Chapter 1

My mom’s face fell instantly.

Her hands shook with anger as she forced the vintage, million-dollar diamond heirloom ring back into her purse.

She turned to look at me, her lips pale with rage.

"That Julian guy is doing this on purpose! I knew he was trouble from the start. Who keeps changing a house design this many times?"

"Mom," I whispered, cutting her off. "Chloe’s parents are still in the room."

Everyone’s attention had been drawn to Chloe and me because of that cheap pipe fitting.

Then, their eyes shifted to Julian Brooks, our interior designer.

Julian pushed up his glasses and gave Chloe an approving nod.

Chloe was completely absorbed in her discussion with him, pointing out several other things she wanted to change.

Marcus, the general contractor, was a smart guy.

He cracked a few jokes about imported materials, instantly breaking the tense silence in the room.

My mom didn’t say anything else. She just walked over to discuss something with my dad.

The inspection ended in a blur. I barely paid attention to the rest of it.

I could feel the apologetic, helpless stares coming from Chloe’s parents.

Meanwhile, Chloe was still in the bathroom with Julian, passionately debating some minor layout adjustment.

The chemistry between them had long crossed the line of a normal client-designer relationship.

Originally, Julian was only hired to handle the basic utility and plumbing layouts.

But Chloe had insisted on handing the entire interior design over to him.

She kept saying he was a genius and needed room to unleash his creativity.

She even insisted that he attend today’s walkthrough, despite it being an intimate event meant only for our families.

Once we left the house, my mom found a moment to whisper to me.

She grabbed my hand tightly, her voice dripping with suppressed fury.

"That designer has been playing games since last year. I did some digging, Ethan. He and Chloe went to college together in London. He’s actively trying to ruin your wedding. And Chloe is letting him—"

"Mom," I said, gently squeezing her hand. "I’ve got this. Let’s not talk about it right now."

She sighed and dropped the subject.

The others had already left the driveway.

Chloe walked over slowly. "Ethan, we found a lot of issues today."

She naturally slid her arm through mine, acting as if nothing had happened.

I quietly pulled my arm away.

"I need to help our parents to their cars."

She didn't seem to notice my coldness. "Okay, sounds good."

After sending them off, we drove back to our apartment.

The car merged into the heavy rush-hour traffic.

The rearview mirror caught my expressionless face.

The man in the reflection looked incredibly exhausted.

"About today," Chloe suddenly started explaining, "that pipe really was substandard. Julian has an incredible eye. We’re lucky he caught the issue."

"Since it’s our dream home, we can’t have any flaws. Don’t overthink it."

"Julian is already contacting a British supplier to see if we can get a rush delivery."

I remained silent, staring at the red taillights of the traffic gridlock ahead.

She waited for a response. When none came, she finally looked up from her Snapchat chat with Julian. "Are you mad?"

She leaned closer to me. "Didn't we agree to build the most perfect home together?"

She rested her hand on my arm and leaned her head against my shoulder.

She spoke to me like she was soothing a toddler. "Our home is going to be better than everyone else's. Everything inside must be imported. Just be patient."

A wave of utter exhaustion washed over me.

It was always like this.

She used the excuse of "perfection" to keep pitching a future that would never arrive.

And she expected me to put my entire life on hold for it.

"Chloe," I said, keeping my eyes on the red light ahead.

"Yeah?"

"My dad’s health is failing." My voice was dead calm. "When he was hospitalized last time, I promised him he’d see me get married this year."

"I want him to watch me start my family. I want him to have peace of mind."

The car fell dead silent.

She sat up straight, pulling away from my shoulder.

"That was your promise to your dad. Why didn't you discuss this with me first?" Her tone grew irritated.

She picked up her phone again, her fingers tapping the screen with impatience. "The house isn't even finished yet! How can we get married? What, are we going to invite all our friends to this tiny apartment?"

"We need to take our time to make it perfect. Why are you in such a rush?"

Her excuses were getting lazier and lazier.

I suddenly remembered my dad using all his connections to book our wedding venue for Labor Day weekend two months ago.

When I had excitedly shared the news with her back then, a flash of anxiety had crossed her eyes.

"That’s great!" she had said. "I’ll tell Julian right away. I want him to design the wedding hall!"

Then, she had immediately gone back to scrolling through her phone.

Back then, I was just happy we finally had a date.

Now, I realized how incredibly foolish I had been.

The car pulled up to our apartment building and stopped.

Chloe unbuckled her seatbelt.

Assuming the conversation was over, she leaned in to kiss my cheek.

I turned my head away.

She froze.

"I'm tired, Chloe."