Chapter 3: His Childhood Sweetheart
It took a while after we started dating for me to hear from other people about how close they used to be.
They grew up together in the same courtyard as kids, and their families almost arranged a baby match for them. The biggest thing was that Erie gave her his first kiss, even though they were both really young and didn’t know much
back then.
But when I got upset about it, Eric just gave me a casual smile and tried to cheer me up. “When I was born, there were a bunch of nurses around too. Should I be jealous of all of them? Come on, stressing out so much is why your hair’s been falling out lately.”
When I heard that, I pursed my lips and touched my hair.
“Isn’t that just perfect?” Kelly, who was at his family dinner, glanced at me and said in a flat voice, “Maddie’s a mod- el, right? If she goes for a full bald head and keeps that birthmark on her face, wouldn’t she be an instant hit?”
Everyone at the table, especially Eric’s mom, immediately frowned.
Kelly let out an “ah,” quickly pretending to zip her lips shut as she smiled apologetically. “Look at me, always saying the wrong thing. I forgot Eric’s mom doesn’t like modeling…”
For the first time, I looked right at her. “This is our engagement party. I don’t remember inviting you.”
She paused, quickly putting on an innocent, hurt look.
“After all, I grew up with Eric. I’m practically part of his family… Maddie, being so harsh, do you not want any fe- male friends around him?
“The Gibson family is a prestigious family. I thought his future wife would be understanding and
generous…”
Eric stepped in to ease the tension. “That’s enough. You only cause trouble when you’re back.”
He gave Kelly a deliberately stern look, then turned to put his arm around me, pinching my cheek. “Why argue with a kid? Though I do love seeing you jealous.”
I swatted his hand away, uncharacteristically showing temper, “I’m not jealous!”
Eric had never seen me this mad before, so he was really surprised. But then he laughed and hugged me, his voice su- per soft. “Yeah, yeah, you’re not jealous. I made my wife upset, and I deserve to get in trouble.”
The tension disappeared with his words, and soon everyone at the table was laughing again.
But Kelly, sitting across from me, had a really dark look in her eyes, and her lips were pressed tightly downward.
