Part 3The Stand-In In My Wedding Portrait

"Rachel, Gary said we should all have dinner together tonight."

The next afternoon, Mindy's message popped up right on time, accompanied by a cute emoji.

A moment later, Gary sent a text as well: Anhe Japanese Restaurant tonight at seven. Don't be late.

He chose the exact restaurant where we had our very first date.

Three years ago, he tucked a single white rose underneath the menu inside that quiet booth, telling me it was the flower that suited me best: subtle, elegant, and unforgettable.

I cherished that memory for three years.

When I arrived at the restaurant, Gary was already seated by the window, with Mindy sitting across from him. She wore light makeup today, her hair draped over her shoulders in the exact style I wore every day. Even her blouse was identical to the one I had purchased the week before.

"Rachel, you are here! Come sit," Mindy said, sliding inward to leave space for me next to Gary.

I did not take that seat. Instead, I pulled out a chair and sat directly beside her.

Gary glanced at me, said nothing, and gestured for the waiter.

"Rachel usually prefers salmon with less wasabi," he instructed the waiter.

Mindy piped up beside him. "Right, right! Rachel mentioned to me last time that she does not eat sea urchin."

I had never told her that.

That was a photo I posted on my private social feed, showing a plate with sea urchin sushi left untouched. She was studying my private posts down to the smallest detail.

When the dishes arrived, Gary placed a piece of fatty tuna on my plate. Mindy immediately served herself an identical piece, imitating my posture as she tilted her head toward Gary with a sweet smile.

"Gary, look. Am I eating this just like Rachel does?"

Gary chuckled softly. "You actually look pretty similar."

I set my chopsticks down.

"Rachel, what is wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing. I am just not hungry."

"Your appetite has been poor lately. Are you feeling unwell?" There was genuine concern in his voice, his tone warm and soft.

That gentle tone made it nearly impossible to reconcile him with the cold man who left that equity contract on the coffee table yesterday.

He had always been like this.

He never withheld affection, but his warmth was diluted across two women. The remaining half offered to me was just enough to keep me from walking away.

Mindy suddenly put down her chopsticks, pulled out her phone, and flipped the screen toward Gary. "Gary, look! The wedding portraits from yesterday came back. The photographer said the shots turned out incredible!"

On the screen was a professionally edited photograph.

Mindy was wearing my wedding gown, standing beside Gary in front of a floral wall. His hand rested lightly around her waist, his chin resting against the crown of her head.

The composition was indistinguishable from any real wedding portrait. They looked exactly like a couple about to walk down the aisle.

Gary took the phone and scanned it. "Turned out nicely."

"The photographer even said we have amazing chemistry," Mindy said, turning toward me with an innocent smile. "Rachel, look. Doesn't it look great?"

I picked up my teacup, took a slow sip, and did not glance at the photo.

"Does Rachel not like it?" Her voice dropped into a faint murmur. "I can ask the photographer to delete them..."

"Don't delete them," Gary interrupted. "We already shot them anyway."

Mindy hesitated. "But Rachel looks unhappy..."

"Rachel is always like this, don't pay it any mind," he said, throwing a brief glance my way. "When she gets moody, she just ignores people. She will get over it in a couple of days."

She will get over it in a couple of days.

He said the exact same thing last time, and the time before that. Every time I expressed my hurt, his answer was always the same: She will get over it in a couple of days.

It was as if all my emotions were nothing more than a passing breeze that would blow away on its own.

"Gary, about Thursday's contract signing..." I spoke up suddenly.

His hand paused mid-air. "Didn't I say we would discuss it later?"

"Later is right now. I am signing that contract myself."

Mindy's gaze flicked between Gary and me. "Maybe I should step away to the restroom..."

"No need," I looked straight at Gary. "I am only asking one thing. Are you going to give me the original copy inside the safe or not?"

He set his chopsticks down and tapped his fingers rhythmically against the wooden table. "Rachel, that contract involves internal asset realignments within Atherton Corporation. Mindy worked on this with their team for three months. She handled every piece of communication. If you switch people now, the other party will not agree."

"Did you consult me before using equity under my name for your corporate realignment?"

"If I consulted you, would you even understand it?"

The moment those words slipped out of his mouth, he froze.

Silence fell over the table.

Mindy let out a timely, delicate sigh. "Gary, don't talk to Rachel like that."

She turned to grasp my hand. Her palm was cold. "Rachel, Gary didn't mean it like that. He has just been under a lot of pressure at work lately. If you want to sign the contract yourself, I will organize all the files and hand them over to you, okay?"

Her words were sweet and selfless. But as she held my hand, her thumb rested directly against the pulse on my wrist, as if testing my heart rate.

Gary softened his expression slightly. "I spoke too harshly just now. But Rachel, you really do not know the details of this project. If you go sign blindly and something goes wrong, who takes responsibility?"

"I take responsibility. It is my equity."

He opened his mouth, but ended up saying nothing, picking up his glass to take a gulp of wine instead.

The dinner ended in a heavy, awkward silence.

On the drive back to the apartment, Gary kept his eyes on the road and remained completely silent.

Once inside, he tossed his keys onto the console and headed straight for the study.

Passing by me, he threw out a single sentence. "If you want to sign it, go ahead. I will text you the safe code tomorrow."

The study door shut firmly behind him.

My phone screen flickered.

A message from Mindy popped up: Rachel, the code Gary gave me is your anniversary date! He said only the most important person knows this code.

Followed by a smiley face.

I stared at that smiley face for three seconds.

Then I opened my notes app and saved the string of numbers.