His Obliviousness Became His Shield

My boyfriend was hopeless at love.

When my period pain got so bad I passed out, he brought me a glass of ice water.

On our anniversary, I sat up with the surprise I'd prepared, waiting until deep into the night, and all he said was that there was no need for any of it.

Even at our engagement party, one offhand comment from a friend of his was enough to put the engagement dress on someone else.

I always told myself it was just the way he was.

Until the party ended and he took a phone call.

Landon Simmons glanced at me, flat, made an excuse about something urgent, and got out of the car.

"Landon, isn't today the day you got engaged?"

"I'm up on the rooftop right now. Will you come find me?"

In the quiet of the car, a woman's crying suddenly came through.

My chest went tight. Landon had forgotten to disconnect the Bluetooth.

This time I didn't stop him. I watched him run toward someone else.

If you're this busy, then let someone else take my place at the wedding the day after tomorrow too.

If the promise still stands, we get married the day after tomorrow.

The reply came fast.

Once I've dealt with this, I'll come marry you and bring you home.

The next second, Landon, gone for ten minutes, came back and settled into the car.

Then my eyes landed on the kiss mark on the side of his neck.

"I won't be coming home tonight. The guys threw a bachelor party for me."

When I didn't say anything, Landon leaned over to pat my head.

I moved out of the way without making it obvious.

"Are you upset? I'll be a married man soon, won't I? Everyone said we should get together one more time."

"I promise I'll come straight home the moment it's over."

Listening to him soothe me, something in my chest ached.

That voice on the Bluetooth just now, Carla asking Landon to come keep her company.

If I hadn't heard it, I'd probably still be the fool, kept in the dark and coaxed along.

I said nothing, and Landon took my silence for agreement.

He let out a soft laugh, drove me to my door, and said gently:

"Get some good rest at home. I'm going now."

I turned away without answering. Behind me, the engine started.

The car pulled off.

After my shower, I came across Carla's post on my social media feed.

It feels so good to have someone care about you.

The photo was a cup of warm ginger tea, with Landon busy in the background of the kitchen.

I have a cold constitution, so my periods leave me in so much pain I can barely walk. That's normal for me.

Landon always said he didn't understand any of it, which was why he'd never once made me warm ginger tea.

But at some point later, he actually made me a cup of it.

Back then I thought he'd finally figured it out, and I was quietly pleased with myself.

Now I saw it for what it was. I'd only benefited from Carla.

The thought made me laugh, if only from the sheer humiliation of it.

Carla Harding, Landon's junior.

She was always using the excuse that they came from the same program to demand Landon put her first.

And whenever Landon and I had a moment alone, she'd force her way in to chat.

But with me, she was always so upfront about it.

Generous with her congratulations when Landon and I made things official.

Sweet-mouthed too, calling me "sis," chatting with me, teasing Landon along with me.

It wasn't until tonight's Bluetooth that I finally saw it clearly.

Back home, beside the shoe cabinet sat an umbrella that had been out in the rain, with a little note stuck to it.

Thank you for walking me home and giving me your umbrella. Love you!

The time on it was the very day of the heavy rain, when I had no umbrella and called Landon to come get me.

He turned me down, saying he was too busy, and in the end just booked me a car and ordered me some warm ginger tea.

Now it hit me. His busy meant he'd gone to pick up Carla.

The disappointment pressed down low inside me until I couldn't breathe.

I put the note back where it was and went upstairs to pack.

Since his heart wasn't with me, it was time I left.

The next morning I woke, and coming down the stairs I caught sight of someone below.

It was Carla.

I froze for a second, then walked quickly into the dining room.

Landon was in the kitchen cooking porridge. When he saw me his tone was easy.

"You're up. I made porridge, come have some."

I stared at Carla, brow drawn tight, confused.

Before she could say a word, Landon was already explaining for her.

"She's been in a bad way, and it's not safe for a young woman to be home alone, so I told her to stay here with us for a few nights."

