and screenshots, I might've said thanks.

Then my phone buzzed on the desk.

Before I could grab it, Wendy snatched it and gasped like she'd found a body.

"Ooo, who's this 'Hubby'?"