She Bet I Wouldn't Leave,So I Vanished

Grace's voice came lazy and unbothered. "Elmer, what is it now?"

I watched the traffic and asked her, "Betting over whose name goes on the invitation. Was that fun?"

Her end went quiet for a beat, then the clink of glasses picked up again. She sounded almost amused. "The invitations aren't even printed yet. I'll just change it back tomorrow. Henry only got back into the country, everyone was teasing him to cheer him up, that's all."

I said, "So my dignity is just the chip you use to win him over?"

Grace clicked her tongue. "You're about to marry me and you can't stretch to this little bit of tolerance? Henry's in poor health. He just wanted the chance to wear a groom's suit once. That's all it was."

Henry spoke up softly on her end. "Grace, don't fight with Elmer because of me. I'll just take the suit off and give it back."

Grace's voice went soft at once. "It's got nothing to do with you. He's been short-tempered lately."

I looked down and saw Henry had posted again. Beside two movie tickets was a shot of Grace's hand resting on the steering wheel.

That Cartier watch was the one I'd bought after half a year of pulling all-nighters, taking side jobs anywhere I could find them on top of my work at the animal rescue shelter.

The caption read: 【For all the days ahead, thank you for always having my back.】

When Grace spoke to me again, whatever patience she'd had was gone. "Elmer, can you stop being such a killjoy? You're out of your mind."

The call cut off. Standing at the intersection, I wiped three years of photos from our shared account in one tap.

My phone buzzed again. Grace had sent me fifty-two hundred dollars, with a note: "Buy yourself a watch. Stop making a scene."

Standing at the subway turnstile, I sent the money back, and set her contact to do-not-disturb while I was at it.

A line came through fast. "Elmer, that's enough. I'm giving you a way out, so take it, before I run out of patience."

I let out a cold laugh and didn't reply.

That night I got back to the wedding apartment and started packing my things.

Boxes piled up in the corner. I tossed my rescue shelter ID badge in along with everything else.

Because of one remark from Mrs. Gilbert, that "a Gilbert son-in-law spending all his time with stray animals is beneath us," I'd handed Director Shelton my resignation just last week.

Thinking about it now, it was almost laughable.

I bent down to dig out the packing tape when a video call from Grace suddenly popped up.

I hit accept. On the screen was the warm lighting of an upscale pet boutique.

Henry stood beside her holding a ragdoll cat. Grace had a bag of imported cat food in her hand, her brow slightly furrowed. "Why did you send the money back?"

I ripped off a strip of tape. "Don't need it."

Grace's voice went cold. "You don't need it? That salary of yours enough to cover the breach-of-contract penalty? Don't make a fool of yourself just to prove a point."

Henry leaned in close to the camera, his eyes rimmed red at just the right moment. "Elmer, is it because I tried on the suit yesterday? Is that why you're angry at Grace?"

I looked at the cat in his arms and said quietly, "There's discharge in its ear. Better not just take photos, take it in to get checked first."

Henry's face stiffened for a second, and Grace immediately blocked the camera. "Can you not talk to people like you're training an animal?"

My hand, holding the tape, went still.

She used to love watching me tend to animals' wounds. She'd say that when I bent over them, the whole of me seemed to glow.

Henry's face paled a little. "It's all my fault. My health's not good, and I had this fixation on wearing a wedding outfit. I'll just delete the photos right now."

Grace lifted a hand and put it around his shoulder, her tone gentling. "Delete nothing. You did nothing wrong."

When she turned back to me she went cold again. "Elmer, look how considerate Henry is, then look at yourself. Petty enough to wear a person out."

I closed the box and said, "You two suit each other."

Grace acted like she hadn't caught it. After two seconds of silence she laughed. "Fine, keep up the act. Tomorrow I'll have my assistant print the invitations over again."