"Sean, I've made up my mind, I'm going to marry you!"

Janice Douglas played with her left hand's fingertips absentmindedly, her eyes locked on the swinging door of the nearby private room.

On the other end of the call, the man let out a low chuckle, warm yet laced with a cool, worldly detachment.

"Ms. Douglas, are you sure about this? Marrying into our families is a one-way street, no U-turns."

"I'm sure!" Janice did not even pause before she shot back, her voice slicing through any second thoughts.

"Fine, I'll be back in ten days. Pick me up at the airport, and we'll head straight to make it official."

Sean was all about getting to the point: no fuss, no muss, just like he always was.

The second she hung up, the room burst into cheers.

Janice's eyes snapped up to see Adrian Smith down on one knee, a fiery bouquet of roses in one hand and a diamond ring in the other, looking all lovey-dovey at the girl in front of him.

The girl was so moved by the gesture that she was almost crying, her hand over her mouth, nodding like crazy.

The room's bright lights made the diamond sparkle so much that it was blinding.

Janice could not have guessed it–not in a million years–that the guy who had been all sweet talk on the phone half an hour ago, saying he would be back soon, was then, right under her nose, proposing to someone else.

Back when she was eight, Adrian's family moved in next door.

The first time they met, he gave her a shy smile and a piece of candy, calling her "Janey" in his crisp little voice.

Ever since then, she had her very own shadow. Adrian was always there, carrying her books to school or jumping to her defense whenever she was upset.

Over time, the name "Addy" had become a part of her, growing deep within her heart.

She aced the SATs, outscoring Adrian by a mile, but without a second thought, she chose the same colleges he did.

She was not a fan of the dry northern climate, but the thought of being in the same city, in the same university as him, made it all seem worth it.

Their college days were a montage of sweet moments shared across the campus.

On a moonlit night at the playground, he wrapped her in his arms and promised her forever. Her heart brimmed with dreams of what was to come.

When Adrian decided to go abroad for further studies after graduation, it broke her heart, but she supported him all the way.

For the next two years, she juggled her job with caring for his mother, who struggled with anxiety.

She spent every weekend with the elderly lady, helping her through appointments with the psychologist, never once complaining.

Her friends teased her, saying she was saying she was a de facto daughter-in-law already. She would just smile, keeping to herself the belief that her sixteen-year bond with Adrian was stronger than any marriage certificate.

She would stay up into the wee hours for their video chats, cherishing those precious ten minutes.

If he so much as hinted at feeling under the weather during a call, she would be on the next flight out, ready to cross oceans to be by his side.

After two years, her wall was plastered with a patchwork of flight stubs, a testament to her travels.

A week ago, Adrian shared his graduation picture online, announcing, [Graduated at last, time to head back and tie the knot! Let's graduate our love too!]

Her heart soared, thinking their happily ever after was just around the corner.

Their college friends flooded Janice's inbox with congratulations, telling her that her patience had finally paid off, like the clearing skies revealing the moon.

However, it was crystal clear that the one he dreamed of marrying was never her.

In the VIP room, applause and cheers ebbed and flowed like waves.

"Adrian, you're something else! We all bet you'd end up with Janice. Who knew you had such a secret up your sleeve?" someone joked with a chuckle.

Adrian just laughed it off: "Janice? I was over her ages ago. If she hadn't made that big scene, proposing to me at her graduation, I wouldn't have had to skip the country.

"Actually, I owe her one for pushing me away. That's how I bumped into Yvette, the real deal, the one I'm ready to spend forever with."

"But Janice has been by your side for years, and she's put in so much..." someone piped up, feeling sorry for Janice.

"And? We were never married; it was all mutual. I treated her well, always made sure she was happy. She didn't lose anything."

Adrian's flippant remarks sent the crowd into fits of laughter.

Once the laughter died down, he added, with a laid-back tone:

"In ten days, when the Smiths and the Douglases seal the deal on their joint venture, I'll be free to tie the knot with Yvette. But until then, zip it, guys. Not a peep to Janice, got it?"

