Chapter 3

Isaac really didn't love me. Hearing I was trying on wedding dresses didn't even faze him. Instead, he asked, "When's the wedding?"

"Next Wednesday," I told him honestly.

"I have an awards ceremony that day. I'm busy. Pick another date."

I didn't want to change it. "It's fine, Isaac."

I was about to say he didn't have to come when he cut me off.

"Fine, if you're set on that day... I'll swing by the wedding after the ceremony."

"Don't bother," I said softly. "Isaac, you really don't need to come."

He wasn't listening. "Since you're planning a wedding, I'll just take Clara to the awards ceremony instead."

Before I could say another word, he hung up.

I laughed dryly, suddenly remembering how two years ago, I'd begged Isaac to take me to see the ocean.

He'd refused without hesitation. "Jane, driving to the coast takes four hours. Round trip, that's eight. Do you know how much data we could process in that time? Don't waste it on something so pointless."

Just three months after that, he'd booked last-minute tickets to a tropical island and taken Clara to the beach.

He said researchers needed to unwind to perform at their best.

Then there was last year's celebration party. I went as his plus-one.

But the whole night, everyone crowded around him and Clara.

They talked about the struggles of the experiment, their seamless teamwork.

Someone joked, "God, you two are like soulmates! That look you just shared—I almost thought you were a couple!"

Clara blushed and glanced shyly at Isaac.

He didn't deny it.

And I sat in the corner, shrouded in shadow, like an intruder who didn't belong.

Maybe I'd always been an intruder in his life. That's why he never got used to me.

The day before the wedding, my dad's gout flared up, making it hard for him to walk. But he had paperwork that needed to be dropped off at the university administration building.

"I'll take it, Dad."

The admin building was right past Isaac's lab.

"Well, look who it is."

A sharp voice stopped me.

It was one of the male researchers from the lab—always cozy with Clara, always eager to join in when she mocked me.

He was holding two coffees and blocked my path. "What, here to check on Isaac again? Jane, don't you have any self-respect?"

"Isaac's in there preparing reagents for Clara right now," he said mockingly. "You know, ever since you staged that car crash to get his attention, Clara's been crying herself to sleep. She feels guilty, like she drove you to it."

That was their version of events.

My accident was just a pathetic stunt to win him back.

"Move," I said coldly. "I'm not here for Isaac."

He shoved me hard. "What else can you do besides cling to a man? We don't want you here!"

"Get your hands off her."

A tall figure caught me.

I looked up, surprised. "I thought I told you to wait in the car?"