Chapter 1

On the day of my wedding, my fiancé and his groomsmen never showed up.

My mom called him six times. Not a single call went through.

Clutching my bridal bouquet, I tried to make excuses for him. "Traffic might be backed up. Let's wait a little longer."

Right as the words left my mouth, the venue coordinator called.

Her voice trembled with hesitation. "Miss Miller, Mr. Clark's side called. He said something urgent came up today, and the wedding needs to be pushed back to tomorrow."

I froze for two seconds. "What urgent thing?"

Silence hung on the line before she answered cautiously, "He told me to let you know that Penny took the news of his wedding very badly. He went to calm her down first."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

It turned out that in this meticulously planned wedding, I was the only outsider.

"No need to cancel the wedding."

I hung up, turned around, and looked toward the man sitting on the corner sofa.

Julian Hayes. My childhood friend who had grown up beside me.

I straightened my veil and walked straight toward him.

"Julian, do you want to marry me?"

The air in the bridal suite seemed to freeze solid.

Julian's head snapped up.

He rose so abruptly that his arm knocked over the floor lamp beside the sofa.

"Chloe, do you have any idea what you're saying?"

His voice was thick and raspy.

I loosened my white-knuckled grip on the wilting bouquet and tossed it carelessly onto the table.

"I know exactly what I'm saying."

I looked into his eyes.

"Sean isn't coming. But just because he walked away doesn't mean my wedding is off."

Julian took a long stride toward me.

"Chloe, you can't throw words like that around. Once you take this step, there is no turning back."

"I don't want to turn back."

I drew a sharp breath, turning to my completely stunned mother.

"Mom, change the program. Update the guest list. Tell the officiant to put Julian Hayes's name down as the groom."

My mom stood there shaking, the phone with Sean's unanswered calls still clutched in her hand.

"Chloe, this... how can you do this? Marriage isn't a game! And what about Julian's family...?"

I stepped over and gently took her cold hands into mine.

"Mom, it's fine."

I looked back at Julian.

Without a second of hesitation, Julian pulled out his phone.

"Mrs. Miller, leave the calls to me."

He dialed his family, taking complete control of the crumbling ceremony.

"It's Julian. Chloe's wedding is going ahead today. I am marrying her."

He hung up, walked over, and reached out to gently fix my lopsided veil.

"Thank you," I murmured, a sudden lump rising in my throat.

I knew the truth.

Julian had loved me for years.

I had been blind back then, completely consumed by Sean's hot-and-cold attitude, taking Julian's steady devotion for granted as mere friendship.

Now I saw it clearly. A man like Sean was nothing but pure trash.

"Don't thank me."

Julian looked down at me, the corners of his mouth curving into the faintest smile.

"The honor is all mine."

The ride to the ceremony venue was quiet.

Only Julian's occasional instructions broke the silence as he guided the driver along alternate routes to dodge city traffic.

Looking out at the flashing skyline, I felt an eerie sense of calm settle over my chest.

Sean had bailed on me for Penny far too many times.

The first time was Valentine's Day.

He claimed he had emergency overtime and told me to grab dinner alone.

An hour later, I saw Penny's post on SnapChat—a cozy photo of the two of them dining at a Michelin-star restaurant.

The second time was the day we were supposed to get our marriage license at City Hall.

He claimed Penny's car had broken down and he had to rescue her.

I waited outside City Hall until the doors locked, and he never showed.

Every single time, he had a mountain of righteous excuses.

Every single time, I swallowed the pain and forgave him.

I kept telling myself that Penny had no other friends, that Sean was just soft-hearted and had to look out for her.

I had been pathetic.

And today, his selfish games had ruined the most important moment of my life.

If I didn't cut ties right now, I would spend the rest of my life trapped in their twisted melodrama, nothing more than a laughingstock.

The car pulled up smoothly in front of the luxury hotel venue.

Before I even got out, I spotted Sean's mother.

Dressed in a gaudy dark red designer gown, she stood on the entrance steps, gossiping angrily with several relatives.

When she saw me step out with Julian's arm wrapped firmly around mine, her jaw dropped, her eyes bulging with fury.

"Chloe! What is the meaning of this?!"

She stormed down the steps toward us like an enraged bull.

"Sean already called to say the wedding was postponed! What kind of circus are you trying to pull here?"