He Stole Our Future to Fund Her Wedding, So I Ruined Him Chapter 02

On the day Evan and Claire came back, I found their flight number and waited at arrivals.

Evan came through pulling two suitcases.

The blue one was his. The pink one was Claire’s.

They both froze when they saw me.

Claire hurried over and linked her arm through mine.

“Nora, don’t get the wrong idea. We just happened to run into each other.”

“I kept an eye on him for you. No other woman got near him the whole trip!”

Evan followed, took a coat hanging from a suitcase, and handed it to Claire.

“Put this on. Charlotte isn’t Miami. You’ll be complaining about the cold as soon as we step outside.”

Evan offered no explanation. He didn’t even speak to me.

Claire slipped into the coat while he held it for her.

“I know. Why do you always fuss over me like my dad?”

I stood beside them like a spectator.

Watching their happiness from the outside.

When Evan saw I hadn’t moved, he walked over with a helpless look and straightened my scarf.

“What are you imagining now? Claire’s your friend. Are you jealous of her too?”

I didn’t answer. I followed them toward the parking lot.

At the car, I reached for the front passenger door out of habit, but Evan stopped me.

“Sit in the back. Claire gets carsick.”

I stood there, stunned. Claire waved a hand quickly.

“Nora gets carsick too. Let her sit up front.”

Evan pressed the key fob, locking the passenger door with a click.

“She can handle it. You just got off a plane. You’ll feel sick.”

They looked out for each other without once asking what I wanted.

Claire started to say something else, but I opened the back door and got in.

Evan and Claire loaded their things into the car, one item at a time.

As they worked, Evan kept talking.

“You can only get this massager in Miami. Let your dad try it. Didn’t he say his back hurt?”

“And this skin-care set is for your mom. She loves her dance classes, so she’ll want to look her best.”

Evan remembered an offhand complaint from Claire’s father and knew her mother loved dance classes.

The last time my parents had come to Charlotte for medical appointments, I couldn’t leave work, so I asked Evan to pick them up at the airport.

They stood there until midnight. He never showed.

When I asked him about it, a trace of guilt crossed his face.

“Sorry. I forgot.”

My parents hadn’t dared call him that night. They were afraid he was busy and didn’t want to bother him.

But Claire’s parents were always on his mind. Even on vacation, he remembered to bring them gifts.

The suitcases slowly emptied. Every item had someone it was meant for.

Her father, her mother, even Claire’s cousin who’d come to Charlotte for school.

Finally, Evan took out a beautifully wrapped velvet box.

Surely that one was for me.

But he opened it and lifted out a delicate pearl bracelet.

He took Claire’s hand and fastened it around her wrist. It fit perfectly.

His eyes softened.

“It’s beautiful. It looks perfect on you.”

I stared at them. It took me a moment to find my voice.

“Evan, what about me?”

Only then did Evan turn. He looked confused.

After two seconds, he looked away.

“I didn’t see anything that suited you, so I didn’t buy anything. Next time.”

Had he failed to find something for me, or had he never thought of me at all?

He’d spent the entire Thanksgiving break with Claire, and even the gifts he brought back were all for her and her family.

All I got was another “next time.”

I’d asked him to meet my parents. Next time.

I’d asked him to go to the Grand Canyon with me. Next time.

Now I had to wait until next time for a souvenir too.

I said nothing as tears welled in my eyes. Claire saw them and yanked off the bracelet.

She pulled so hard that a red mark appeared around her wrist.

“Nora, don’t cry. If you like it, you can have it, okay?”

Evan didn’t even look at me. He rushed to inspect Claire’s reddened wrist.

“Did it pinch you? Does it hurt?”

Once he was satisfied she was fine, he put the bracelet back on her.

“I gave it to you. It’s yours. Nobody’s taking it away. Stop indulging her.”

Then he turned to me, his voice cold.

“Nora Price, do you have to ruin everyone’s day? It’s just a bracelet. You’re being ridiculous.”

I wiped my eyes and turned away without another word.

Claire and Evan got into the car. After a brief silence, they chatted eagerly in the front seats about their trip.

I might as well have been invisible. I took out my phone and confirmed my flight one last time.