"Elaine," she snapped, calling my name coldly. "You just can't stand seeing me happy, can you?"
My breath caught.
"I shouldn't have taken leave from work to help you with your wedding," she continued bitterly. "You've really disappointed me!"
She grabbed her purse and stormed toward the door.
"Talia, wait!" I chased after her, calling out, "I didn't mean it that way—!"
But the elevator doors shut in my face.
By the time I ran down to the parking lot, she was gone. The wide, empty space swallowed my voice.
I stood there, completely lost. All I'd wanted was to protect her, yet somehow, I'd pushed her away.
Then I remembered—the hotel location in that man's message.
[Let's play something exciting tonight!]
A sense of dread crawled up my spine.
What if she was being deceived? What if something happened to her because of this fight?
Talia wasn't just my best friend. She was family—someone I trusted even more than my fiancé.
Panic overrode everything else. I grabbed my car keys and drove straight to the hotel.
When I arrived, the first thing I saw was her car parked near the entrance. Relief flooded me—until I saw who stepped out of the hotel next.
My breath stopped.
It was Iñigo.