Chapter 1

I went to Callan's company to tell him the time of our wedding banquet. When the power went out and I was trapped in the elevator, almost falling to my death, he was fucking his childhood sweetheart in his office.

I was rescued by the fire department, barely clinging to my life. I forced myself to climb the stairs just to see him once.

Callan was carrying his childhood friend in his arms down the stairs with a huge smile. But when he saw me, he frowned in pure disgust.

"Are you here to show off your pathetic status again? Getting engaged to you was already charity, what more do you want?"

"Oh, by the way, the wedding is postponed. We will hold it after Genevieve and I come back from our trip. You handle the guests yourself!"

This was the fifth time he postponed our wedding for Genevieve.

But this time, I told the guests that the wedding was canceled.

1.

The guests didn't say much. They just said they understood. After all, this wasn't Callan's first time backing out, and everyone was used to it.

After dealing with all this, I went to see my therapist alone. She told me that the dark shadows in my mind had returned.

During my week of therapy, I saw news about Callan through Genevieve's Instagram. They went to Aspen, Colorado. At the foot of the snow-capped mountains, Callan rubbed her head for a photo.

She looked incredibly happy riding a husky sled, while Callan led the dogs and looked at her with deep affection. They joined a campfire party, singing and dancing, and then kissed deeply while the crowd cheered.

The last photo showed Callan getting on one knee and putting a ring on her finger. She added a caption to it.

"My absolute best childhood friend canceled his wedding banquet to take me on a trip! Fulfilling my little wish before his final single days, he proposed to me! Even though I put the ring on, my answer depends on his behavior!"

I looked down at my empty hands and couldn't help but force a bitter smile. The wedding date was approaching for the fifth time, yet Callan had never bought me a ring, let alone proposed.

This time, I didn't screenshot the post to question him. I just quietly blocked her account.

I opened the door to our home holding my medicine. Right then, I heard the sounds of a man and a woman moaning passionately in the master bedroom. It wasn't until the door clicked that the people inside realized someone had returned.

Callan still had unconcealed lust on his face. He seemed annoyed that I ruined his fun and frowned deeply.

"Where did you go? No one was home when I got back. Go find some of your clothes for Genevieve. She just took a shower and has nothing to wear."

Genevieve was wearing Callan's oversized dress shirt, barely covering her thighs. She smirked and explained herself.

"Leighton, Callan and I grew up together, and I've seen everything about him. We aren't that strict about boundaries, I'm just borrowing his shirt. You won't mind as his girlfriend, right?"

She intentionally made it sound worse than it was. In the past, I would have clung to this and stubbornly made Callan explain it clearly. But now, I just felt so tired and had no energy to argue with them.

I smiled weakly. "I don't mind. As long as you are happy."

Callan looked a bit weird after hearing my words, staring at me as if searching for something. He pushed me into the bedroom and closed the door.

He came forward to hold my waist, showing a rare, gentle and passionate side. "Honey, are you mad that I didn't spend time with you these few days?"

"Let's make time tomorrow and finish the wedding to grant your wish, okay? Oh, right, we even brought a gift just for you from our trip. Genevieve has it, I'll ask her to give it to you."

He had always been like this, giving me a sweet candy right after a hard slap. Over the past nine years, he had trained me like a dog to never leave him.

I still had a cold face and pulled away from his embrace. I just coldly said, "Whatever."

Seeing this, Callan's face quickly darkened. Maybe out of guilt, he held back his anger. He walked out of the room.

A moment later, he brought Genevieve in and threw a glowing crystal ball to me. "Here, this is the wedding gift Genevieve picked out just for you. She has something to say, so listen closely."

I looked at that familiar crystal ball and my body couldn't stop shaking. Genevieve sounded so arrogant, exactly like in middle school, as she gave a fake apology.

"Leighton, we'll be family once you and Callan get married. I sincerely apologize for bullying you back in middle school. We were young and foolish, and I didn't know you had severe claustrophobia."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have locked you in that pitch-black equipment room. Can you forgive me? I picked this crystal ball just for you as an apology."

Every word she said was carefully chosen, dragging me back into my most painful memories. The dark equipment room, the bugs crawling in, and that familiar mocking voice pulled me back into that awful nightmare.

Like a trauma response, I pushed her away and threw the crystal ball hard against the wall. I squatted on the floor, holding my head, and screamed in agony.

"Get lost! Get out of here! Both of you, get out!"

The crystal ball brushed past Genevieve's leg. Callan immediately held her in his arms to protect her and roared at me angrily.

"Leighton, you're having another breakdown, aren't you! Genevieve came to apologize so sincerely, what more do you want? Everyone makes mistakes!"

"Genevieve told me before that you have personality defects from growing up as an orphan, and I didn't believe it. Now I do! You look so disgusting and sickening when you act like this!"

He slammed the door and left with Genevieve. They only left me behind, terrified and shivering as I curled up on the floor, drowning in my dark memories.