He Rejected Me on Our Anniversary, But He Doesn't Know I'm Dying

For three years, Liam Carter has spoiled Stella beyond reason, and she has loved him for it. On their third anniversary, she puts on a wedding dress and asks him to marry her. His face goes cold; he tells her to stop screwing around. She smiles through a tear and says it is fine if he does not want to — but she is dying, and he might want to start looking for her replacement. He calls her sick in the head and slams the door on his way out. She was not kidding.

His circle never lets her forget Annabelle, the wife he lost, whose face Stella shares. They call her a cheap replacement, a plaything from the wrong side of the tracks, and Liam's old friend Caleb demands to know what Annabelle was if Stella is his girlfriend. Liam defends her, but his grip on her hand turns to a vise, and he refuses to let her end things. Every comparison leaves her defenseless, because Annabelle is gone and cannot be answered.

On the anniversary of Annabelle's death, Liam prepares to visit her grave. Stella asks to go with him. He refuses without a second thought.