Chapter 4

After they finished, Mason watched Sienna put her white dress back on.

"Did you do that on purpose today?"

"I was a little jealous."

Sienna's eyes flickered, and she smiled.

"But if Coco is happy, I'm happy. I had to fulfill your years of secret pining, after all."

Mason flicked his cigarette ash, silent.

He remembered the first time he saw Chloe in high school. She wore a designer sports skirt that cost five thousand dollars.

Meanwhile, he had to save up just to buy a five-dollar school lunch.

A group of kids had urged her to report a stain on her skirt, but Chloe just looked down at the grease mark, pursing her lips.

"It's fine. He didn't mean to."

They were worlds apart. It was only natural she didn't remember him.

But humans never learn to be content.

Fortunately, he was now the Mason who could buy her a house full of five-thousand-dollar dresses without blinking.

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt a wave of disgust toward what had just happened.

"Leave before she wakes up."

Sienna paused while putting on her stockings, but she kept her composure.

"Not even married yet and you're already rushing me out? Divorced girls really know how to train their dogs."

Mason raised an eyebrow. Sienna shivered, her eyes suddenly turning red.

"...I'm leaving. No need to look at me like that."

The front door slammed shut.

Mason rubbed his temples, relieved for once that Chloe's hearing issues had never improved.

He washed away the scent of Sienna and changed into loungewear.

The guest bedroom door was open, the blackout curtains drawn tightly.

Before going in, he thought about how her ears had been hurting frequently lately, and that he should schedule a follow-up appointment for her.

In the pitch black, his phone suddenly buzzed violently.

He answered it and flipped on the light.

The fawning voice from the receiver rushed in impatiently.

"Hey, Mason! I hope my useless son didn't upset you?"

"Listen, about that first payment you promised to help clear... it hasn't hit my account yet. What's going on?"

The voice faded into the background.

Mason stared blankly at the neatly made bed.

It was as if he had suddenly gone deaf.

For some reason, a terrible premonition flooded his chest.

He checked the bathroom, the kitchen, the study. Every room was empty.

Ignoring Thomas, who was still rambling, he hung up.

He called Chloe. The first four times, it went straight to voicemail.

The fifth time, the number was disconnected.

He called Thomas back, cutting him off before he could speak.

"Is Chloe with you?"

Thomas's confusion sounded genuine.

"What? Isn't she getting married to you today? We called her too, but she didn't pick up."

He hung up.

Only one thought echoed louder and louder in Mason's mind:

She knew.

"Coco is just throwing a tantrum."

Sienna, who had been called back, was fixing her lipstick in the mirror.

"Think about it. Her family's massive debt relies entirely on you. Without you, she can't even afford her ear doctor visits. Do you really think she'd leave her cash cow?"

Mason sat on the sofa, his face dark.

"She can't hear, and she doesn't have much money. Where could she go?"

"And when exactly did she..."

"Maybe because you never close the door."

Sienna turned and smiled at him.

"I'll just apologize when she comes back. Coco and I are best friends. She always let me have my way when we were kids. She'll forgive me this time too."

"What's the difference if you marry her a few days later..."

Even though they were the same words, hearing them from someone else made his face darken instantly.

"Shut up."

Sienna fell silent for a moment, then slowly walked over and leaned into his chest.

"...Mason, why don't we just forget about her?"

"She's a divorced girl who's been used, and her family is a bottomless money pit. You're just trapped by your own obsession."

"I gave my first time to you. We're a perfect match in and out of bed, and your friends like me better anyway. Since she found out, why don't we just go with it? Let me be the one to marry you..."

The air went dead silent.

Mason looked down at her and let out a mocking laugh.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"