Janice's world spun, her perfectly polished nails digging into her palm.

Swallowing her tears, she turned and hurried back to her own VIP room.

There, her coworkers noticed her ashen face and grew concerned. "Janice, you okay? You look a little off since you hit the restroom."

Janice inhaled deeply, mustering a dazzling smile.

"Guess what, guys? I'm tying the knot in ten days! I'd love for you all to be there and cheering me on. But hey, I'm all about the low-key life, so let's keep this on the down-low, alright?"

If he was ready to start a new chapter with someone else, she was more than ready to turn the page, too.

In ten days, he would be a married man, and she would be a married woman. Just like that, their stories would be worlds apart.

Adrian swung the door open the next day to find Janice surrounded by boxes, packing up her life.

They had shared that room, and everything in it, for four years since their college days. From the bulky couch to the tiny vase on the shelf, they had picked out each piece together. Even while he was away for two years, she had not been able to part with any of it.

At this moment, sorting through the memories and the mess was a bigger job than she had expected.

Janice did not run up to greet him like she used to, and Adrian's smile quickly turned into a scowl. He dropped his suitcase with a thud.

"Too much trouble to pick me up from the airport, and now you can't even help me with my bags?"

Janice nearly rolled her eyes. She used to camp out at the airport three hours early, treating his return like a royal visit. This time, after what happened? Things were different.

Her nails dug into her palms as she shoved another photo frame into a box.

This time, he had told her not to bother with the airport, because he was too busy proposing to another woman.

The sight of the red scratch behind Adrian's ear was like a needle to Janice's heart. "I'm busy," she said, her voice as cool as the air between them.

Adrian's gaze swept over the half-empty room, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Wow, did you clean the place up just for me?"

He had clearly forgotten the girl who once could not twist open a water bottle, then scrubbed his dirty socks clean without a second thought.

He reached out to pull her close, but the sickly-sweet smell of his perfume made Janice's face scrunch up in disgust.

"Why do you reek of women's perfume?" She turned away, her voice icy.

A flicker of discomfort crossed Adrian's face.

"On the flight back, I was stuck next to this lady who went overboard with her perfume. I was beside her for over ten hours, and the scent nearly knocked me out. Must've clung to me."

His explanation was riddled with holes.

He always flew solo in first-class, and that perfume? It was the latest craze last month, with every girl on Facebook flaunting their samples. No way an older lady would wear that.

"You're just being petty and jealous!"

Adrian wrapped his arms around her, his smile loaded with unspoken words: "Why don't I let you do a full-body check right now?"

"Don't you dare touch me!" Janice shoved him away without a second thought.

Before, she might have playfully punched him for being a tease, but after he had been with another woman, his touch repulsed her.

Adrian's eyes bulged, his patience snapping.

"All this over a whiff of perfume? You're making a scene? I've been on a plane for hours, I'm exhausted!"

Janice did not have the energy to call out his lies, so she made up an excuse. "I've been slammed with work, not feeling great."

Dark circles marred her face from a sleepless night, her appearance worn and weary.

Adrian finally noticed Janice's pallor and reached out to feel her forehead.

"You look awful. Caught a cold? I'll carry you to bed."

However, before he could act, his phone blared to life.

Janice caught a glimpse of the screen and spotted that name–Yvette Ellis.

Adrian scrambled to the balcony, his voice a hushed whisper as he tried to soothe someone through the phone.

"Missing your own bed, can't sleep?

"I wouldn't dream of it. I won't lay a finger on her!

"Okay, okay, I'm on my way to you, sweetheart."

Janice watched his shadow stretch out in the moonlight and was hit by a wave of nostalgia. She remembered how, in the early days of living together, he kissed her forehead every morning and murmured, "Good morning, sweetheart."

Once Adrian ended the call, he snatched his jacket and bolted, "Some trouble at work, and I've got to check it out. You get some rest, don't wait up."

The door banged shut, and Janice, alone in the quiet room, let out a laugh.

She pulled out her phone and picked out a few pictures of men's suits, sending them his way.

