Chapter Three
Wren's POV
I forced myself upright with what little strength I had left. My forehead was covered in cold sweat.
Ever since the doctor first told me I had less than thirty days to live, I’d wondered countless times whether I should tell Rafael.
I was afraid the truth would hurt him. But I was even more afraid it wouldn’t.
I couldn’t bear either possibility, so I kept quiet.
He studied me with narrowed eyes. My heart pounded painfully against my ribs. After a few seconds, he gave a derisive laugh, disappointment in his eyes.
“You haven’t changed at all. You acted like you were fine with everything. I almost bought it.” His gaze moved over me. “But this little act didn’t get you the attention you wanted, and you couldn’t stand it. Is that it?”
He took a step closer.
“Enough, Wren. Whatever you’re trying to pull, I’m not calling off tomorrow’s wedding.”
My eyes stung. His words felt like a slap, but somehow I still managed to smile.
“You’re so clever, Rafael. Too bad you didn’t come home a little later.”
His expression hardened. “What’s on the floor?”
“Cough drops. My throat’s been bothering me. I dropped the bottle.”
“Then why did you panic when I walked in?”
He glanced around the unlit room and reached for the light switch. I quickly stepped between him and the wall.
“I was just going to bed. You should get some rest, too.” I looked him straight in the eye. “I hope everything goes well at your wedding tomorrow.”
His mouth twitched as if I’d said something funny.
“Doesn’t that depend on you?”
I didn’t understand what he meant. I assumed he still didn’t trust me.
But if the wedding really depended on me, it would be perfect.
Because I wouldn’t be there.
The next morning, Rafael came down the stairs in his black wedding suit.
My chest tightened, and I forgot to breathe. I’d imagined this sight so many times, but never like this.
“You look handsome today.”
The moment he saw me, he frowned, as though he were waiting to see what I’d try next.
I didn’t try anything. I went back to my room and finished packing.
When I’d woken up that morning, my mind had been blank again. Thankfully, my diary was still beside my pillow.
There was only one line on the page: Leave quietly.
I swallowed a painkiller, hoping it would keep me going long enough to drive to my parents’ old house.
By the time I came downstairs, the foyer was full of prominent members of the family.
Rafael glanced at my casual clothes and lowered his voice. “You were upstairs all that time, and you’re still not dressed for the wedding?”
Before I could come up with an excuse, his assistant stepped forward to remind him it was time to leave.
Rafael gave me one last look. “You’re not riding with me. Find your own way to the church.”
“Julian’s picking me up.”
It was a lie, but it was the quickest way to get him to leave without looking too closely at me.
I kept my expression calm. His was unreadable. I couldn’t tell whether my answer had relieved him or annoyed him.
Before I could figure it out, the guests gathered around him and ushered him toward the waiting cars.
“It’s the biggest day of your life, Don,” someone called. “Why so serious?”
The others joined in, urging him to smile. Rafael finally managed a slight smile and got into the car.
I watched from a distance.
I truly wanted him to be happy.
I closed my hand around the old silver chain on my wrist. A tiny ring hung from it, the only thing my parents had left me.
“Mom, Dad, after today, Rafael will have a family of his own. I saw him this morning. He must be so happy.” My voice shook. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be with you soon.”
A breeze brushed my cheek like a familiar hand.
Once everyone was gone, the house was deathly quiet. I let myself cry one last time, then wiped my face, dragged my luggage downstairs, and loaded it into the car.
I was going home.
The road to the church was packed with cars carrying family members to the wedding. Everyone wanted a look at the beautiful woman who was about to become their Donna.
The family believed the more people who attended a wedding, the more blessed the couple’s life would be.
Everyone was heading there.
I was the only one going the other way.
Traffic had come to a standstill, leaving me trapped among the cars headed to the wedding. Through my open window, I could hear several people chatting excitedly.
“God, Rafael’s such a romantic. My cousin’s already there. He says the whole church is filled with white lilies of the valley. You can smell them the second you walk in.”
“My parents just texted me,” another woman said. “The bride’s dress is the same creamy white as the flowers, and the train goes on forever. Come on, we have to see it for ourselves!”
Lilies of the valley. A creamy white dress with a long train.
Exactly like the wedding I’d described to Rafael.
For a second, I couldn’t understand why.
Then I dismissed the thought. Whatever his reasons were, they no longer mattered to me.
As traffic finally began to move, a young man tapped on my window frame and handed me a small gift box.
“It’s the Don’s wedding today. Every guest gets a gift.”
I wasn’t going to the wedding, but I accepted it without saying so.
Rafael must have gone to a lot of trouble to make Odette happy.
I opened the box and took out a piece of almond biscotti. At the first bite, I froze.
It tasted exactly like the biscotti Rafael had made for me when I was little. He’d never cooked before, but he’d spent two full days and nights learning to bake them for me.
No one would ever do that for me again.
Before leaving the main house, I’d left a note on the table.
Rafael, thank you for taking care of me all these years. You won’t have to worry about me anymore. I hope that with me gone, you can have the happiness you deserve.
I finished that piece of biscotti and turned off my phone so no one could find me. Then I gripped the steering wheel.
I drove toward the only home I had left.
I never looked back.
At the wedding, the guests were all wondering the same thing: Why wasn’t the Don with his bride?
Instead, he stood alone at the church entrance, looking anxious, as though he were waiting for someone.
A glimmer of hope returned to Rafael’s eyes when a familiar black sedan came into view.
But the door opened, and Julian got out alone. The hope in Rafael’s eyes faded.
“Julian.”
“Why are you alone?”
“Didn’t you go pick up Wren?”
