Chapter 4: He Had Already Planned My Reaction

"Did she wear my engagement dress?"

"She tried it on. It was your dress, surprisingly it fit perfectly."

"Was she introduced as your fiancée?"

"Guests asked. I didn't correct them."

"She stood in for me during the family toast, too?"

"The whole family raised their glasses. She stood beside me and accepted the toast in your place."

"Maren, it's a job. Stop using real-life standards to judge a video production."

"If I don't get a complete reaction on set, what am I supposed to use in the edit?"

"What do you want me to do? Edit two wooden mannequins into the footage?"

The person who needed to be respected was no longer me.

Celia called, too.

She admitted that during the rehearsal, Delaney tried on my dress, was introduced as the fiancée, and accepted the toast meant for me. It was all orchestrated by Callum.

"Maren, she only tried the dress on for a second. I packed it away immediately after."

"The toast was just empty glasses. No one took it seriously."

"I never saw her as Callum's fiancée."

"Just get on the train, please."

"Don't let a video shoot ruin seven years of love."

Callum followed up with a long voice message.

For the first time, he apologized for not leaving a seat for me when they departed.

He claimed it was a lapse in judgment. Swore I would get the passenger seat on the drive back.

The hometown videos could be reshot, too.

No Delaney. No crew. Just the two of us.

"Maren, I was a jerk the day we left."

"I shouldn't have assumed you'd take the train without even asking."

"On the way back, the front seat is all yours."

"I'll reshoot the videos, too. Just you and me."

"Give me another chance. Please?"

Right then, my tablet pinged with a cloud drive sync notification.

Folder Name: Engagement Rehearsal.

The thumbnail showed Delaney in the ivory dress, standing between Callum's parents.

Callum stood beside her, his hand resting on her shoulder.

I clicked play.

The relatives were raising their glasses. Celia looked visibly uncomfortable.

"Do we have to fake the toast?"

"The cameras are already set up. There's no need to actually raise glasses, right?"

Delaney looked up at Callum, also hesitating.

"I thought this was just blocking."

"Let's skip the toast. It really doesn't feel right."

Callum stood just out of frame, his tone completely authoritative.

"Act natural."

"If we don't run it for real, how am I supposed to capture genuine reactions?"

Callum's parents didn't raise their glasses.

"Callum, that's enough."

"This isn't a normal rehearsal anymore."

Callum stepped into the frame, physically readjusting Delaney's position.

"The actual party is going to be packed with relatives. The schedule is tight."

"If this take is good enough, we can just splice it into the final cut."

"Throw in a few shots from behind and some close-ups. The audience won't be able to tell it's a different person."

The second half of the video was the family portrait test.

Relatives who arrived early to set up were laughing, praising Callum for being a lucky guy. They asked Delaney if she was Maren.

"This must be Maren, right?"

"Callum has great taste. She's gorgeous."

Delaney glanced at him.

Callum didn't correct them. He just ordered the photographer to keep rolling.

"Save the chatting for later. Look at the camera. Let's get this shot."

Miles asked if they should rent a bigger car since they had too much gear.

"The back is completely jammed. Should we swap cars?"

"We can't seriously make Maren take the train by herself."

Callum didn't miss a beat.

"No need. She'll take the train."

"Delaney has to be in the passenger seat. Otherwise, how do we shoot the couple's POV?"

Delaney warned him.

"You haven't told her yet, have you?"

"If she finds out when she comes downstairs, she's going to be pissed."

"She's a soft touch. She always caves."

"She'll give me the silent treatment for two days over the seat, tops."

"Once the engagement party rolls around, I'll say sorry. She'd never make a scene and embarrass me in front of everyone."

Turns out, he had even calculated exactly how long my heartbreak would last.

I downloaded every piece of footage involving my personal rights. I didn't post them online.

Then, I contacted the venue. I officially canceled the engagement party and paid the cancellation penalty out of my own pocket according to the contract.

I forwarded the car return request, the cancellation receipt, and the split-cost invoice directly into the family group chat.

Callum's phone call came instantly.

"If you want me to delete the videos, we can talk about it."

"Just withdraw the cancellation request for the party first."

"I can't. It's already canceled."

"Maren, the guests have confirmed. The deposit is paid."

"Canceling it now doesn't solve the problem. You're just doing this to humiliate me into backing down."

"I'm not forcing you to bow your head."

I just decided not to marry him anymore.