Choose Her Thrice, Lose Me Forever

A week before Immanuel Grant and I are to be engaged, he cancels our engagement banquet. He says he wants to postpone it for a month because he doesn't want to make his recently widowed childhood friend, Chanel Ewing, feel sad. On top of that, he wants to bring her back home and take care of her. "We will get engaged sooner or later. Why does it matter if we put it off for now?" This is the third time he has canceled our engagement for Chanel's sake. Immanuel has no idea that I made a bet with my father just to be with him. If I don't get married within five years, I have to go back to my family. The date of our engagement this round is the last day of that bet. Soon, I will leave Immanuel forever. Chapter 1 Ruby's POV I went home and started packing my things. Immanuel Grant pushed open the door and saw the suitcase on the floor. He let out a mocking laugh and jeered, "Running away from home again? We've been together for all these years, Ruby Jovine. Can't you stop doing this every time we have an argument? The engagement was only postponed. It's not like I'm refusing to marry you." He pulled off his tie, and he spoke in a somewhat impatient tone. "Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it? The future lady of the Grant family should be more understanding." I didn't stop what I was doing and said calmly, "I'm not running away from home. I'm just sorting through some old things. There are things that need to be thrown away." Immanuel didn't take it seriously. He casually picked up a piece of clothing from my suitcase, glanced at it, then tossed it back. "By the way, Chanel said that staying at her house reminds her of her husband, and it makes her miserable. She wants to move here for a while. Remember to have Nancy prepare a guest room for her." I put the neatly folded clothes into a storage box without looking up. "Okay. I'll have Nancy clean it tomorrow." I agreed so readily that he froze for a moment. "You're not angry?" I gave him a faint smile, my eyes calm and emotionless. "You're right. Chanel lost her husband. The poor thing shouldn't be left all alone." Immanuel looked at me suspiciously. He probably thought my reaction was strange. It was understandable that he was suspicious. Everyone knew how much I used to care about him. Whenever another woman got even a little too close to him, I would have thrown a fit and made sure the whole world knew that he was mine. But now, I opened a drawer and searched for my identification documents. I asked, "Immanuel, where's my passport?" Immanuel frowned and replied, "It's in the safe. Why do you need your passport?" Before I could finish speaking, his tone suddenly turned stiff. "Are you getting ready for our honeymoon? Ruby, you're so inconsiderate. Chanel just lost her husband. She can't handle any more emotional stress. Aren't you deliberately making her feel worse? "Besides, our engagement has already been postponed..." I explained, "My passport expired. I was just planning to renew it." Immanuel was clearly at a loss for words, but he relaxed and said gently, "I was being too sensitive. You've always been the most sensible person. Don't worry. Once I've settled things for Chanel, I'll keep every promise I've made to you. I'll make it up to you." The disappointment I felt deep inside surged. I turned and walked away. After leaving the villa, I went straight to the city hall. I handed my passport to the clerk and applied for a new one. The clerk was very patient. "Alright, Ms. Jovine. It will take three days to process your new passport. After that, we can mail it to you, or you can come pick it up." I said with a nod, "No need to mail it. I'll come pick it up." The moment I received my passport would be the moment I left Immanuel for good. As of now, only three days remained. After finishing the paperwork, I returned to the villa. When I pushed open the front door, I stopped in my tracks. In the kitchen, Immanuel was wearing an apron and awkwardly chopping vegetables. Chanel sat beside the kitchen island, resting her chin in her hands as she watched him with a bright smile. Every now and then, she reached out to wipe the sweat from his forehead. I stood there for two seconds before turning and heading upstairs. Immanuel chased after me and stood before me to explain, "Chanel has always had a sensitive stomach. Eating out gives her acid reflux, so I decided to make her some risotto. Please don't get the wrong idea." My heart ached. Immanuel had once told me that the kitchen was no place for a man, but he'd been willing to cook for me. He'd said he would only cook for me. But now, he was making an exception for Chanel. "I know. It's only right." I nodded and avoided his gaze. "It's understandable that Chanel has a poor appetite. It's only right that you take care of her." Immanuel's expression