Chapter 2

A sharp, distinctive ringtone cut through the quiet of the apartment. It was the one Olivia had set exclusively for Mark.

She had just stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her. As I stood in the hallway, she rushed past me, her eyes fixed on the glowing screen of her phone on the coffee table.

In her haste, she didn' t see me. Her hip slammed into my leg, knocking it hard against the sharp metal corner of the console table. Pain shot up from my shin. I winced, grabbing my leg, but she didn' t even notice.

She snatched the phone, her back to me, and answered it. Her voice, usually so composed and level with me, was now strained and soothing.

"Mark? What' s wrong? Calm down, I' m here. Tell me what happened."

I leaned against the wall, rubbing my throbbing leg. I finally understood. Her calmness wasn' t her nature. It was what she reserved for me, for the person she didn' t truly care about. The panic, the urgency, the raw emotion-that was for Mark.

She turned, her face a mask of concern. "It' s a company emergency. I have to go."

She didn' t even glance at my pained expression. She just disappeared into the bedroom, emerging moments later in jeans and a sweater, and was out the door before I could say a word.

The silence she left behind was heavy. I limped into the living room and grabbed a large black trash bag from the kitchen.

I started with the small things. The matching coffee mugs we' d bought on our first anniversary, his and hers. I dropped them into the bag, the ceramic clinking softly.

Next, I went to my sock drawer. Tucked away in the back was a small velvet box. Inside was the ring I' d spent months designing. It was meant for her. I snapped the box shut and tossed it in.

On my desk was the unity knot I' d been practicing. A thick, white cord I' d painstakingly woven into a traditional Celtic knot for our wedding ceremony. It landed on top of the ring box.

Then, from the wall, I took down the calligraphy scroll-a gift from a friend-with the Chinese characters for "double happiness." All these symbols of a future that was never real.

One by one, they went into the trash bag.

My phone rang. It was David.

"Ethan! My man! I' m so excited. Seattle is going to be great for you. The firm can' t wait to have you."

His cheerfulness felt like it was from another world.

"Yeah, David. Thanks."

"So, when' s the big day? You and Olivia tying the knot soon?"

I took a deep breath. "The wedding' s off, David."

Just as I said it, the front door opened. Olivia was back. She must have forgotten something. She stopped in the doorway, her keys still in her hand, having overheard my last words.

She looked at me, a perfect picture of confusion on her face. "Wedding' s off? Ethan, what are you talking about?"

Then her eyes scanned the room, noticing the bare spots on the shelves, the empty space on the wall where the scroll had been. A strange, unreadable expression flickered across her face before she quickly masked it.