chapter 3

Remembering those words, I felt my eyes sting without even realizing it.

Leander seemed to sense something was wrong. He pulled out his phone and checked it.

Actually, he could have checked his account activity and seen that I'd logged in. But I guessed he was too wrapped up in taking care of Juniper last night to notice. Now he knew.

He knew I'd seen everything.

Leander hung his head. "Olivia, I'm sorry," he said, his voice thick with guilt. "I lied to you.

"Juniper and I met five years ago. We were… together for two of those years.

"But that's all in the past. I don't have feelings for her anymore. The only person I truly love, the one I want to spend my life with, is you."

I was quiet for a moment. "And the messages last night? What did she mean when she said you weren't completely broken up when you got with me?"

"She didn't mean any of that. She was just upset," Leander sighed and let out a bitter laugh. "She was out of her head with fever, saying whatever came to mind. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. But Olivia, I don't want you to misunderstand. When I pursued you, when we got together, things with Juniper were completely over. You were never unknowingly made 'the other woman'."

My voice turned cold. "But you did leave me last night."

"I went to make things clear to her—to tell her I have a wife now, and I don't want her causing trouble for our family." Leander moved closer, taking my hands in his like they were his whole world. Like if I pulled away, he'd fall apart.

Such a flimsy explanation wasn't enough to convince me.

But the look in his eyes seemed so genuine. I couldn't figure him out.

Was I being too petty? Making too big a deal out of this?

After all, it was all in the past.

"Sweetheart, let's just focus on us from now on, okay?" Leander pulled me into a hug. "I won't see her again." I leaned against his chest and sighed.

Maybe he meant every word right now.

We'd stood in front of everyone and promised to trust each other completely. I shouldn't break that promise now.

Just as I closed my eyes and was about to nod, frantic knocking suddenly erupted from outside the door. "Leander? Leander, are you in there? I know you're in there..."

That familiar, fragile, tearful voice hit my ears.

I froze. Leander immediately let go of me and pulled up the doorbell camera feed. On the screen, a woman dressed in thin clothes, looking frail, was slumped against the door, her face streaked with tears as she knocked.

She looked like she was about to pass out right there.

Without a second thought, Leander jumped up and rushed outside.

There, Juniper lay weakly on the floor.

Her pale little face was covered in tear tracks.

But I could still see right through her carefully applied "no-makeup" makeup. Waterproof, of course.

"Juniper, what are you doing here?" Leander hurriedly helped her up.

"You were gone when I woke up. I missed you. You said you wouldn't leave me. You lied. You lied to me again." Juniper's tears fell like rain. She clung tightly to Leander.

Right there at our doorstep, the wedding decorations from our party still hanging bright, she made no attempt to keep her distance.

Leander glanced at me, looking awkward, not knowing what to do with his hands and feet. Even so, he made no move to push Juniper away, letting her cling tightly to him.