Chapter 2

2

That evening, Jade came home in a rage. She threw a stack of traffic tickets in front of me.

"Caleb Brooks, are you insane? You left my car in the middle of the road in broad daylight. I had to sit through two hours of traffic safety training because of you!"

Two years ago, I was in a terrible accident. I almost lost my life saving Jade from being crushed by a semi-truck. Since then, I suffered from severe PTSD and couldn't drive.

Even now, there is a four-inch scar stretching across my back. She knew perfectly well that I couldn't drive, yet she had abandoned me on the road.

She had already shown me the reality through her actions. I was the only one who had been choosing to ignore it.

Seeing my cold face, Jade softened her tone. She sat beside me and pulled a brand-new tie from her bag.

"The wedding is the day after tomorrow. I picked this out specifically for you. Want to try it on?"

She took out the red and black plaid tie and tried to wrap it around my neck. I reached out and pushed her hand away.

I had seen this tie in the backseat of her car earlier. At the time, I thought it was for me too. That was until I saw the card she had written in the gift bag.

"To my knight, Silas, who always protects me." It was signed: "Yours forever, Jade." Why would I want something that someone else had already rejected?

Jade didn't expect me to refuse. She frowned with impatience. "Caleb, that's enough. Are you really going to be a baby about every little thing? Are you even a man?"

"So, in your eyes, those are just little things?" I asked.

Taking Silas to try on my custom wedding suit? Letting the shop assistants think he was the groom? Leaving me stranded in traffic knowing I can't drive?

And now, handing me a tie that Silas didn't want as if it were a charity?

Jade didn't see a problem at all. She looked at me bossily. "Aren't they? The wedding is in two days. Why do you have to pick a fight now?"

"Is this about the money? Are you still mad that your parents sold their old house for the bride price? There's no need to give me such a sour face over that."

When I had proposed, Jade's parents suddenly changed their minds. They raised the bride price from five hundred thousand to 1.88 million dollars. They said it was for good luck.

My parents were desperate to raise the money. It happened right when I had my accident. My mother had no choice but to sell our ancestral land.

It was exactly three million dollars. After my medical bills, the rest went straight to the bride price. Later, Jade took that money and started a company in both our names. Yet, I didn't even know where her office was located.

I kept my face calm and said softly, "Believe whatever you want." Then, I went into the bedroom.