Chapter 27
Three years passed in the blink of an eye. A grand wedding was being held at Nord City’s largest tulip estate.
Rumor had it that the bride was Isabel Lodge, the general manager of Medina Corporation. She loved tulips. Her groom was Liam Golding, the CEO of an energy company that was a global leader. He’d purposely returned to Caledon a year ahead of the wedding to plant a garden full of tulips for Isabel. They’d already had a globally celebrated wedding in Almonia, but this smaller ceremony in Liam’s hometown of Nord City still left the guests in awe. All the elites in Nord City were in attendance. This was their chance to rub shoulders with the two conglomerate heirs, after all.
PC
Naturally, Kendall was among them. He felt like a lifetime had passed as he stared dazedly at Isabel, who glowed in her custom–made wedding dress. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he’d last seen her. Three years ago, he’d pursued Isabel doggedly in Almonia. Initially, he’d thought Liam was just someone she’d gotten to act as a cover so he would leave her alone.
But later, he witnessed them growing more intimate and becoming glued at the hips. One night, he’d even hidden in a dark corner and witnessed them kissing underneath the moonlight.
Kendall’s breath had left him in that moment, and he’d heard the sound of his soul being ripped from his body. Pain spread through him, and he’d collapsed on the ground as his strength left him.
He didn’t see Isabel again after that.
Later, something had gone wrong with the Johnson family’s business, and they’d spiraled toward bankruptcy in the course of a night. Kendall had had no choice but to drop out and return to Caledon to bear the burden of keeping his family afloat.
After struggling for a few years, he’d managed to get the family business back on its feet, but only barely. Things weren’t deteriorating, but they also weren’t improving.
Each time he saw photos of Isabel in the news, he clearly felt that the distance between them was growing.
Just then, countless doves were set free. They flew over the tulips and disappeared into the distance. The guests exclaimed in delight and congratulated the happy couple, envious of their love.
Kendall wasn’t standing too close to them, but he still heard Isabel firmly say, “I do.”
He grimaced. He vaguely remembered her giving him a hand–carved wooden ring on his 20th birthday. He’d taken it from her in a drunken haze and mumbled, “Are you proposing to me, Izzy?”
She’d flushed, and even her ears had turned an adorable shade of red. The sight had made Kendall feel even more drunk. He’d made her his first promise while looking at her teasingly. “A man should still be the one to propose. What would you say if I were to ask you to marry me?”
She’d said sweetly, “I do.”
Those were the exact words she’d just said to Liam.
Kendall backed out of the crowd and left the venue. The weather was lovely—the sun hung high in the sky, but its rays were piercing to him. Tears streamed down his face.
He stood in the sunlight, but a shudder ran through him. Those summers of love and pain were gone forever, and they never would return.
