I shoved the last piece of luggage into my suitcase while flatly answering, “Yeah. Got it.”

Her relief was obvious even through the phone. “Good, good.”

The next morning, I buttoned up a crisp white shirt instead of the one-hundred-dollar suit she’d mocked as “too expensive” for a groom.

Soon, a car horn blared downstairs. At the same time, my phone lit up with her name.

Her voice sounded urgent as she spoke. “Nathan, Daniel needs a translator for something. I have to go help him. Just take a cab to the county clerk's office, okay? It’s only paperwork. I’ll meet you there later.”

Without any complaint, I calmly answered, “Alright.”

But she paused as if she’d picked up on something in my tone.

“You’re not… upset, are you?”

“No. Go ahead,” I replied.

The line went quiet for a second before she sighed in relief.

After the call, Cassandra then turned to Daniel in the passenger seat. “All set. Let’s go take care of your business first.”

Daniel pressed his lips together, looking guilty. “Sorry, Cassandra. It’s my fault. Because of me, you missed signing your wedding license.”

Cassandra reached out and patted his cheek. “Dummy. Nothing’s more important than you.”

Still, deep down, she felt a flicker of unease. Nathan’s calmness earlier had been unusual.

Coaxing herself, she thought, 'Never mind. He probably came around. He knows I care about him. Once we get the license, I’ll make it up to him properly.'

At the county clerk's office, Cassandra's family, relatives, and friends had already gathered, except for the groom and his family. Not a single one of them was there.

Later, Cassandra finally arrived with Daniel, only to see the scene and feel her stomach drop.

“How could this be? Did Nathan get lost? Or did he forget?”

She didn’t dare let her mind go any further.

She dialed his number again and again, but no one answered.

Her face grew darker with each try, her fingers twisting the hem of her dress in frustration.

At last, the line connected.

“Nathan! Where the hell are you? My whole family’s waiting on you!” she shouted.

Nathan's POV

I stared out the window at the familiar streets passing by as I calmly answered, “I already signed the papers. I’m home now.”