Chapter 4
1188 Words
Back when I worked as a wedding planner, some clients worried that the wheel wouldn't land on the outcome they wanted, so they would secretly rig it beforehand.
I ran my fingers over the "Fake Proposal" section.
Sure enough, I felt a hidden magnetic piece underneath.
I raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Because at this point, it no longer mattered what the wheel landed on.
In fact, I kindly offered another idea.
"Since my luck seems terrible today, why don't we skip the next spin? We can just throw darts at the wheel instead."
Jason immediately looked at me.
From that one glance, I understood.
He knew the wheel was rigged too.
"Today, the 'strong independent woman' is going to teach you all something. Luck matters, but effort matters just as much. If you want something badly enough, go after it yourself." I looked at Jason. "You don't mind, do you?"
Jason curled his lips into a faint smile.
"Of course not. Whatever you say."
The group chat started rolling dice again. This time, Jason got the highest number. But instead of taking the turn, he handed the chance to Chloe.
"You didn't get to play last round. Why don't you try this time?"
When it came to Chloe, he always responded.
Chloe stuck out her tongue playfully.
"Then I won't hold back."
Back in college, Chloe and I used to go hiking together all the time.
Whenever we passed games where you had to throw darts at a target, she was almost always perfect.
If my guess was right, she would throw at...
"I hit it! I actually hit it!"
"Forty-eight-hour Boyfriend Swap Card!"
"Chloe, who do you want to switch boyfriends with for forty-eight hours? Pick someone."
Just as I expected, she looked at me.
I smiled knowingly.
"Me? Sure. I don't mind."
Jason stopped laughing.
I looked at him. "Fair is fair. That's just how the 'strong independent woman plays."
He let out a cold laugh. "Fine. You're really something."
"Make them kiss!"
"Come on! A kiss! A kiss!"
Everyone around us was enjoying the show, eagerly cheering for Jason and Chloe to kiss.
Jason looked at me. I said nothing.
He walked over to Chloe and slowly lowered his head.
"Watch out!"
Someone nearby suddenly screamed while pointing at the ceiling.
The crystal chandelier above us flickered and went dark without warning.
A deafening crash shook the room.
But at the critical moment, a pair of strong arms pulled me into a tight embrace.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Someone turned on a flashlight. In the dim light, I saw a pair of terrified eyes.
For a moment, my memories dragged me back to that terrifying earthquake years ago.
Back then, I had just joined a new company in an area where earthquakes were frequent.
Only a few days later, the building I was in collapsed during a quake.
The rescue team had already lost hope.
But Jason refused to give up. For three days and three nights, he barely ate or slept. He searched through the rubble with rescue dogs and dug through the debris with his bare hands until he finally found me.
Jason saved my life.
That was why he had always been given a free pass.
Even after he rejected my proposals nine times, I had never once thought about leaving him for good.
I never imagined that, even now, he would still be the same person he used to be—the first one to rush forward and protect me.
My eyes grew wet. For a moment, I hesitated again.
But the next second—
"Chloe!"
Jason let go of me and rushed toward her. I lost my balance and fell heavily to the floor.
The shattered pieces of the chandelier cut into my skin.
My calf and arms immediately began bleeding.
I couldn't handle the sight of blood. A wave of dizziness washed over me.
In my final blurry moment of consciousness... I saw Jason pull Chloe tightly into his arms, shielding her completely.
When I woke up again, everything around me was white.
Jason was sitting beside my hospital bed, his expression serious.
"According to the bet, I'm Chloe's boyfriend right now. I was supposed to rush to save her first. But I didn't. So I have to accept the punishment.
"I'll give you money. Help me design a proposal ceremony for her."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"You're going to marry her... because of a game?"
A conflicted look flashed across Jason's eyes.
"She's been through a lot for the sake of our relationship all these years. When you think about it, we were the ones who wronged her...
"I originally wanted to use her to provoke you. But somewhere along the way, things changed. Feelings are not always something people can control. You should understand that.
"This time... let me make it up to her."
I closed my eyes.
The last bit of hesitation in my heart disappeared.
When my father died years ago, I didn't attend his funeral. I refused to kneel before his grave.
Everyone called me selfish and immature.
Everyone except Chloe. She stood firmly by my side. Afraid that I would do something reckless, she climbed up to the second floor of my house with her bare hands and stayed with me for seven whole days.
She told me, "You haven't done anything wrong. If you don't want to face something, then don't. He never fulfilled his responsibilities as a father. He never even showed up for a single parent-teacher meeting. He doesn't deserve your love or your guilt.
"Anyone who dares say a word against you, I'll fight them myself."
But now... The two people who hurt me the most were the same two people who once protected me with their lives.
I wondered if, when they chose to betray me, they had ever felt even a fraction of the pain and struggle I was feeling now.
My eyes burned. I clenched my jaw so hard it almost hurt.
"Get out."
I used every bit of strength I had left.
Jason looked at me.
"I'll leave the card here. I'll come back tonight. Think about it again."
After he left, I took out my phone and booked the earliest flight out.
There was no need to wait anymore. There was no future for us.
I placed the surprise I had prepared for him on the table.
Nine proposals. I didn't owe him anything anymore.
Just before boarding the plane, I left the group chat and blocked every contact I had for Jason and Chloe.
That night.
Jason pushed open the hospital room door. The empty room made his heart drop.
A nurse happened to walk in to change the sheets.
"Where is the patient who was staying here?"
The nurse took out a card and an envelope from her pocket.
"Are you Jason Lawrence? The patient in bed three has been discharged. She asked me to give these to you."
Jason's hands trembled as he took them. The moment he opened the envelope, his face instantly froze.
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