One Touch, One Truth Chapter 03

One Touch, One Truth Chapter 03

The next morning, when I walked out of the bedroom, breakfast was already waiting on the table.

Tristan stood in the kitchen with his sleeves rolled up, acting as though nothing had happened.

“You’re up. Did you sleep well last night?”

My gaze lingered on the glass of warm milk, and for a moment, I drifted into a daze.

I’d always had a sensitive stomach, so Tristan used to take the milk out half an hour early to warm it to the perfect temperature.

Back then, I had believed that someone who remembered details as small as the temperature of my milk couldn’t possibly not love me.

But now…

He still remembered every little thing.

I just couldn’t tell anymore whether it was love, or simply a habit formed over seven years.

Tristan slid a jewelry box toward me.

“Last night, I noticed you kept looking at Cora’s necklace. You deserve a beautiful necklace too.”

His voice was gentle, and his eyes were still filled with affection.

I looked down at the necklace.

It wasn’t the same brand as Cora’s, but the design was strikingly similar.

The only difference was that the diamond was much smaller.

Tristan walked behind me and brushed my hair aside.

The instant his fingertips grazed my neck, another vision flashed before my eyes.

The jewelry store was brightly lit.

Cora sat at the display counter with a necklace laid out in front of her.

It was the very necklace Tristan was about to put around my neck.

She picked it up and held it against her throat.

After studying herself in the mirror for a few seconds, she frowned.

“It’s too plain. And it kind of scratches my neck. I don’t want it.”

She casually took it off and set it back on the counter.

Instead of telling the sales associate to put it away, Tristan stared at the necklace for a moment before saying calmly, “Wrap it up.”

Cora blinked, then smiled, “For Felicity?”

Tristan nodded.

“She wasn’t very happy last night. I’ll buy her something to cheer her up.”

Cora immediately frowned, as if she were genuinely standing up for me.

“Don’t brush her off like that. Felicity’s my best friend.”

Tristan chuckled, “She won’t mind. As long as it’s from me, she’ll love it.”

Cora picked up the necklace again and swung it lightly between her fingers.

“That’s true. Felicity’s never picky. I used to mail her the dresses I didn’t want anymore, and she’d happily wear them to Alpha balls.”

In the vision, Tristan didn’t deny it. He simply told the sales associate to charge the card.

My breathing caught.

During Cora’s first few years abroad, she was always short on money.

I was afraid she’d suffer alone in Europe, so I pinched every penny and regularly sent her what little I could save.

Back then, I couldn’t even bear to buy myself new clothes.

Whenever Cora mailed me dresses she’d already worn, I’d accepted them without a second thought.

I’d believed that was what best friends did. That there was no need to keep score.

Only now did I realize that I’d grown used to accepting everything Cora no longer wanted.

The vision disappeared.

The cold necklace had already settled around my neck.

It felt less like jewelry…

And more like a circle of icy mockery.

Tristan leaned close, his warm breath brushing against my ear.

“Do you like it?”

I removed the necklace and gently placed it back in its box.

“It scratches my neck a little.”

Tristan froze.

For a brief moment, confusion flickered across his face. He couldn’t possibly understand why I’d used the exact same words Cora had.

But he quickly dismissed it as nothing more than lingering emotions. He probably assumed I was still upset.

Ruffling my hair, he said gently, “The ceremony’s only two days away. Don’t let yourself stay unhappy.”

I lowered my head with a faint smile.

He thought I was upset because I was jealous.

What he didn’t know was that I’d already lost even the strength to feel jealous.

Just then, my phone lit up.

A message from Elder Grace appeared.

[Felicity, the ceremony schedule needs final confirmation tonight. Is there anything you’d like to add?]

I stared at the message for a long time before typing my reply.

[Yes. I’d like to add a vow-reading before the ceremony begins.]