[Which one of these suits do you like?]

He texted back immediately, [Any of them, my suit just needs to go with your wedding dress.]

[Fine.]

That night, Adrian texted that he was swamped with work and would not make it back.

For the next three days, he was like a ghost–no word from him at all.

However, on Yvette's social media, Janice saw pictures of a beach at midnight, brilliant fireworks, and hands clasped tight under the old oak tree in a churchyard.

The captions were all floating in a cloud of pink. [He said, "Romance is mine," and I am forever her.]

Janice scoffed as she looked at the screen, then shot off a message to her realtor.

[List the house, now.]

Later that night, Adrian called to say they should go to a friend's birthday party together.

Janice was not in the mood.

Adrian's voice was laced with impatience. "Jayden's been on about how we haven't hung out in ages, so he made me invite you.

"Don't waste time. I'll be there in ten minutes to pick you up."

The call ended with a sharp click, leaving Janice staring at her phone, fuming.

As she reached to open the passenger door, a wave of sweetness hit her. Yvette was there, beaming up at her.

"Hey there, Janice."

Janice knew Yvette all too well. She would run into her plenty during her visits to see Adrian overseas. The girl was always batting those doe eyes, sweetly calling her "sister" and vowing to "keep an eye on your brother-in-law" for her.

It seemed her version of keeping an eye on him was to keep him right in her bed.

"Oops, sorry, Janice. I got carsick, so I snagged the front seat," said Yvette, comfortably lounging and twirling the seatbelt around her finger. "Adrian saved it just for me."

Adrian coughed slightly. "Yvette's my assistant now. It made sense to give her a ride."

The moment the car door shut, Yvette, like she owned the place, dug out a pack of gum and waved it at Janice.

"Chewing gum? This brand's the only thing that helps with my motion sickness. Good thing Adrian remembered to stock up for me."

She inhaled deeply, her nose wrinkling theatrically. "Ah, new perfume! The last one was so overpowering, I couldn't stop sneezing. Adrian's such a sweetheart, swapping it out on the sly."

Her finger then darted to a trinket in the car, and she squealed with delight.

"Wow, this little trinket looks so familiar. Oh my gosh! Isn't this the super-rare blind box figure I was obsessed with? The one that's like finding a needle in a haystack? How many boxes did you go through to find it?"

Yvette's shrieks were like a barrage of tiny darts, each one piercing Janice's heart.

Janice glanced up and caught sight of Adrian in the rearview mirror, his lips curled into a fond, indulgent smile as he drove. She realized that the man she had always taken such great care of could be just as thoughtful in return.

She turned away, pretending to be lost in the deep night outside the window, and stealthily wiped away a tear that had dared to escape.

In the passenger seat, Yvette caught Janice's eye in the mirror, and her smile grew even wider.

When they walked into the private room, their old friends immediately started ribbing them. "Look who's here! The soon-to-be-wedded couple has graced us with their presence!"

"So, Adrian, when's the big day? You've got to let us know so we can get our gifts ready!"

Janice paused, looking over at Adrian. However, he was busy giving Yvette a nervous glance, her expression souring, and quickly diverted the conversation. "Let's talk about that later. Tonight's all about celebrating Jayden. Let's make sure he's the one we're toasting to the ground."

Adrian's buddies, the same ones who had been at his proposal, jumped in to lighten the mood. "Right, right, let's make a deal–whoever hits the floor first tonight is footing the bill!"

Janice's gaze fell, and she quietly slipped into a corner to sit down.

Adrian, after getting Yvette settled, instinctively draped his jacket over her legs. It was only after this gesture that he caught a glimpse of Janice, sitting alone, and could not help but feel a twinge of guilt.

Adrian leaned in a bit closer to Janice, trying to clear the air with a few words. Janice, who was usually glued to his side, was staring down at her phone, not even bothering to look up at him.

Adrian was taken aback and could not help but peek at her phone, only to find a shopping page full of wedding dresses staring back at him.

A smirk tugged at his lips as he leaned back, settling into the chair with a cool, dismissive ease.