My Fiancé’s Love Was Just a Test?! Too Bad I Passed by Leaving Chapter 05

My Fiancé’s Love Was Just a Test?! Too Bad I Passed by Leaving Chapter 05

The next morning, the whole crew showed up at Spencer’s place.

Vanessa wandered out of the bedroom mid–yawn.

“How long do you think Elise is gonna hold out?”

Her pajamas were loose, clearly not hers. Every pair of eyes in the room bounced between her and Spencer.

The whistles and catcalls started immediately.

Vanessa’s cheeks went pink.

“Oh, stop it. Spencer and I are just friends.”

“I had too much to drink and crashed here. That’s it.”

All eyes slid to Spencer with the same knowing look.

Spencer didn’t take the bait. His face gave nothing away, and eventually they dropped it.

Someone threw out a guess.

“Four o’clock. Courthouse closes at five, so she’s gotta show up by then if they want to make it official today.”

“No way she lasts that long. I say she’s here by noon.”

“Noon? Please. A deal this good? She’ll be knocking on the door by ten.”

Spencer didn’t say a word. The smile on his face said enough.

He turned his ID over between his fingers, slow and easy.

Seven years. That’s how long he and Elise had been entangled.

All she had to do was drop the act, walk through that door, and say yes.

He’d marry her on the spot.

He’d never actually cared if she spent his money. He had more than he knew what to do with.

What he couldn’t stand was the idea that he was just a stepping stone.

The room buzzed with bets on when I’d show up.

But as the hours ticked by, the laughter thinned out.

By three o’clock, something tight and restless had crept into Spencer’s eyes.

He called me. The number was dead.

In seven years, I had never once let his call go unanswered.

Even after the breakup, whenever he’d reach out, I’d always pick up.

Never. Not once.

The panic hit him all at once.

He shot out of his chair.

Vanessa was on him in a second, grabbing his arm.

“Where are you going?”

His grip tightened on the phone.

“Elise isn’t picking up. I need to find her.”

Vanessa crossed her arms and scoffed.

“No wonder she’s got you wrapped around her finger. Now I see exactly how she does it.”

“This is a power play, Spencer. Don’t you get that?”

“She’s ghosting you on purpose. She wants you to panic.”

“The second you chase her, she wins. And she’ll hold it over you forever.”

Spencer froze mid–stride.

The others jumped in.

“Exactly. This is a mind game, Spencer.”

“She knows you love her too much to walk away. If you go after her now, she’ll pull this every time.”

“Gotta give her credit. Regular people don’t think this far ahead. This is next–level manipulation.”

Something hardened behind Spencer’s eyes. He sat back down.

The front door slammed open. Graham.

His face was wrecked. Swollen, furious, wild–eyed.

“You’ve got some nerve showing up here.”

Graham blew right past the threat. His voice was shaking.

“Spencer, Elise is gone!”