There was no reason to give it anymore.
I hesitated for a moment, then went to the front door to collect the package anyway.
I didn't expect what I found when I opened it. Zoe and Seth stood on the doorstep together, and I caught the tail end of their conversation—they were discussing wedding details.
When he saw the red marks on my neck, he frowned instinctively, a flash of something like concern crossing his eyes.
"I didn't come pick you up from the hospital because something came up."
"Don't take those banquet hall jobs anymore. Haven't you embarrassed me enough?"
"I was just teaching you a lesson. After all these years, how have you still not shaken off that cheap, desperate look?"
So he had recognized me that night after all. He'd just pretended not to know me.
Because he was afraid I'd embarrass him.
He'd rattled off all those sentences, and not a single one asked if I was okay.
Even though I'd already let go of any expectations I had of him, the ache in my chest was impossible to ignore.
Maybe because he thought everything was settled between us, he felt even more free to say whatever he wanted.
I nodded, shifting aside without much care to let them in.
But the next second, my phone rang. It was the hospital.
"Your grandfather's treatment requires an additional payment. Please settle the balance as soon as possible."
Zoe saw her chance. She hooked her arm through Seth's and grabbed the crystal ball from the delivery box, hurling it to the floor.
"You should know by now that Seth and I are getting married. Did you really think a cheap little gift like this would help you cling to him any longer?"
"Your marriage to Seth was never anything more than a scheme to repay a debt."
"You'd better start familiarizing yourself with the wedding program. Seth and I will need you to emcee the ceremony."
"Do this one thing right, and I'll make sure your grandfather gets the help he needs."
Seth instinctively pulled his arm, a half-hearted resistance, but he said nothing. He let it happen.
Zoe tossed a thick stack of wedding planning brochures into my arms.
I opened them. Every page was dripping with luxury, every detail meticulously planned. My fingertips went cold.
I thought of my own wedding to Seth.
A handful of guests. Bare-bones. Barely a ceremony at all.