softened as he reached over and ruffled my hair. "Why are you suddenly being so understanding?" As if remembering something, he added, "By the way, Chanel said the thing she regretted most in this life was getting married too hastily. She became a widow without ever getting to wear a wedding dress. She mentioned that she really liked the one you designed. Could you let her try it on?" His gaze was gentle and filled with pity as he made that request. I felt a lump in my throat. I did have a wedding dress. I'd planned to wear it at our engagement party. In fact, Immanuel and I had designed it together. Now, it seemed to me that he had forgotten all about it. Nevertheless, I nodded and said, "Sure. Let her try it." After all, I didn't need it anymore. Immanuel froze for a moment, and a flash of surprise flitted across his eyes. In the past, whenever he argued with me over Chanel Ewing, I'd never backed down. Oddly, I readily agreed to let her try the wedding dress this time. He was about to say something, but I reminded him, "You should go downstairs and keep Chanel company. Didn't you say what she's scared of the most is being alone?" "Are you really okay with leaving me alone with her?" he asked with a frown. I used to get jealous whenever he got close to anyone else. Because of Chanel, we'd had countless explosive arguments in the past. But now, I just shook my head and said, "She's your childhood friend, after all. It's only right that you take good care of her." Immanuel breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes full of approval. "You've finally matured, Ruby. You're not acting out like you used to. Don't worry. Once Chanel gets through this difficult time, I'll definitely make it up to you." Yes. From now on, I wouldn't act out anymore. I would even personally give him to her. Chapter 2 Ruby's POV Early the next morning, I took out the wedding dress and brought it to Chanel. Soon, Chanel came out wearing it. She looked shyly at Immanuel and asked, "Do I look good, Immy?" Immanuel's expression was gentle as he replied, "You look beautiful." "Do I look better in it than Ruby?" Chanel pressed. Immanuel answered without hesitation, "Yes. You look even better in it compared to Ruby." He had once said that no one other than me could possibly be a better fit for that wedding dress. But now, he only had eyes for Chanel. She spun around in front of the mirror several times before suddenly wrapping her arms around Immanuel's arm and acting spoiled. She whined playfully, "Immy, I've never taken pictures in a wedding dress before. Will you take a few with me, Immy?" Immanuel instinctively glanced at me, seemingly worried that I would mind. But I said apathetically, "It's just a few photos. I don't care." Chanel immediately shoved her phone into my hand and said, "Could you take photos of us? I want to have them enlarged and put them in my bedroom." I took the phone and calmly started taking pictures. My hand had started to ache from taking their photos when Immanuel was suddenly called away. I didn't want to face Chanel, so I returned to my room and continued packing. But Chanel soon followed me in, and she dropped the fragile act she'd been putting on in front of Immanuel completely. She sneered, "Ruby, how long are you going to keep holding on? You can't seriously still think Immy plans to get engaged to you." As she spoke, she smugly moved closer to me and said slowly, word by word, "There's something I forgot to tell you. He never planned to get engaged to you in the first place. He promised me that if I couldn't get over losing my husband, he'd give me a home. "If you don't believe me, why don't we make a bet? Let's see who he cares about more." Before I could say anything, she suddenly stepped forward and shoved me hard. I lost my balance and lurched to the side. My arm slammed heavily into a corner of the table. The pain was so intense that I nearly passed out. Chanel had backed away several steps before raising her voice to call out, "Why did you push me, Ruby?" Rapid footsteps came from the stairway. In no time, Immanuel rushed in. Chanel immediately fell to the floor. Her face was pale as she hurriedly said, "Immy, I'm sorry. It was my fault. I shouldn't have worn the wedding dress and upset Ruby. She didn't mean to push me. Please don't blame her!" Chanel's acting was painfully obvious, but Immanuel still misunderstood the whole situation. He turned around and fixed an icy gaze on me. "I thought you were genuinely trying to fulfill Chanel's wish. Turns out you were just looking for a chance to hurt her. I'm so disappointed in you! If anything happens to Chanel, I'll never forgive you!" I didn't do anything. My whole body was trembling as I begged, "Immanuel, I'm in so much pain. Help me..." Immanuel didn't even look at me. He snapped coldly, "Enough! Even at a time like