Chapter 3

3、

For the rest of the time, Bianca didn't look at me once.

She even made a point of holding Zale's hand as they swaggered out of the clinic together.

I just watched them leave with a faint smile.

When I got home, I pulled out a framed photo I had kept hidden in my drawer.

It was the photo we had taken for our marriage license―the only photo we had together.

Looking at it now, everything we had been through seemed like a bad joke.

I had known Bianca for ten years, yet I couldn't compete with one year of Zale.

I held the corner of the photo over a candle flame and watched it turn to ash.

That night, somewhere between sleep and waking, I felt a hand on my waist.

"Who's there?"

I jumped up and saw Bianca lying in bed next to me.

She seemed startled by my reaction.

"Relax, it's just me!"

I frowned deeply. "What are you doing here?"

Her expression soured at my tone.

"This is my house too. Do I need your permission to be in my own bed?"

"Besides, tonight was supposed to be our wedding night. If I don't stay here, the neighbors will have even more to gossip about."

She sat up and clicked on the bedside lamp.

I wanted to tell her that people were already laughing at us.

But then I realized there was no point in arguing anymore.

I turned over to go back to sleep.

Suddenly, Bianca pulled a ring out of her pocket.

I recognized it instantly. It was the wedding band I had spent months picking out.

The one I saw her give to Zale at the ceremony.

Did she take it back from him?

Before I could react, she grabbed my hand and slid it onto my finger.

When I looked up, I saw a smug, triumphant look on her face.

It reminded me of her saying, "He can't live without me."

The next second, I pulled the ring off.

"Zale liked it so much. Why don't you let him keep it?"

The smile on her face froze.

She looked at me with genuine confusion.

"This is our wedding ring, Kieran. I'll buy Zale something else later."

"Zale and I are just like siblings. Can you please stop being so jealous and petty?"

"Everything that happened today was your fault for being difficult. Zale has always seen you as a brother."

I let out a sharp laugh. "Is that so? Should I thank him for his kindness?"

Hearing my sarcasm, Bianca frustratedly ran a hand through her hair.

"Kieran, when did you become so damn unreasonable?"

Just then, there was a heavy pounding on the front door.

"Commander! Are you awake? Zale is sick again! You need to come quick!"

Bianca was out of bed and dressed in seconds.

As she reached for the door, I called out to her.

"Bianca, since I'm so unreasonable, go ahead and cancel our marriage application tomorrow."

Her hand froze on the doorknob. She turned to look at me.

For a moment, the air in the room felt like it had turned to ice.

The knocking started again, louder this time.

"Not happening," she said flatly. "We're going to the courthouse in two days."

Then she slammed the door behind her.

The person knocking was Leah Moore, one of Bianca's squad leaders and a close friend of Zale's late sister.

She glared at me with pure disgust.

"Don't think you can bully Zale just because he doesn't have family left. He has plenty of 'sisters' in this unit who will protect him."