Chapter 1

On the night before the wedding, I caught my fiancé, Jonathan Prescott, tangled up in bed with my bridesmaid, Victoria Ashford.

He grabbed my chin and warned me viciously. "The wedding goes on tomorrow. The bride will be her instead. If you dare make a scene, I'll ruin you."

I smiled and nodded, then turned around and booked a plane ticket to Liauland.

Did he think I would cry, throw a tantrum, and beg him to change his mind?

No, I was going to make sure the wedding he had so carefully prepared turned into a laughingstock.

*****

The air lingered with a sweet, lewd scent, a blend of rose fragrance and something else.

I stood at the door of the bridal suite, holding the dress meant for tomorrow's wedding.

The door was left slightly ajar.

Inside, I heard two voices I knew all too well. It was my fiancé, Jonathan Prescott, and my bridesmaid, Victoria Ashford, the best friend I'd known for a decade.

"Jonathan, are you really going through with this?" Victoria's voice trembled, caught between fear and excitement. "Tomorrow, what about Eleanor?"

"Shut up." Jonathan's voice was cold and flat. "Don't mention her. From tomorrow on, you'll be Mrs. Prescott. I will make every promise I made to you a reality."

In that instant, I felt my heart plunge into icy depths, too numb even to fight back.

I gripped the doorknob and pushed gently. The door swung open.

The bridal suite was a mess. The quilt was tossed haphazardly at the foot of the bed. Victoria's clothes were scattered across the floor, including the champagne-colored bridesmaid dress I had helped her pick out yesterday.

Victoria was curled up in Jonathan's arms, looking like a frightened rabbit.

When she saw me, her eyes were nearly overflowing with terror. Jonathan, my fiancé, paused for a second. Then, he slowly pulled the blanket over Victoria.

There was no shame or panic on his face. Just a cold, impatient annoyance at having his plans disrupted. He looked nothing but cold and frustrated because his plans had been ruined.

We locked eyes from several feet apart. The moment seemed frozen in time.

Eventually, I set the dress gently on the entryway table, then looked up and flashed him a smile.

"Carry on," I said. "I came to drop something off."

My calm attitude seemed to really piss him off.

He yanked the blanket aside, bare-chested, and marched right up to me. "Eleanor, what's with the act?"

His fingers clamped down on my chin like a vise, so hard that it felt like he might crush my bones.

"Did you see that?" He advanced on me, his gaze sharp and unfamiliar. "Listen up. The wedding will go ahead as planned tomorrow."

His voice dropped to a venomous hiss. "Victoria's the bride now. You'd better vanish quietly. If you mess up my wedding, I'll ruin you and your whole family."

Victoria let out a faint whimper from behind him. "Jonathan, don't treat Eleanor like this."

Jonathan didn't even turn around. "Shut up. This isn't your place to talk."

His gaze was fixed firmly on me as he waited to watch me break down, cry, and go hysterical.

I looked at the man I'd loved for five years, the one I once thought I'd spend forever with. But now, he looked savage and cold.

A laugh escaped me, straight from the heart.

I nodded, smiling wider, and said, "Alright."

Jonathan froze. He'd probably imagined countless ways I'd react, but he never saw it coming.

I reached up and peeled his fingers off my chin slowly. "Congrats on your marriage."

I turned and walked away without a second thought.

*****

Back at my apartment, I didn't shed a single tear. Nothing hurt more than a heart that had stopped caring.

I fired up my laptop and booked the earliest flight to Liauland. Then I dragged a suitcase out from the back of my closet.

I didn't pack much. I only took my passport, some cards, and a few changes of clothes. I left behind all the gifts he gave me and all the memories we made together, not touching a single one of them.

Did he really think I'd break down and beg him to take him back? Did he think I'd grit my teeth and suffer in silence to save dignity? He couldn't be more wrong.

I was going to make sure the wedding he had so carefully prepared turned into a laughingstock.

At four in the morning, I turned off my phone, grabbed my suitcase, and stepped out of my apartment. The city was dead silent, not a hint of dawn in the sky.

I hailed a cab to the airport.

Outside the window, neon lights flickered past. I watched the familiar streets go by. There was no hint of nostalgia.

Jonathan and Victoria would get their wedding gift first thing tomorrow. I hoped they would enjoy it.