Chapter 3

At the bridal shop, Talia stood in front of a row of cocktail dresses, carefully picking out a few different styles. She was holding three or four dresses, holding them up in front of the mirror to see how they looked.

The dresses were pretty heavy, and she almost lost her balance. Noah, who had just changed into his suit, walked out just in time to catch the scene.

He rushed over, quickly took the dresses from her hands, and passed them off to me.

"Are you okay?" Noah asked, grabbing Talia's hand and looking her over, afraid she might've gotten hurt.

Once he was sure Talia was okay, he turned to me and said, "Claire, why didn't you help her out? Talia's not feeling well; she shouldn't be carrying heavy stuff."

"I'm fine, Noah. Don't blame Claire," Talia said, then stuck out her tongue with a playful grin.

"Noah, which one do you think looks best on me?" she asked, holding up the satin dress she'd just taken from my hands and showing it off in the mirror.

"You look beautiful in anything, Talia," Noah said, ruffling her hair with a doting smile.

I'd been standing there for ages, my feet were killing me, and holding the heavy wedding dress was making my stomach feel queasy.

"Noah, I," I started to say, hoping he'd notice I wasn't feeling well.

I wished I could tell him I was pregnant and feeling sick.

But Noah just waved me off, telling me to hang on a minute. He didn't notice at all how miserable I was; right now, his whole world was Talia.

After an eternity of waiting for Talia to pick her dress, I finally breathed. But she turned and said, "Claire, you should pick one and try it on, too. I think this one would look great on you."

Then she shoved the wedding dress she had just passed on into my hand.

I was about to refuse, but Noah didn't give me a chance. He steered me straight to the fitting room and said, "Go on, try it on with Talia. I'd love to see you in a wedding dress too."

The curtain was pulled shut, and with the help of the sales assistant, Talia and I slipped into our wedding dresses.

Talia waved the assistant out, then walked over to me with a smug smile and said, "Claire, do you really think the few years you've spent with Noah can measure up to the more than twenty years I've known him?"

She looked at me with open arrogance, and her gaze was no longer just pity; it was undisguised malice.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my brows knitting together as a bad feeling crept over me.

I frowned, a sense of unease creeping over me.

"Guess what, Claire, if I got hurt right now, do you think Noah would blame you for it?" Talia said, her lips curling into a taunting smirk.

As she spoke, she suddenly reached out and dug her nails into her own neck, squeezing hard. My eyes widened in shock as she started faking short, desperate breaths, then threw herself against the wall with a loud thud.

I barely had time to process what was happening before Noah burst into the fitting room. The moment he saw Talia leaning against the wall, his face darkened instantly.

"It's all my fault, Noah. Please don't blame Claire," Talia said, her voice trembling as she bit her lip, tears falling like rain.

"I swear, I didn't do anything. She's totally faking it," I said.

I was left speechless, unable to defend myself, no matter what I said.

"Claire, I'm really disappointed in you," Noah said, his voice icy.

His brows knitted together, his expression grim.

"Noah, please, you have to believe me. She's doing this on purpose," I said.

I held onto Noah's arm, desperate to get him to listen.

"Enough, Claire. Talia's so pitiful, and you still bully her? I really thought you were better than this," Noah snapped, his voice cold and furious.

He shoved my hand away, and, caught off guard, I crashed to the floor.

The pain in my abdomen intensified, and I felt a warm flow slowly seeping down.

"Noah, it hurts so bad," I said painfully, clutching my stomach.

"Claire?" Noah asked, hesitated for a moment.

"Noah, I feel terrible. I can't breathe," Talia said, clutching her chest, her face ghostly pale and her breathing ragged.

Noah threw me a final cold look and said, "Stop pretending, Claire. Talia's in real trouble; I'm taking her to the hospital."

With that, Noah picked Talia up in his arms and hurried out of the bridal shop.