Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Seven days after our engagement, my fiancé told me he wanted to marry his first love who was dying of cancer.

I refused to agree, so he spent every single day trying to convince me to be "gracious."

It wasn't until the day before the ceremony that I received a wedding invitation.

That was when I realized our wedding was proceeding exactly as planned, just with a different bride.

He had never once considered my feelings.

At that moment, my heart completely died.

I threw away his engagement ring, deleted every way to contact him, and on the day of his wedding, I joined a classified international aerospace project.

From then on, we would be worlds apart, never to meet again.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Summer? Sienna has terminal cancer!"

"Marrying her is just to make her happy. It's her dying wish."

Caleb Thorne was demanding to marry Sienna Rivers again. I just shook my head, refusing to give in.

He slammed his fork down and looked at me with pure disappointment. "Summer."

"How did you become so heartless?"

His accusatory words pierced my already shattered heart.

I looked up at Caleb, dazed. The anger in his eyes from our argument hadn't faded yet.

I rarely saw Caleb lose control like this.

In my memory, he was always calm and restrained, no matter what happened.

The day my father passed away, he was the one who stayed by my side, helping me handle the arrangements when I was too lost to function.

I knew Caleb's pain was no less than mine back then.

My father had been his mentor. Even in his deepest grief, he only had bloodshot eyes.

He was always so rational.

But all that rationality vanished the moment he reconnected with Sienna.

I suddenly remembered the first time I saw her. It was a quiet morning, and Caleb was in the kitchen making breakfast for me.

His best friend brought Sienna to our door.

The moment Caleb saw her, his face darkened instantly. "Why did you bring her here?"

"She's not welcome."

It was the first time I heard him use such a sharp tone. I instinctively hid in the hallway.

His friend explained in a low voice, "Don't be like that. We've all been friends for years. Sienna only went abroad back then to better herself. It wasn't intentional."

"Whatever misunderstanding you two have, just talk it out. If you can't be lovers, can't you at least be friends?"

Caleb's voice remained cold. "I'm engaged to Summer now. Sienna is a ticking time bomb. I don't want Summer to misunderstand, and I don't want her to feel insecure."

My heart warmed at his words.

I was about to walk out and greet them when I heard Sienna's sobbing voice. "Caleb, I'm sorry… I won't bother you anymore."

She turned to leave.

Caleb's friend snapped, "That was uncalled for! Do you have any idea? Sienna has terminal cancer!"

"She came back just to spend her final days with you. All you care about is this Summer girl. What about Sienna? You loved her so much once!"

The friend left in a huff.

Caleb stood in the kitchen for a long time after they left.

The oatmeal burned, and he had oversalted the eggs.

But he didn't seem to notice.

From that day on, Caleb changed.

Sienna became like a ghost that wouldn't leave, haunting every corner of our lives.

Every time I showed the slightest bit of unhappiness, Caleb would look at me with that same disappointment. "Summer, Sienna is sick."

"Is it so wrong for me to want to spend a little time with her?"

And so, it began.

On my birthday, Caleb was with Sienna watching the sunrise.

On our anniversary, Caleb was with Sienna at the movies.

Even on the anniversary of my father's death, one phone call from Sienna was all it took for him to leave me alone at the cemetery.

Sienna's health supposedly got worse, and Caleb started treated the hospital like a second home. Just when I was about to give up on us, Caleb suddenly proposed.

A sea of roses covered the plaza outside my office. Caleb stood in the center, smiling at me. "Summer, will you let me give you a real home?"

My eyes welled up.

I took the flowers and nodded vigorously.

I never imagined that seven days after our engagement, Caleb would suddenly say, "Summer, let's postpone our wedding. I promised Sienna I'd give her a ceremony first."