Chapter 2 Why Did You Suddenly Get Engaged To Valerie

Alexia showed up fast. The instant she spotted Kendra's bandaged leg, she drew in a quick, sharp breath. "What on earth happened? How did it get this bad?"

Kendra skipped any mention of Jaycob's celebration party. She simply said the injury wouldn't ruin her dancing forever. That was enough to calm Alexia down a little.

"You were the star of our whole class," Alexia said softly. "If something like this sidelined you for good, it would be such a terrible shame."

Alexia found a wheelchair and wouldn't take no for an answer. Kendra tried to protest, but it was no use-she ended up letting her friend wheel her toward the exit.

"Kenna, you've really changed," Alexia said in a quiet voice as they moved along. "Back in school, you were always smiling, full of life. These days, you just look heavy, like something is pressing on you all the time. Is it because of Jaycob?"

Kendra stayed quiet. The silence said everything she couldn't put into words.

"You two used to be the couple we all looked up to. Back then, you didn't have family support to rely on, and tuition was no joke. A lot of us were juggling part-time jobs just to get by. But Jaycob wouldn't let you lift a finger. He worked five jobs at once so you could focus on dance. When word got out that you were getting married, we were all thrilled. We thought-finally, a real fairy-tale ending. But now, how did it all fall apart like this?"

Kendra's face turned even paler. She wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come anymore-they had dried up long ago.

Yes-how had it come to this?

For five years, she had kept telling herself lies, convincing herself things would get better. Now the truth stared her in the face. Jaycob no longer loved her. Some people were only meant to weather the hard times together, never to share the good ones. In the life he had built now, there was simply no room left for her.

Alexia wheeled Kendra all the way to the front gates of her house.

"Kenna, let me come in with you," she said. She was worried that Kendra being alone with Jaycob might stir up too many feelings, or that old memories would drag her right back into a marriage that had already shattered.

"Wait here for me," Kendra replied gently, giving her friend's hand a light pat. "I won't be long."

She turned the wheelchair herself and rolled inside.

Jaycob sat on the living-room sofa, glasses perched on his nose, his brow creased slightly as he scrolled through financial headlines on his tablet.

Soft moonlight poured through the tall windows, outlining his figure so sharply and perfectly that even the finest painter would have paused to study it.

Kendra watched him from across the room. For the first time, she didn't step closer.

Jaycob still sensed her presence. He lifted his eyes, a flicker of annoyance crossing them. "It's only a minor cut. Did you really have to come in a wheelchair?"

Kendra didn't respond. She looked away, guided the wheelchair to the elevator, rode it up to the second floor, and headed straight for the bedroom at the far end of the hall.

The bedroom felt vast and empty, stripped down to just a bed and a wardrobe. Her few possessions fit into one small suitcase, the same way they had when she first arrived here five years earlier.

With one hand steering the wheelchair and the other tugging the suitcase behind her, Kendra moved awkwardly down the hall. She pressed the elevator button and rode back to the first floor, the quiet hum of the machinery the only sound breaking the stillness.

"Jaycob," she said softly as she rolled toward Jaycob, "this is the divorce agreement."

The moment she had never pictured-even in her darkest thoughts-had finally come. Strangely, a deep calm settled over her. It was like closing the final chapter of a long, tiring play; the stage lights could dim at last, and everyone could finally exhale.

She set the papers down in front of him. Jaycob's eyes fixed on her neat signature at the bottom. A strange, heavy feeling pressed against his ribs.

"Kendra, I'm warning you," he said in a low, icy voice. "Once this is done, there is no coming back. You fought so hard to win over Grandma. You even broke things between Valerie and me when we were already engaged. Are you really ready to throw all of that away?"

Kendra met his gaze steadily. "I'm sorry. I was the one who got it wrong all these years. I wish you and Valerie a long and happy life together."

For the first time, something unfamiliar twisted inside Jaycob's chest-something he couldn't quite name. For five years, she had been a quiet shadow he could never quite escape, always there, always patient, always trailing just behind him. And now she wanted out? He couldn't decide if this was another clever move or if she actually meant to walk away for good.

Kendra lifted her eyes to his again. "I have one last question."

Jaycob gave a small nod. "Ask."

"Back then... why did you suddenly get engaged to Valerie?"