Chapter 3

I looked into Julian's deep, dark eyes.

They mirrored my reflection. Only me.

"I do."

"And Julian Hayes, do you take Chloe Miller to be your lawfully wedded wife..."

"I do."

When we exchanged rings, Julian's fingers trembled slightly.

He carefully slid the temporary ring onto my left ring finger.

Then, he leaned down and pressed a reverent kiss to the back of my hand.

His warm touch sent a prickle of tears to my eyes.

"Trust me, Chloe," he whispered against my skin.

"From this day on, no one will ever make you feel second best again."

The wedding reception lasted well into the night until the last guest was escorted out.

My back ached and my feet were killing me. Collapsing onto the sofa in our luxury bridal suite, I didn't even want to move a muscle.

Julian had the hotel staff bring up a warm soothing tea.

After gently coaxing me to drink it, he knelt on the floor before me and began rubbing my tired calves.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, staring down at the pattern on the carpet. "Today was so sudden. I dragged you into my reckless mess."

His hands paused.

"This wasn't a mess."

His voice was gentle as silk.

"This is the happiest day of my entire life."

He looked up at me with utter sincerity.

"The ring, the vows, our home—I will make sure you have the very best of everything. I've already had my assistant pull up listings for penthouses near your firm. We can tour them tomorrow, alright?"

Seeing how ready he was to hand me the entire world on a silver platter, the lingering guilt in my chest dissolved, replaced by a deep, steady warmth.

"Okay," I nodded.

"But tonight... I need to stop by the apartment I shared with Sean to get my things."

Sean had bought that condo.

I had moved some of my belongings there—important documents, keepsakes, and personal essentials.

I had spent weeks decorating it romantically for our wedding night.

Now, it was just a sick joke.

"I'll go with you."

Julian stood up immediately, grabbing his car keys.

We arrived at Sean's apartment building.

The hallway was dark and chilly.

I unlocked the door, and an unfamiliar scent drifted into the foyer.

I frowned.

I clicked on the lights.

The living room appeared mostly tidy, but my eyes caught on the coffee table instantly.

There sat my limited-edition tumbler.

Inside was a murky dark liquid, and around the rim was a smeared stain of bright coral lipstick.

Worse, the personalized sleeve had my initials embroidered onto it.

Sean knew better than anyone that I had a strict aversion to people touching my personal items.

Especially things that touched my lips.

He had promised me countless times that no one else would ever lay a hand on my stuff.

I walked over and picked up the cup.

The sticky texture under my fingers made my stomach churn with disgust.

I set it down and walked toward the sofa.

One of the cushions was visibly squished. Empty snack wrappers littered the floor beneath it.

And tangled right in the seam of the cushion was a long, curled strand of bleached blonde hair.

I had naturally pin-straight, dark brunette hair.

Sean had a buzz cut.

That hair could only belong to Penny.

Memories flashed in my head.

Penny had an uncanny habit of crashing our dates.

She copied my style, bought identical dresses, and wore the same perfume I used.

Julian walked over. Seeing the mess on the table, his brow furrowed fiercely.

He picked up the tumbler and dropped it straight into the trash can.

"Filthy things belong in the garbage."

He reached out and took my hand. "Come on. Let's get your stuff and get out of here."

I wanted to escape this suffocating place as fast as possible.

Yet when I pushed open the bedroom door, the sight before me hit me like a physical blow.

The bed was trashed.

The duvet was tossed in a tangled heap, the sheets wrinkled, stained with obvious, sickening spots.

My eyes drifted to the nightstand drawer.