Chapter 3Take My Bride She Is Yours

A radiant smile broke across Caleb’s face. "I knew you were the best bro ever! Don't worry, I’ll take great care of her for you."

Throughout the rest of the meal, Elena sat in stony silence.

I couldn't fathom what she was brooding over. When the server finally brought the bill, Elena tapped her black card against the terminal without looking up.

"Ma'am," the server said brightly, handing over a promotional card, "we have a promotion today. If you leave a review, we have a complimentary gift set for your husband."

He smoothly extended the menu of gifts toward Caleb.

Caleb accepted it without missing a beat. "I'll take this leather cardholder!"

Elena quietly scanned the QR code to finish the review. Not a single person at the table corrected the server. Not a single word was offered in explanation.

The moment we stepped through the front door of our apartment, Elena shoved me against the entryway wall, her frame radiating sharp, suppressed fury.

"Since when did my fiancé become so generous?" she hissed, her dark eyes pinning me down. "Throwing me into another man's arms like I'm nothing?"

I pushed her hands off my chest with a cold shove. "You said yes before I even got there."

She stood frozen in the foyer for several seconds.

"I told him I’d only go if you agreed," she said, her voice dropping. "I thought you would say no."

When I didn't respond, she let out a bitter, humorless laugh. "Whatever. It’s just one day of pretending. We're getting married next week, Eli. I have the rest of our lives to make sure you care about me again."

Hearing her deliver those polished, poetic promises felt like nails on a chalkboard. Elena was an extraordinary actress; she had proved that over the last three years. If she weren't, I never would have been fooled so completely.

I reached down, slid the platinum band off my ring finger, and set it on the entryway console with a soft, final thud.

"Whether you wanted to go or not is between you and your conscience," I said quietly. "Don't push the blame onto me. And take this back."

Elena’s face drained of color. "What are you doing? He's your best friend, Eli. Stop throwing a tantrum over nothing."

Her eyes locked onto the ring, her hand reaching out to grab it, but the sudden chiming of her phone cut the tension in half. It was Caleb's custom ringtone—the same melody programmed into my phone.

She looked at the screen, hesitated, and stepped back toward the door.

"Eli, something urgent came up at his parents' place. I might not be back tonight." She avoided looking at the ring on the console. "His hometown is a few hours out. It might take a couple of days, but I promise I’ll be back the evening before the rehearsal."

I gave a faint nod. "Go ahead."

The luminous ticker flashed past:

[Is the fiancé seriously still expecting a wedding?]

[Wait until he sees Caleb crash the altar. He's going to cry himself to sleep for a month.]

[He deserves it for getting between them in the first place.]

The moment Elena’s car pulled away, my phone rang. Caleb's voice came through the speaker, breathless and slightly strained.

"Eli... you've known Elena was my ex all along, haven't you?"

He didn't wait for me to answer.

"I know you two are supposed to get married. I shouldn't have stepped in. But I regret everything I did back then. I never stopped loving her, Eli, and she still loves me." He paused, his voice cracking with staged emotion. "Being with someone whose heart belongs to another man won't make you happy. Can you just... let us be?"

In the quiet, cavernous hallway of my apartment, I let out a long breath.

"Sure," I said evenly. "I'll let you have her."

Caleb gasped on the other end, caught off guard. "You... you mean that?"

"I mean it."

I hung up, blocked his number, and deleted the contact. Our friendship had died three years ago; it just took me until today to bury it.