"Landon, she's a grown adult."

"But she's also my junior!"

At Landon's shout, the words died in my throat.

I looked at Carla sitting in the chair I had designed with my own hands.

And all at once I felt pathetic.

Our wedding home, I had planned and finished on my own.

Landon had said a grown man like him didn't understand any of that, and I could design it however I liked.

So I always did my best to work his tastes into every corner of it.

He never once noticed, and now he'd even brought Carla back into our home.

I didn't count for anything to him.

Maybe he saw how low my face had gone, because his voice softened.

"Not talking to you about it first was my fault, but you couldn't just leave her out there on her own either, could you?"

"There was a reason behind it."

I took a deep breath, and before I could speak Carla cut me off, choking up as she stood and made for the door.

"Landon, don't fight because of me. Your fiance can't stand me. I'll just go..."

Landon's face changed in an instant. He caught her arm and drew her behind him.

He stood facing me, his eyes dark.

"There's a limit to how jealous you get to be. We get married in one day, and she's just a young girl who isn't safe at home alone, that's the only reason I brought her here. It's not like there's no reason for it."

"When did you get so cold and unreasonable?"

Hearing him say it, my heart felt like a knife working through it, cut by cut.

I wanted to argue back.

But watching him shield Carla behind him, all desire to explain drained out of me.

I was leaving tomorrow anyway. None of it meant anything.

"Do whatever you want."

With that, I went back upstairs.

Behind me came Carla's timid little question.

"Is she angry?"

Landon glanced up at me. "No, she won't be angry."

Their laughing and teasing carried up after me, and all I felt was a dense, dull ache.

It isn't that I don't get angry. It's that every time I did, no one ever soothed it.

It's that Landon played dumb, over and over, and left me to swallow it alone.

Even when I said it out loud, he'd only put on that innocent face and say he hadn't noticed.

Thinking about it now, it was never that he hadn't noticed. He just didn't care what I felt.

I finished packing, and when I came down for a drink of water they were still in the living room.

Carla was leaning softly against Landon.

"Landon, once you and your fiance are married, will things get distant between you and me?"

"No. You'll always come first with me."

My body stopped, halfway down the stairs.

Carla smiled, eyes half-closed as she leaned in toward Landon.

He didn't pull away. If anything, he deepened the kiss.

Then the cup slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor, and it snapped them both back to reality.

Landon shoved Carla away, his face panicked as he looked at me.

"When did you get here?"

I said nothing. I just stood there, watching them.

When I stayed silent, something awkward flickered across his face.

"Carla's young, she doesn't know where the line is. Don't be angry."

Carla chimed in from beside him.

"Leah, I was only joking around with Landon."

The disappointment inside me had already bottomed out. I didn't want to say anything more.

I was about to go get a new cup when I saw the dress Carla was wearing, and the color drained from my face.

My hands curled into fists, my body trembling and I couldn't stop it.

"Why is she wearing my dress?"

Landon looked at me like it was nothing.

"Carla accidentally got her clothes dirty, and she likes this one, so I let her wear it."

"If it bothers you, I'll buy you a better one later."

I stared at the man in front of me, and something inside me broke.

I didn't want to say much. I just looked at him, cold.

"This is the last dress my mother sewed for me before she died."

Landon's body went stiff.

"I forgot."

"Carla, take the dress off and give it back to Leah. I'll buy you a new one."

Carla peeled it off and flung it at me like she was venting.

But when I caught it, I saw the dress looked ruined.

My breath quickened as I searched through it in a panic, and under the cuff I found a tear.

I shoved the tear right up in front of Carla's face.

"How did this happen?"

Carla flinched like I'd frightened her, her voice choking up.

"I just snagged it by accident. I didn't mean to."

Hearing that, my chest heaved.

She looked innocent on the surface, but I could see the provocation underneath, clear as day.

