Chapter 3

3.

The next morning, I got a text from a boutique.

"Mr. Sterling, the custom wedding dress you ordered has arrived. When would you like to come in for a fitting?"

The message reminded me that I had ordered the dress the very night Seraphina accepted the bracelet.

But as soon as I sat down in the boutique, Seraphina and Dominic walked through the door.

After last night's confrontation, I didn't want to make a scene in public, so I moved to a different corner.

"Caleb Sterling! Of course it's you!"

I had barely sat down when Seraphina's voice shrieked across the room.

"Was that custom dress yours? Give it to me! I want it."

She looked at me as if it was her birthright.

I looked up at her calmly. "Once I process the return, you can order it yourself."

Seraphina sneered at me. "Wasn't this dress meant for me anyway? Just consider it a final gift."

I felt a headache coming on.

I had personally contacted a top designer to create this piece.

All the excitement I had felt then had turned into a dull ache.

"You really want that dress?" I asked softly.

Seraphina smirked. "Yeah, I do."

I pulled up my payment QR code on my phone and held it out.

"Fifty thousand dollars. Scan it, and it's yours."

Seraphina stared at me, dumbfounded. "What is wrong with you?"

"Pay up," I said.

"Or did you really think I'd give it to you for free?"

Seraphina's face turned bright red with fury.

"Fifty thousand? There's no way you spent fifty thousand on a dress!"

"Stop acting like you're rich just to save face, Caleb! It's pathetic!"

Her voice grew more certain, her eyes filled with more and more disgust.

I wasn't even angry. A sarcastic smile played on my lips as I called over a staff member and told them I wasn't returning the dress after all. I told them to pack it up for me to take away.

Seraphina looked like she was about to explode.

I stood up and left before she could get another word out.

After that day, I spent every waking moment packing.

I stood in front of my glass display case, looking at all the worthless little trinkets inside.

I let out a bitter laugh.

I had custom-built this case just to hold the "gifts" Seraphina had given me over the years. Even a crumpled napkin she had used, I had kept like a treasure.

I grabbed a heavy-duty trash bag and started tossing everything inside, one by one.

I hauled the bag down to the dumpster at the edge of the complex and threw it all away.

The day before I was set to leave, an old friend called and asked if I wanted to go to an escape room.

I figured it was a good chance to say a proper goodbye to the group.

But I didn't expect Seraphina and Dominic to be there.

The moment Seraphina saw me, her face darkened.

But with Dominic there, she managed to keep her mouth shut.

The friend who invited me didn't seem to notice the tension. Once everyone arrived, he led us into the game.

Not long after we started, I got separated from the main group.

I ended up alone with Dominic.

The silence between us was stifling. Just as I was about to say something, a heavy prop from the ceiling came loose.

It crashed down, pinning me to the floor.

Dominic rushed over, trying to lift the prop, but his hand slipped, and more of the weight shifted onto me.

That was when Seraphina and the others burst into the room.

She saw Dominic struggling on the floor and rushed to him, panic written all over her face.

"Dominic! Are you okay?"

Without waiting for him to speak, she turned and pointed a finger at me.

"Caleb, is this your sick way of getting revenge? You tried to hurt him!"

I gasped for air, the pain in my chest throbbing, but I still managed to laugh.

That was the difference between love and indifference.

I didn't argue. I just closed my eyes and turned my head away.

The ambulance arrived quickly, and I drifted in and out of consciousness.

When I finally woke up, I saw a girl in a staff costume sitting by my bed.

Seeing me awake, she immediately buzzed for the doctor.

After the doctor confirmed I was stable, she told me she was an actress at the escape room and had been the one to bring me to the hospital.

I thanked her quietly and asked about the others.

The girl told me that Dominic had already been discharged and left with his girlfriend.

I nodded slowly. I wasn't surprised.

Against the doctor's advice, I insisted on being discharged.

I dragged my aching body home, grabbed my suitcase, and headed straight for the airport.

I survived that accident, and I knew better things were coming.

The last eight years were officially dead.

Now, I was walking toward a better future.

Before the plane took off, I posted one last update.

"Leave the past behind. Face the future without fear."