Chapter 3

Evelyn suddenly broke down in tears. Her whimpers were soft, almost like she had endured wrongful treatment. "Jon, please don't argue with Ruth because of me. I'm fine! It's only natural that Ruth's upset with me…" Jonathan glowered at me with cold, biting hostility. "You're jealous because I like Evelyn, I'm nice to her, and everyone adores her. You're no longer the Ruth I used to know. You've become so twisted now. Am I wrong?" He then turned to leave with Evelyn in his arms. I watched as the two drew further away. Out of the blue, I realized my tears had dried up without me knowing. It was probably better this way. After all, I had cried numerous times over Jonathan these past few days. At that point, I doubted I would feel sad or cry because of him again. … That night, a group chat of mine was lively with chatter. Jonathan had texted, "I have this sudden urge to get married. What do I do, guys?" The group chat burst into chaos. "Jon, are you finally making Ruth your wife?" "Should we give Ruth a cute nickname like 'Jon's wifey' now?" People in the group chat began tagging me. One of them said, "Congratulations, Ruth! Will you and Jon treat us to a big meal?" Another wrote, "Jon, when are you two inviting us to your wedding?" Everyone clamored excitedly, and notifications soon flooded my phone screen. I was about to text, saying I wasn't Jon's "wifey" or the woman he wanted to marry. However, Jonathan beat me to it. He replied, "What nonsense are you guys spewing? I never said I was going to marry Ruth." Following that, he added Evelyn to the group chat and tagged everyone. "Take a good look, guys. She's my wife-to-be." The group chat fell silent at once, and nobody texted for the longest time. Jonathan asked, "Why isn't anyone saying anything anymore? Go on. Say hi to my future wife." Only then did a few people greet Evelyn. I gave it some thought before texting, "Congratulations. I hope you two have a happy life together." After sending that, I immediately left the group chat.