Chapter 3

When I went back to the rental apartment for the last of my things, I heard Rhys downstairs.

He was smoking with a few friends beside the flower bed near the entrance.

One of them laughed. "Rhys, Audra's even bought a place at Alder Bay. She's gone this far, and you still haven't pulled out a ring?"

Rhys flicked the ash off his cigarette.

"What place could she buy? You think she could afford Alder Bay on her salary?"

"She put the contract on Instagram."

"It's just a deposit. She wants me to make the first move."

I stood around the corner, still holding a cardboard box.

The awning above the entrance reminded me of our second year together.

It had been pouring that night; I'd worked until the early hours and couldn't get a ride.

Rhys had stood in the floodwater waiting for me for two hours, his pant legs soaked, then carried me on his back across the flooded intersection.

I'd asked if he was tired.

He'd said, "It's worth it if I get to pick you up."

The way he'd treated me back then had been real.

He drew confidence from those moments now, certain I wouldn't leave no matter what he said. That was real, too.

Another friend brought up Coralie. "Your cousin's girlfriend said that before she'll say yes, he needs to get her a $20,000 ring and then talk to her about owning a home together. Audra's never asked you for any of that."

Rhys's voice was flat.

"They're making serious plans for marriage."

It felt as if the air were suddenly pressing down on my chest.

Someone asked, "Then what have these six years with Audra been?"

He paused.

"It's been six years, and now she's insisting on a ring and a place just so she can post pictures and make people jealous. Leave her alone for a while. When those monthly mortgage bills come, she'll come back to me."

The men laughed.

One of them threw an arm around Rhys's shoulders and took his phone, which still had a diamond ring page open on the screen.

"You've already picked out the ring. What are you pretending for?"

Rhys took his phone back.

"I'll give it to her when she's ready to talk to me properly. It's been six years; I'm not planning to shortchange her."

The ring wasn't a promise; it was a reward he planned to casually hand me once I backed down.

I'd meant to remind him that the rent was going up next month and organize the landlord's and maintenance workers' contact information for him.

After doing those small things for six years, it had become second nature.

But apparently, he thought even my leaving was just another fuss I was making.

I turned and went to my insurance agent's office.

After checking my information, the employee asked if I was sure I wanted to change my beneficiary.

Rhys was the primary beneficiary on my life insurance policy.

When I'd written his name down four years earlier, I'd thought we would eventually be family in the eyes of the law.

"I'm sure."

The employee explained, "We'll submit this to the insurance company. Once the change takes effect, the previous beneficiary will no longer be eligible for the benefits under this policy."

"Okay."

As the receipt for my change request printed, my real estate agent called.

The condo at Alder Bay was finished and ready to move into.

I'd increased my down payment and gotten a new mortgage preapproval. The agent said we might be able to move closing up by a week once the inspection, title search, and bank approval were complete.

I folded the receipt and left the office.

Then I changed the emergency contacts in my phone's medical ID and at work, one after the other.

Rhys's messages kept coming.

[Come back tonight and sign the lease renewal.]

[Don't pretend you haven't seen this.]

I opened our chat, my finger hovering over the keyboard.

Every time we'd given each other the silent treatment, I'd been the one to break the silence.

I'd been afraid that letting it go on would damage our relationship, afraid he'd really stop wanting me.

So even though I was the one being shut out, I was always the one who ended up apologizing.

This time, I didn't reply.

Instead, I opened the floor plan for Alder Bay.

For the first time in six years, I actually looked forward to a future without Rhys.