He Saved A Spot For Her, Leaving No Room For Me Chapter 05

He Saved A Spot For Her, Leaving No Room For Me Chapter 05

My uncle rushed over to stop them from putting me in the squad car, but he was shoved to the

ground.

My mom’s gold bangle got stepped on-bent out of shape.

The next morning, I walked out of the police station.

He was crouched on the steps, gripping the bangle, his voice hoarse. “I’m sorry, Iris. Your uncle let you down.”

I slid the bangle back onto my wrist.

Nadia’s car was parked at the curb.

She was my senior from law school-now a legal consultant.

Over the past few days, she’d helped me request records from the venue, the property management, the bridal shop, and the bank, and organize everything onto a USB drive.

She handed it to me. “All the permission records you asked for.”

Today was supposed to be my wedding day.

Also the day Ethan and Tessa thought I’d be completely destroyed.

Nadia asked, “Still going?”

“Yes.”

“I want them to give back everything they took from me.”

The ballroom was packed.

I’d canceled my part of the wedding, but the Sullivans hadn’t stopped.

Ethan’s mother said the invitations had gone out and the hotel was paid-even if the bride didn’t show, the family couldn’t lose face.

They probably thought I’d cave at the last second.

I pushed through the ballroom doors in a black dress. Every guest turned to look.

On the big screen, Ethan and Tessa’s invitation cover was still scrolling.

Ethan stood under the stage in his suit.

When he saw me, his first reaction was relief.

He hurried over and grabbed my wrist. “Were you cold at the station last night?”

I pulled away.

His hand froze. He lowered his voice. “I sent someone to bring you a jacket. You didn’t take it.”

I looked at him. “Ethan, you’re so good at caring.”

His face went pale.

Tessa came out of the dressing room in a white gown.

Not my main wedding gown.

But she was wearing my pearl hair comb.

When she saw me, she frantically reached to take it off. “Iris, I’m so sorry-I didn’t mean to—”

I stared at Ethan. “You knew she was wearing it?”

His eyes darted away. “She was crying so hard.”

“I just wanted to calm her down.”

“You weren’t going to wear it today anyway.”

Anyway.

I let out a dry laugh.

His love for me was real.

His habit of lending it out first-also real.

Ethan’s mother said coldly, “Iris, isn’t this embarrassing enough? All these relatives here – do you

have to make a scene?”

I pulled out the USB drive and plugged it into the console.

The ballroom lights dimmed.

The screen switched.

I picked up the microphone.

“Today I’m not proving how bad Tessa is.

“I’m only proving one thing.”

“Ethan-how you gave her access to every part of my life.”

The first line appeared.

[Permission 1: Costco Household Card]

On screen-the membership backend records.

Ethan-primary.

Tessa-household.

Binding date: three months before Ethan and I even got engaged.

I’d known he had a Costco membership.

I didn’t know the household card was never meant for me.

Transaction after transaction scrolled up.

Tessa’s low-sugar coconut water.

Tessa’s lactose-free milk.

Tessa’s pajamas.

Tessa’s imported skincare.

And every time I went in, I used the temporary pass.

Ethan’s mother sneered, “A membership card-and she makes a scene? Small-town manners.”

I looked at her. “To you, it’s a card.”

“To me—it was the first person he defaulted into his life. And it wasn’t me.

The room went quiet.

Ethan’s face turned white. “Iris, don’t do this.”

I ignored him.

Second page.

[Permission 2: House Access]

User added: Tessa.

Label: Frequent Resident.

Failed deletion attempts: None.

My name-didn’t exist.

Ethan’s mother stepped forward to unplug the power.

But my uncle blocked her.

His hand was still swollen, but his voice was steady. “Let her finish.”

Whispers rippled through the crowd.

“The fiancée doesn’t have access, but the childhood friend is a frequent resident?”

“Isn’t that just wrong?”

Tessa’s tears came on cue. “It’s not like that-I only help sometimes.”

Ethan added quietly, “The system defaulted the label. I didn’t change it.”

I nodded. “You couldn’t even be bothered to change the label,”

“Because that’s exactly where you put her in your head.”

The screen flipped to the third permission.

\ [Bridal Gown Try-On Authorization]

Authorizer: Ethan.

Tester: Tessa.

Label: Similar measurements-can substitute for the bride in fittings.