"What's wrong with a check-up?" I asked, puzzled by his sudden change in tone. "Lots of couples do premarital health screenings, don't they?"

"That's only for people who sleep around. We don't need one!" Jake replied. "Besides, it's not even required for marriage anymore. Why waste time?"

"Waste? It's about taking care of our health..."

I was about to make my case when his phone buzzed, cutting me off. He glanced at the screen. "A buddy just texted. Something urgent came up, and I need to go. Want me to drop you off first?"

He was already standing before I could respond. Seeing how rushed he was, I swallowed my words.

"No need, I can get home on my own. You should hurry," I said.

"Alright, I'm off then."

He left in a hurry, and as I watched him go, a feeling of unease crept over me. Was he trying to dodge something?

Back home, I texted to let him know I'd made it safely. But he didn't reply. It wasn't until that evening that he finally called.

"Just saw your message. My friend had a bit of a crisis, and I only just got home," he explained.

"What happened?" I asked, concerned.

"It's his ex-fiancée. They were about to get married, but she suddenly demanded an expensive engagement ring and insisted on a lavish wedding. My friend's just an average guy—there's no way he could afford all that. They broke up, but now she regrets it and showed up at his place, threatening to hurt herself."

Jake paused, then asked, "Laura, your family wouldn't expect a big, fancy wedding, would they?"

I frowned. Asking about wedding expectations was fine, but the way he'd framed it, like he was prepping me for something, made me uneasy. Still, I answered, "My mom mentioned something small and intimate, maybe just close family and friends."

"Small and intimate?" His tone shifted.

"Why? Is that a problem?"

"No, not at all. For you, I'd throw the biggest party in town if I could!" he said sweetly, which put me a bit more at ease.

But then he added hesitantly, "It's just, with the pandemic, business hasn't been great. Plus, we'll need to save for a house, which isn't cheap. So even a small wedding feels a bit steep..."

"I understand," I said.

I'm not unreasonable. I knew he was already thinking of our future with the house savings. I couldn't ignore that.

I decided to be honest. "The wedding is really just a formality. My parents said they'd help out with some of the costs. It's not all on you."

"Really?" Jake's mood lifted. "I knew it—you and your parents are so understanding! Don't worry, we'll figure it out. By the way, did you talk to your parents about setting up a meeting between our families?"

Hearing that, I thought back to his strange behavior earlier. I decided to bring it up again. "About the health screening?"

Silence fell on the other end of the line. After a moment, I heard him ask coldly, "Laura Jefferson, are you doubting me?"

I froze. "No, I didn't mean it like that..."

"If you aren't, then why insist on a screening?" Jake sounded angry. "You're just worried I might be sick or that I'm fooling around, aren't you? I can't believe, after six months together, you'd still think that. I'm really disappointed in you!"

"No, that's not it!" I exclaimed, sitting up in bed. "That's really not what I was thinking!"

I took a deep breath, trying to explain. "I'm not doubting you. I just think it's better for our future. You know, when we get married, we'll probably want kids. If either of us has health issues and we don't know, it's unfair to both of us and to our future children."

The line was quiet for a few seconds. Then Jake's tone softened. "Oh, that's what you meant. But don't worry. No matter what, I'd never leave you. So let's not overthink this, okay?"

I bit my lip. "But I still think it's a good idea to get a health screening..."

"I'll do it when I have time," Jake cut me off. "Anyway, I've got some work to finish tonight. I just wanted to call and let you know I'm okay. You should get some sleep."

Before I could respond, he hung up.

I stared at my phone, stunned. This was the first time since we started dating that Jake had ended the call so abruptly. Was he angry?

After a moment, I texted him: "Goodnight."

Jake didn't reply.

I lay in bed, refreshing my phone, waiting for a response that never came, feeling increasingly uneasy. I closed the messaging app and reopened Reddit, only to see a notification—another post from that same user.

I clicked on it instinctively.

"Hey everyone, I talked to her about the wedding today. She said her family wants something small and intimate, but they'll chip in for some of the costs. I don't know how much they'll contribute, but the more, the better—it could go toward my treatment!"

I froze. A small, intimate wedding? Again? Another coincidence?

I scrolled through the comments. Many were berating him, calling him a monster, and saying they'd expose him to his fiancée.

Someone asked, "What if you don't get enough money?"

He replied quickly, "Then I'll just infect her too. I doubt her family will leave her without money for treatment. And once she gets it, I'll make sure it ends up with me!"

A chill ran through me. What kind of person is this? I couldn't ignore the familiar details in the post, and my fear and doubt grew. I clicked on his profile, hoping to send a private message and find out who he really was.

But as soon as I clicked, I saw that all his previous posts had been deleted. I tried to message him anyway, but it showed an error. He'd disabled private messages.

My unease intensified. I stared at his profile picture, searching for any clue to his identity. I barely slept that night.

The next day, I waited until the afternoon before I finally messaged Jake: "Are you free today?"

A while later, he replied: "I'm on a business trip."

A business trip? Just when I asked him to get a health screening? Why now?

My doubts grew, like a weed that couldn't be pulled. I tried to reassure myself that he might truly be busy. I'd wait until he returned, and then we could talk about the screening again.

But that evening, I saw a photo on his friend's instagram—a picture taken at a bar. Jake's face wasn't visible, but I saw a hand with our matching couple's ring, the one engraved with J&L. It gleamed in the neon lights.

My heart sank. I immediately texted him: "Where are you right now?"

It took him a long time to respond: "Still out of town. Why?"

I stared at the hand in the photo, a sudden chill running through me.

For the next week, I didn't contact Jake at all. He called and texted, but I ignored them.

By the weekend, my parents approached me. "Laura, did you and Jake have a fight? He's been calling us, asking about you."

"He wants to get married but refuses to do a premarital health screening," I told them honestly. "I think something's wrong."

My parents frowned. "That doesn't seem like him. Jake always seemed like an honest guy to us."

I showed them the texts and the photo. They fell silent. Finally, my mom said, "Well, in that case, let me call his parents and see why he's so against the screening."

With my parents backing me up, I felt a sense of relief.

That evening, Jake called again.

This time, I answered.

The first thing he said was, "We'll go get the health screening tomorrow."