Locked Out of My Own Wedding - Chapter 9: Chapter 9

On the walk home, I kept feeling a light, teasing brush against my fingers.
I glanced sideways just in time to catch Noah's hand sneaking toward mine, then quickly pulling away. His hands were big, his wrists slender, with just the right amount of blue veins tracing beneath his skin—exactly my type.
After so many half-hearted attempts, realizing I'd noticed him, he turned his head away, his ears flushing crimson. His hands retreated into his pockets like they'd been burned.
…This guy really blushed too easily.
So I slipped my hand into his pocket and laced our fingers together.
He didn't dare look at me, but his grip tightened almost instinctively.
We walked like that, awkward and giddy, all the way to our building—until we spotted the figure waiting at the door. Noah's expression instantly darkened.
Alexander stood there, clutching a bouquet, his gaze lingering a little too long on our intertwined hands.
I almost pulled away out of habit—
Until Noah held on tighter.
That's when it hit me: Alexander didn't matter anymore.
He looked miserable, but the words that came out of his mouth still made my blood boil.
"Stop using someone else to make me jealous, Amelia. I know I messed up."
I didn't bother defending myself. Instead, I asked, "Where's Sophia?"
Last I heard, her parents had grounded her, cutting off contact with Alexander under the guise of "rest and recovery." Only recently had they even found out the two had dated.
My eyes dropped to the bouquet in his hands—multi-headed roses, the same kind he used to bring me when we were together.
The same kind in that photo of him and Sophia trying on wedding dresses.
My voice stayed eerily calm. "You shouldn't give the same flowers to two different people. You're only regretting this now because your little game backfired. Do you even like me? Or is it just the sunk cost—all that time and effort you put in—that makes walking away so hard? Am I just your backup plan now that Sophia's out of reach?"
I squeezed Noah's hand. "I don't cling to things just because I've already invested in them. You shouldn't either."
I'd loved Alexander—really loved him—for seven years.
But people change.
The Alexander who once gently reassured me that Sophia's being unreasonable, we don't have to indulge her was long gone.
Finally, he saw the disappointment in my eyes.
"I just made one mistake…" he said weakly.
I'd had enough. I looked down, pulling out my phone to call security.
Noah's grip loosened—just enough for a bright red booklet to slip from his pocket and hit the ground.
He feigned surprise as he picked it up. "Huh. Whose marriage certificate is this?"
Alexander's forced smile vanished. He just stared, stunned, at the little red book.
Watching Noah dust it off and tuck it carefully back into his pocket, I almost laughed.
Without another glance at Alexander, I stepped into the elevator with Noah.