Rhett froze.

Then, he cautiously reached out, his hand hovering over her still-flat stomach.

His eyes filled with an unguarded tenderness.

Destiny flinched back, trying to push him away.

But he seized her wrist, yanking her back into his arms.

"You're carrying my child, and you want to marry someone else?!"

"I've already lost one child. I can't lose this one, too."

His voice cracked, thick with a choked sob.

In that instant, the world went silent.

I heard nothing but a high-pitched ringing in my ears.

My heart clenched.

I instinctively covered my lower abdomen, but my palm met only emptiness.

His child.

So, I was the only one who had lost a child.

For a moment, I wanted to storm in there and demand to know why.

What about our baby?

What did our five years together mean?

But in the next second, I saw the new tattoo on his wrist as he lowered his head.

The questions died in my throat.

A thorny rose, its dark ink covering the "G" he had once gotten for "Genevieve."

I had asked him about it once. He'd said it was because I was his whole world.

Only now was the painful truth laid bare.

A thorny rose.

Destiny's favorite flower.

All the strength drained from my body.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

I turned and fled.

So, Destiny was the past Rhett never spoke of. She was the secret etched into his skin.

For the five years we were together, Rhett had been the perfect lover.

He kept a dedicated shared calendar, meticulously filled with my preferences and habits, with notes on everything.

From my work schedule to which restaurant's dessert I preferred.

He never missed an anniversary or holiday, never forgot the flowers and surprises, and always called to say goodnight.

I once teased Rhett about it.

"Rhett, are you just naturally this thoughtful? Who taught you to be so good?"

He'd smiled, raising his hands in mock surrender.

"Taught? Who needs to be taught? When you love someone, these things just come naturally."

Destiny's voice echoed in my ears from a long-ago conversation.

"Oh, my first love… he was so clueless at first, but I trained him, bit by bit."

"He had to keep a list of my preferences, plan surprises for anniversaries in advance, and say goodnight no matter how busy he was."

"When I was upset, he wasn't allowed to reason with me; he had to soothe me first."

She had laughed, so smug.

"Men… once you train them, they know how to dote on you."

At the time, I had even joked back.

"Well, his next girlfriend will have you to thank."

It turned out all the devotion I'd treasured was just a shadow she had left behind.

The scattered memories began to click into place, piecing together the story of a passionate, youthful love between Rhett and Destiny.

In the days before me, they had loved each other clumsily, ardently.

I supported myself against the cool wall as I made my way back to my room, my back slick with cold sweat.

Destiny's invitation was still on the nightstand.

The champagne-colored wax seal was her favorite.

So many scenes flooded my mind.

The first time I introduced Destiny to Rhett, the air between them crackled with an immediate, unspoken animosity.

After that, whenever I mentioned Destiny, his words were always barbed.

I'd defended her.

"What's wrong with not wanting to get married? Modern women can choose their own path."

He'd snorted, pinching my cheek.

"I'm just afraid she'll be a bad influence on you, putting ideas in your head about not getting married. What would I do then?"

My best friend and my fiancé were like oil and water. I was caught in the middle, walking on eggshells.

Torn, I learned never to mention one in front of the other.

Later, when Destiny's TV station faced a takeover, I was so worried I let it slip to Rhett.

He hadn't even looked up from his work.

The next day, a mysterious investor saved the day.

I was just so relieved.

At least their relationship had finally thawed.

At least they could sit together peacefully, helping our friends plan my proposal.

The day Rhett proposed, the plan was for him to take the ring from Destiny's hand.

But when the moment came, he just stood there, silent for what felt like a lifetime.

The world went quiet. My own heart hammered in my chest.

It wasn't until someone laughingly called out, "Rhett, stop staring at the ring and look at your girl," that he snapped out of it and walked toward me.

The silk blindfold was removed, and a shower of petals rained down around me.

Rhett held up the ring and knelt.

"Genevieve."

"Will you spend the rest of your life with me?"

I nodded, sobbing with joy.

Only today did I understand the meaning of that thirty-second silence.

Rhett, in those thirty seconds you stood there, holding the ring…

Were you regretting that the person you were about to put it on wasn't her?

Or were you debating whether you even wanted to spend the rest of your life with me at all?

The hospital room door swung open, and Rhett walked in carrying a bowl of soup.

He leaned down and kissed my forehead out of habit.

"Why do you look so pale?"

That familiar tenderness made my eyes sting.

It was absurd. For a split second, I actually considered giving him another chance.

"Where did you go?"

His hand stilled. He recovered quickly.

"The board had an impromptu international call. I was afraid you'd be waiting, so I had my secretary bring food over and came right back."

He blew on a spoonful of soup to cool it before holding it out to me.

If I hadn't seen what I'd seen, I might have believed him.

Seeing my silence, he pulled a key from his pocket.

The tag was for a penthouse on Park Avenue.

Last week, we'd passed by, and I’d casually mentioned how beautiful the skyline was from up there.

Rhett’s voice was soft.

"The moment I saw it, I knew it had to be for my Gen."

Seeing me stare blankly, he added tentatively, "I think we should postpone the wedding. You haven't recovered yet. There's no rush."

So that was it.

The apartment was compensation. Postponing the wedding was the real goal.

The last shred of hope inside me disintegrated.

I let out a cold laugh and looked away.

"That won't be necessary."

Rhett's expression tightened.

I cut him off, my voice sharp and final.

"The wedding is canceled."