The Battery Rule That Only Applied To Me Chapter 03

Dad’s test results came back. The doctor said he needed surgery as soon as possible.

Mom sat on a bench in the hospital hallway, clutching the estimate for Dad’s surgery. She couldn’t say a word.

I took it from her. My heart sank when I saw the amount.

I called Caleb. It rang for a long time before he answered.

“What?”

My voice was hoarse.

“Dad needs surgery. We’re short on the money. Transfer what’s left of our house fund to me.”

Part of that money had come from my parents. We’d agreed to save whatever was left after renovating the house for our wedding.

Caleb went quiet.

Then a low-battery alert came through on our couples’ app.

[Winona Prescott — Battery: 48%. Below the safety threshold.]

His voice instantly turned cold.

“You’re too worked up to handle that much money right now.”

I shut my eyes.

“Caleb, my father needs an operation. That’s my parents’ money!”

He sounded irritated.

“Every time something goes wrong, your battery just happens to be low. How do I know this isn’t another problem you caused by failing to plan?”

My fingers turned white around the paperwork.

“They’re about to take my dad into surgery.”

“Then charge your phone first. Stop panicking every time there’s a problem.”

I felt sick.

“Caleb, I’m not begging you for a favor. I’m asking for my own money back.”

He paused.

“Sophie has something going on today, too. Her family’s coming over, and she needs me to help her handle it.”

He hung up.

I stood in the hallway, too numb to cry.

In the end, I used every dollar I had saved, then borrowed from Lana to cover the rest.

Mom asked me, her eyes red, where Caleb was. I told her he was busy. She studied me for a long time, then said nothing.

After they wheeled Dad into the operating room, Sophie sent me a message.

[Winnie, please don’t blame Caleb.]

[My family’s trying to set me up with a much older man. Caleb’s just pretending to be my fiancé so they’ll leave me alone.]

I stared at the message, my mind blank.

Then another photo came through.

A hotel ballroom, already decorated for an event.

The text on the image read:

[Caleb Whitaker & Sophie Langford — Engagement Party]

The party was tomorrow. I called Caleb. He picked up almost immediately.

“Saw it, huh?”

My voice trembled.

“You’re throwing an engagement party with her?”

“It’s fake,” he said calmly. “Her family won’t let up, so I’m just playing along.”

“What about our engagement?”

He was silent for a few seconds.

“Your dad’s in the hospital. We couldn’t hold it right now anyway.”

I nearly laughed.

“So you’re throwing your engagement party with Sophie at the venue we booked for ours?”

His voice turned sharp.

“Winona, don’t make it sound worse than it is.”

“It’s just for show. It’s not like we’re actually getting married.”

I heard Sophie crying softly in the background.

“If Winnie doesn’t want us to do it, then forget it. I don’t want to put Caleb in a difficult position.”

Caleb immediately softened.

“Don’t cry.”

Then he spoke to me again.

“You should come tomorrow, too.”

I froze.

“What would I be doing there?”

“Help Sophie keep up the act. You’re her friend. If you show up, her family will believe it’s real.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Dad was in surgery, and Caleb wanted me to show up at his engagement party with another woman.

“Do you seriously think I’m coming?”

His voice went cold.

“Then I guess there’s no reason for us to get engaged, either.”

I hung up without another word.

That evening, I went home to pick up a change of clothes for Mom. On my way, I stopped outside the house Caleb and I had planned to share.

The code on the front-door lock had been changed. Then the door opened from the inside.

Sophie was standing there in my slippers, with the jacket I’d left in the closet draped over her shoulders.

A flicker of panic crossed her face.

“Winnie? What are you doing here?”

I looked past her.

My framed photos had been packed into a cardboard box. Her dresses hung out on the balcony. On the table were invitations for tomorrow’s engagement party.

Beside them lay the guest list my parents had put together for our engagement party.

I picked it up. My fingers trembled.

“Who gave you this?”

Caleb emerged from the kitchen, holding a mug of warm milk.

“I did.”

“Sophie’s got a big family, so I gave her your guest list to work from.”

I looked down at the names. My parents had written down every name on that list with such care.

And now those plans were being used for Sophie’s engagement party instead.

Caleb frowned at me.

“Don’t start acting crazy again.”

I set the list down without a word. As I turned to leave, I heard Sophie ask quietly,

“Is she really going to show up tomorrow?”

Caleb’s answer was casual.

“She will.”

“She’d never walk away from me.”