Chapter 5: Guilt, Desire, and the Mermaid Dress

I immediately felt guilty.

When I first approached Ethan, I didn’t want to use my real name and was too lazy to make up a fake one, so I just dropped the middle name and called myself Maddie.

My face flushed hot. I said awkwardly, "To have a name so similar to Miss Monroe’s, it’s my honor, haha."

"Um, I’ll try on this wedding dress."

I hurriedly changed the subject.

Ethan paused, his eyes lighting up.

"Okay, try it on."

He’s probably picturing us in some white-picket-fence future. I can’t even picture next week.

Seeing the anticipation in his eyes, I actually felt a twinge of guilt.

During this time together, Ethan had treated me so well.

He was cold at first, but always respectful.

Later, he fell hopelessly in love with me, wanting to be with me every day.

He brought me coffee in the mornings, wrote little notes on the foggy bathroom mirror, and tried to learn my favorite songs on his old guitar. He tried so hard to make this feel real. And here I was, plotting my escape.

I looked at Ethan, feeling a little lost.

Beside me, the saleslady had already taken down the wedding dress for me.

Ethan leaned down close to me, his voice low and joyful:

"What are you daydreaming about?"

I snapped out of it. "Nothing... I’ll... I’ll go try it on."

I turned and followed the saleslady to the fitting room, my mood complicated.

The wedding dress was intricate, so it took some time to put on.

The moment the curtain was pulled open, I suddenly felt nervous and uneasy.

I didn’t dare look at Ethan.

Until the shop assistants around me gasped in admiration.

Until Ethan walked up to me.

The familiar scent of laundry detergent drifted over, calming my nerves.

Looking up, I saw the undisguised amazement and affection in Ethan’s eyes.

I smiled. "Do I look good?"

Ethan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his gaze locked on me.

"Beautiful."

His voice cracked just a little, and for a second, all the pretending between us fell away.

"Maddie, when we get married, I’ll make sure you wear an even more beautiful wedding dress."

The affection and sincerity in his eyes almost overwhelmed me.

My throat tightened, and I couldn’t respond for a moment.

Ethan beckoned, and the shop assistant brought over another wedding dress.

A mermaid style, low-key and luxurious.

"Can you try this one? I like this one."

His deep voice carried a trace of pleading.

I had no reason to refuse.

"Okay."

The mermaid dress accentuated my figure, and the waist was very tight.

I instinctively protected my belly.

At that moment, Ethan lifted the curtain and came in.

He closed the curtain behind him, shutting us away from the rest of the world.