this, you're still putting on an act just to get my attention? You're such a disappointment!" With that, Immanuel picked up Chanel and strode away without sparing me another glance. In the past, even if I accidentally got a minor scrape, he would panic and insist on taking me to the hospital for a full examination. But now? The only person he cared about was Chanel. The pain became unbearable, and I could no longer endure it. I passed out. Chapter 3 Ruby's POV By the time I woke up in the hospital, it was already the next day. At first, I thought Immanuel had brought me there. However, the nurse told me that it was my butler, Richard Smith, who had found me unconscious in my room. He was the one who'd taken me to the hospital. Fortunately, I had been brought in soon enough. I only needed to rest for a while, and I would gradually recover. After thanking the nurse, I took out my phone and saw that all the messages were from Immanuel. In the past, if I disappeared for an hour or two, he would become frantic and practically search everywhere for me. But after I had been unconscious in the hospital all night, he had only sent me a few messages. To make things worse, all of them were about Chanel. "Chanel is fine. She was just frightened, so I'm staying with her at the hospital tonight." "You've gone too far. Even if you were angry because she wore your wedding dress, you shouldn't have pushed her!" "Prepare a gift for Chanel and apologize to her. As long as she forgives you, we'll go ahead with the engagement party as planned." Just then, I received a call from the city hall. "Ms. Jones, your new passport is ready. You can come pick it up." After hanging up, I let out a long sigh. I was finally leaving. I didn't reply to Immanuel's messages. Ignoring the nurse's attempts to stop me from leaving, I completed the discharge procedures. When I got home, I opened the closet and took out the suitcase I had packed earlier. I then casually tossed every gift Immanuel had ever given me into the fireplace and watched the flames burn them to ashes. They all burned down just like the love between Immanuel and me. On my way out, I passed through the yard and saw the holly tree standing quietly there. Immanuel had planted it for me when we first got together. He had said that the tree stayed green all year round, just like his love for me, which would never change. Now, it seemed like a joke. I stood beneath the veranda and said in a soft voice, "Nancy, cut that tree down." Nancy was startled. "But Mr. Grant treasures that tree more than anything—" I cut her off, "Cut it down and plant roses instead since Chanel likes them." Nancy had seen how willingly Immanuel catered to Chanel's every whim. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded. I turned around, pulling my suitcase behind me. Then, I walked out through the iron gate without looking back. ... Third-Person POV At the hospital, Immanuel was sitting beside Chanel's bed when he suddenly felt uneasy. He took out his phone and called my number. No one answered. He called again, only to find that my phone was turned off. He stood up and said to Chanel, "Let's go home first." Chanel pouted and disagreed, "But I want to stay a little longer and let the doctors observe my condition." "I asked Ruby to prepare a gift to apologize to you. She should have it ready by now. Don't let her efforts go to waste," Immanuel insisted. In the end, Chanel reluctantly nodded. The black sedan drove back toward the villa. Immanuel froze as soon as they reached the entrance. The iron gate was open, and the house help were working together to saw down the tree in the middle of the yard. "Who said you could touch that tree?" Immanuel rushed out of the car, his face livid. The staff stammered in fear. "I-It was Ms. Jovine. She told us to cut it down. She said Ms. Ewing likes roses, so she wanted us to plant roses instead—" Chanel clapped her hands excitedly from the back seat. "Yay! Let's plant roses everywhere and put up a swing, too..." "Did I agree to that?" Immanuel's voice was low and heavy with displeasure. He strode toward the house before suddenly remembering something and turning back to ask the maids. "Where is she?" The maids looked at one another. They all said they had only seen Ruby leave with her suitcase, but none of them knew where she'd gone. Just then, Nancy rushed out of the villa. Her face was pale, and she was holding a jewelry box. "Mr. Grant, all of Ms. Jovine's things are gone! She only left this jewelry box and said it was a gift for Ms. Ewing. I just opened it and took a look. This doesn't seem right..." Immanuel opened the jewelry box and saw a ring lying inside. He turned it over and saw the engraving on the inside of the band—I & R. The shock from seeing it made his vision go black for a moment. It was the engagement ring he had given Ruby.