Old Promises, New Rings

Jace still hadn't come home at midnight. He had lied to me again.

I didn't feel sad this time, and I stopped flooding him with messages.

Since I was about to leave, I slept even more soundly than usual.

…

The following day, I woke up and started packing first thing in the morning. I stuffed all the gifts Jace had ever given me into a torn bag and dumped it in the trash downstairs.

Before leaving, there was one last thing I had to do. I dialed the number I'd called countless times. "I'd like to cancel my wedding. You no longer have to prepare anything."

The wedding planner knew how much I had been looking forward to it and only canceled after confirming it with me several times.

At some point, Jace had appeared at the doorway. "What did you cancel?"

Celine was standing beside him.

I was about to come up with an excuse, but he didn't give me the chance. "Forget it. Cece's the one who matters now."

His tone left no room for argument, and when he talked about what had happened to Celine, his voice rose in anger. "Cece's boyfriend is an irresponsible jerk! The moment he found out she was pregnant, he ran off like a coward. I'm her brother and also her boss.

"She has no other family. If I don't look out for her, no one will. I want her to stay with us for a while, and I need you to help me take care of her."

Because he felt sorry for her, he had taken her in as his foster sister and also appointed her as his personal assistant so she wouldn't have to struggle at work. And now, he wanted me to be her housekeeper.

I stared at him in disbelief. "Are you out of your mind, Jace? You can hire help. Why should I be the one to care for Celine?"

"Cece's frail and needs constant care. You're the woman I love and trust the most. I don't feel safe leaving her with a stranger.

"Don't be difficult. I'll let you call the shots for our wedding afterward." He squeezed my shoulder to calm me down.

"There's no room for both of us in this home!" The words tore out of me, leaving me drained.

His amiable demeanor vanished in a heartbeat. He scowled. "I'm not asking for your opinion, Regina."

Then, he pulled out his phone and made a call. "Reassign Regina's responsibilities. She'll be on leave for some time. If the project can't proceed without her, discontinue it."

Just like that, the project I had worked on for half a year was discarded because of Celine.

After hanging up, he reached out to hold me. "Be good. You'd only be a burden at the office. You'll be better off staying home and looking after Cece."

Celine's approaching footsteps made him freeze. She walked in with small, careful steps, hanging her head like a child who had done something wrong. "Jay lost his temper because of me. I'm sorry, Rina. I'll be counting on you from now on," she said timidly.

I ignored her and didn't spare Jace another glance. "Fine. Be my guest, then."

In any case, I was leaving the day after. I might as well make room for her then.

Overjoyed, she instinctively tried to wrap her arms around his neck, but he stopped her.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Jace went to answer it.

Even before she stepped inside, the overpowering scent of his mother's perfume had permeated the air. "Hurry up and kick Regina to the curb. You've been together forever, and she still hasn't given you a child. Clearly, something's wrong with her!

"Now that Cece is carrying your child—" I emerged from my room, and she saw me.

Jace panicked and blurted out, "What on earth are you talking about, Mom? Cece's baby isn't mine!"

His mother avoided my gaze and lightly covered her mouth. "There I go again, running my mouth. I merely overheard something on the phone about someone being pregnant and jumped to conclusions. Please don't take it to heart, Rina!"

I took one look at her and said, "I won't, Mrs. Larkin."

I couldn't believe Celine was carrying Jace's child. It felt as though a huge bombshell had gone off in my mind. My chest tightened until I could hardly breathe.

Memories flooded back, and the seven years I had spent with Jace suddenly felt like a cruel joke. I rubbed my eyes hard, refusing to let my tears fall.

I remembered the third year of our relationship, when Jace had excitedly asked me to take him to a labor pain simulator so he could know what childbirth felt like. He had barely made it to level four before breaking out in a cold sweat, and I urged the staff to stop out of concern for him.

Holding my hand, he said that if even level four pain was too much for him, yet I would one day have to endure something far worse, he would cherish me and treat me well for the rest of his life.

We once pictured what our future child's eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth might look like. I belatedly realized that I wasn't the one who should have felt moved at all.

…

After dinner, once his mother left, I went to tidy up my room. Nothing could change my plans for tomorrow.

Noticing that I was packing, he looked a little nervous. "Why are you packing your belongings?"

"I'm just making the room more comfortable for Cece."

His gaze softened, and he wiped the sweat off my forehead. "Thank you for helping Cece, Rina. When this week is over, I'll book the wedding venue you wanted last time."

The wedding venue I liked had been changed at the last minute because his mother hadn't approved of it. Now, I would no longer need that venue.

Had he cared to look, he would've noticed the suitcase under my desk that I planned to take with me the next day. Unfortunately, he didn't notice a thing and simply went to the kitchen to peel an apple for Celine.

It didn't matter anymore. By this time tomorrow, I would be out of his life.