I couldn't hold back. I slapped her hard across the face.

The instant my hand landed, Landon shoved me away hard.

My waist slammed into the corner of the table, the stabbing pain leaving me unable to straighten up.

He gathered Carla against him and looked down at me.

"Didn't I already say I'd buy you a new dress?"

"Carla's admitted it was an accident. Can you stop making a scene?"

I looked at Landon standing on the opposite side, and the ache went so deep it turned numb.

How would I not know?

I'd bought a special garment bag and sealed this dress away with care.

I even took it out to iron every week.

I checked it over carefully every single time. How could I not know?

I looked at Landon's face, familiar and yet a stranger's, and every last thing in my heart died.

Before I could speak, Carla cut in.

"Leah, if it's my fault, then punish me. Don't drag Landon into it."

"And you two are getting married soon. What's yours is Landon's, and he already said he'd buy you a new one. Why do you still have to hold this over me?"

Landon frowned at me, his voice full of exasperation.

"Carla's right. She didn't do it on purpose, and it can just be sewn up."

"I'll take it to get mended in a bit."

I gripped the dress tight in my hands, my throat clogged like it was packed with dirt, no words able to come out.

He still chose Carla.

I didn't want to say anything more. I turned to go upstairs.

But Landon suddenly grabbed my wrist.

Landon looked irritated.

"Stop making trouble. We're getting married tomorrow. Can't you make things a little easier on me, the way Carla does?"

When I didn't answer, Landon sighed.

"I already said I'd take you to buy a new dress. Isn't that enough?"

"Do you have to force Carla into apologizing before you'll be satisfied?"

The words had barely left his mouth when Carla's voice broke into sobs.

"Me, apologize? So even you think I did it on purpose? Fine, then I'll die to make it right, will that do?"

She bolted for the door.

Landon panicked and shoved me aside.

"It's your temper, the way you nitpick everything, that pushed her to this."

"If anything happens to her, you'll carry it on your conscience for the rest of your life."

The next second, Landon ran out the door too.

I stood on the stairs and watched the two of them grow smaller and smaller.

He'd chosen her again.

A bitter laugh escaped me, and I turned and went upstairs.

On the way to the hotel, dragging my suitcase, I got a message from Landon.

Carla's not stable right now. I'm staying with her. Tomorrow morning she and I will come get you together.

Don't sulk anymore. Whatever you want, I'll make it up to you.

I laughed, worn out in body and spirit.

It was always like this.

Back when I had appendicitis and lay in the hospital with no family beside me, he'd said he was busy.

The truth was he'd been rubbing Carla's stomach through her cramps.

When I set up the wedding home alone and asked him to help, he'd said he didn't understand women's little touches.

That same night he was folding and organizing Carla's underwear.

I really was tired.

I didn't even have the strength left to keep score.

I took out my phone and scrolled to the pinned chat.

Tomorrow, seven o'clock. Come pick me up at the Lexington Hotel.

The next day I got up early and started dressing and washing up.

My eyes stayed down. Landon was still sending message after message.

I'll be a little late. Carla suddenly felt unwell, so I took her to get medicine first.

Go to the venue and wait for me on your own.

I turned off the screen and calmly started on my hair and makeup.

The whole time, Landon called countless times and sent countless messages. I ignored all of them.

Just before I went on, I deleted his contact and blocked him.

Then I walked into the venue under the spotlight.

....

By the time Landon reached the venue, the relatives were all clustered together.

"Where's the bride? Why isn't she out yet?"

"Landon, today's your wedding day. You two can't have anything go wrong!"

Landon looked around the room, and unease crept in.

He kept calling my phone.

All he got was a busy tone.

The chat window held nothing from me either.

With a shaking hand he typed out another message, only to find he'd been blocked.

Landon went pale, grabbed his keys, and made to head home.

Then the big screen behind him suddenly cut to a video.

It was the wedding video of me and Mark Weiss.