Nikki’s breath hitched. She sniffled and forced a small, bitter smile. "I’m bad luck too. Tough life, unlucky fate… maybe we’re a perfect match."
Silence stretched for a few seconds before David suddenly let out a low, soft chuckle.
"Alright. Wait for me. In seven days, I’ll come back and marry you."
He must have heard the quiet sobs she was trying so hard to suppress. His sigh was barely audible, but when he spoke again, his voice carried a rare warmth—calm, steady, almost reassuring.
"Nikki, don’t cry. From now on, you have me."
The call ended, yet Nikki felt as if she had just woken up from a dream.
She hadn’t expected David to actually agree…
Though his face was nothing but a vague memory now, his deep and clear voice made her wonder—he probably wasn’t that old yet, right?
But it didn’t matter. She had chosen to marry him for one reason only—to protect that heart. She had no other expectations.
Over the years, she had learned the hard way—wishful thinking only led to punishment from fate.
And fate had already punished her until she had nothing left to lose.
With David’s answer, a strange calm settled over Nikki. She focused on preparing for the wedding in seven days.
The Hewitt brothers, as always, expected her to cook their meals. Over the past few days, they kept messaging her, ordering dishes for her to prepare and sending them to the hospital to help Lora recover.
But Nikki never replied. Not once.
They assumed she was just throwing another tantrum—until they heard from others that she was busy preparing for a wedding.
Their reactions were exactly as expected—mockery, laced with disdain.
"So much for saying she wouldn’t marry either of us," Brad scoffed. "Looks like that was just a reverse psychology trick to force a proposal."
Lora forced a delicate smile. "I envy my sister… She had the two of you growing up with her, childhood sweethearts, two little kids playing together. But my body is weak—I probably won’t even be able to attend the wedding."
Brad immediately tried to comfort her. "Who’s even marrying her? Lora, if you’re not going, neither am I. My brother and I will just skip it, let her have the ceremony alone—see how she likes becoming a laughingstock in all of Seattle!"
Howard murmured a few reassuring words to Lora as well, but his mind was elsewhere. He couldn’t shake off what he had overheard at the hospital that day. A nagging unease settled in his chest.