Chapter 5

It was the first time Nora had ever seen Elliot this angry. All these years, he had always seemed so calm and collected in front of her that she used to think he would never get jealous. She remembered that back when she was chasing after Elliot, someone once told her there was a right way to win someone over. Clinging to a man every day, like she did with Elliot, would only make him get used to her presence without even realizing it. Eventually, he'd just grow tired of it. So, she tried to play hard to get. She deliberately stayed away for a few days and even made a point of hanging out with another guy right in front of Elliot, hoping to see a little jealousy in him. But back then, even when he saw her talking and laughing with someone else, his expression stayed as calm as ever. He just walked right past her, not even sparing her a sideways glance. That was when Nora realized that playing hard to get might work on others, but not on Elliot. Eventually, they slipped back into their old pattern—with him walking ahead, and her always chasing after him. In the blink of an eye, six years had gone by. And now, at long last, she finally got to see what Elliot looked like when he was jealous. But it was too late. She took her phone back and was about to explain. But before she could say a word, Claire piped up from behind Elliot, "Oh, it's gotta be her best friend! Women always label their best friends as 'Honey' in their contacts." Since Claire had already given an explanation, Nora didn't bother to correct her. She just went back to her room with her phone and dialed the number again. She figured something important must have happened since Lucas had just called. But when she called him back, he started talking about the most ordinary things. "Have you eaten yet? "It's been raining nonstop here in Southport. How's the weather over in Harbor City? Is it raining there? "I heard it's getting colder in Harbor City. You should bundle up and stay healthy, okay?" At first, Nora answered each question, waiting for him to finally get to the point. But after a while, she realized he wasn't planning to say anything important, so she started to lose patience. "Lucas, is there something you actually need? If not, I'm going to hang up now." Hearing her say that, he finally stopped beating around the bush and got straight to the point. "I just wanted to ask if you're starting to regret it. Do you really want to change your groom?" Nora couldn't help but laugh. "Did you beat around the bush so long just to ask that?" However, Lucas answered seriously, his voice carrying a hint of vulnerability, "Yeah. I mean, didn't you really like your boyfriend?" She almost asked how he could possibly know that, but then she remembered that from her very first day at university, her social feed had been filled with posts about Elliot. All of them were about her relentless pursuit, the day he finally said yes, all the little everyday moments, the excitement of getting engaged, and now, the decision to change the groom. Nora had made her feelings for Elliot so obvious that the whole world knew how much she loved him. There was no way anyone could have missed it. She shook her head with a bitter laugh. The long silence on the line made Lucas nervous. He was afraid she might say, "Yes, I still love him, so forget about being my new groom." But then, at last, he heard her reply. "Not anymore." Nora paused, then added, "Don't worry, Lucas. I said I'd change the groom and marry you. I'm not going to regret it because of Elliot."