Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I am not angry," I replied calmly, taking a bite of the pastry.

Declan looked taken aback, clearly surprised that I was not interrogating him about yesterday.

After the first two canceled weddings, I had cried for days.

Back then, he tried to comfort me with patience.

Later, his patience wore thin, and he snapped at me. "A wedding is just a formality! It is not like I am actually with her. Can't you just let her fulfill a wish?"

Sensing my cold detachment today, Declan pressed his lips together and softened his tone.

"Finish your breakfast, and I will drive you to the office."

My hand holding the fork paused, a dull ache spreading through my chest.

Because of the car crash in my original world, I had always suffered from severe post-traumatic anxiety when it came to driving.

So Declan had always been the one behind the wheel.

I used to love watching his focused profile as he drove, sharing the little moments of my day with him.

Yet at some point, Declan became perpetually busy.

Too busy sleeping in.

Too busy rushing Hailey's dog to the emergency vet.

Too busy to give me a ten-minute ride.

Gradually, I stopped asking him to drive me anywhere.

I never expected him to offer it so casually today.

I let out a self-deprecating smirk and set my fork down. "No need. I got my driver's license."

Declan froze, his car keys hovering in midair as he stared at me in disbelief.

"When... when did that happen?"

It happened on a rainy night when I worked late and suffered an excruciating stomach ulcer flare-up.

Even two pain pills could not dull the agony.

The rain poured outside, and no rideshares were available.

Pale and drenched in cold sweat, I called Declan repeatedly, begging him to take me to the hospital.

He never picked up.

When the ambulance finally brought me to the emergency room, my stretcher rolled past a private room.

I saw Hailey lying in bed with a radiant smile, while Declan sat by her side, scolding her with fond exasperation.

"Who told you to eat ice cream during your period? You brought this on yourself."

Yet his hands were gently massaging her lower abdomen to ease the cramps.

Tears had rolled down my cheeks, bitter and cold.

I remembered when I was hospitalized years ago, and he had cared for me with that exact same rough tenderness.

That was when I knew Hailey had claimed a unique place in his heart.

From that night on, I taught myself never to rely on him again.

I faced my deepest fear and enrolled in driving lessons. The moment I gripped the steering wheel and merged into traffic on my own, the security I craved finally settled in my chest.

"After that severe stomach attack when you didn't answer my calls, I signed up for driving school," I said casually.

Declan opened his mouth, but no words came out.

He knew how terrified I was of driving, but he never realized when I had conquered that fear, nor when I had stopped needing him.

A strange, unsettling emptiness washed over his face.

I ignored his pale complexion, grabbed my bag, and walked out the front door.