Lethal Vows And Buttercream Lies

Tina waits four hours at City Hall for Carter to sign their marriage license. He never arrives, and his texts are venomous. Stepping off the curb in a daze, she is struck by a drunk driver and rushed to the ER, where she sees Carter kneeling beside Mia, gently bandaging her scraped knuckle. The doctor then tells Tina she has miscarried and recommends surgery. She takes a transfer to head the foreign trade division in London.

At home, Carter barely looks up from his phone. When she tells him about the accident and the surgery, he grunts and asks for dinner. He accuses her of pettiness over a forgotten birthday, defends Mia, and shoves her to the floor, tearing her stitches. Only the sight of her passport and birth certificate reminds him of the license he promised.

Tina recalls how he abandoned her parents' feast for fireworks with Mia, and how she always compromised. Her disappointment has run dry; once her visa is processed, she plans to disappear. The next morning he tosses her a velvet box and insults the necklace inside.