Chapter 1

The night before the wedding, Charlotte Wynn told me she wasn't having a bachelorette party. "I don't like those noisy parties."

I bought it.

Later that night, my best man texted me an address.

When I got to the private club, there she was, standing right in the middle of the dance floor in a wedding dress.

Her ex, Alex Quinn, knelt on one knee before her, holding out a ring.

The crowd started shouting, "Kiss her."

Charlotte kept her head down and didn't back away.

I shoved through the crowd and kicked over the champagne tower right in front of Alex.

Glass shattered everywhere.

Everyone went dead silent.

*****

I tossed the groom's boutonnière at her feet. "Since you've already had your wedding tonight, tomorrow's wedding will be canceled."

Charlotte's face went pale.

She instinctively lifted her wedding dress and took a step toward me, but her foot landed on some broken glass, and she stumbled.

Alex stood up to steady her, still clutching the ring box in his hand.

The ring caught the light, so bright that it was almost blinding.

I recognized it right away.

It was the same design Charlotte had fallen for at an antique jewelry show on her birthday last year. She'd only glanced at it and said it was too expensive, not worth it.

Later, I had a custom sapphire ring made, planning to surprise her with it during our wedding ceremony tomorrow.

Tonight, Alex had gotten a similar ring and was down on one knee, proposing to her in front of a crowd of strangers.

Charlotte reached out, clutching my sleeve. "Edward, please, hear me out."

I took a step back.

Her hand froze in midair.

The music had stopped, and everyone who'd been filming the chaos a moment ago now stood there, phones still in hand, too stunned to move.

Alex wiped the champagne off his face, his expression turning icy. "Edward, you're making a huge scene. It's merely a friend's party."

I looked at him. "A friend's party, huh?"

I reached over and snatched the projector remote from someone nearby, hitting pause.

The big screen on the wall froze on the scene from moments ago.

Charlotte stood in the middle of the dance floor in her wedding dress, Alex on one knee with the ring box open, and giant floral script next to them: [One last night, for my old dream.]

I pointed at the words and asked Charlotte, "Who put those words up?"

Her lips moved, but no words came out.

Someone in the crowd whispered, "Didn't Alex set this up?"

Alex's face darkened. "Shut up."

I let out a laugh. "Why so nervous? I haven't asked you yet."

Charlotte finally spoke up. "Edward, it was a theme for the party. Everyone was messing around. They insisted I wear the wedding dress. I didn't really think about it."

My gaze locked onto her dress.

It was strapless, adorned with pearl shoulder chains, and featured a floor‑sweeping mermaid train.

It was an exact copy of the main wedding gown she was meant to wear tomorrow.

Yet upon closer inspection, I noticed one layer of silver thread was missing from the gown's hand‑stitched embroidery.

This was the sample dress she'd tried on.

I went with her to the shop three times. She thought this one wasn't grand enough, so she switched to the real wedding dress.

The salesperson said she could keep the sample as a keepsake. She hugged the dress box and smiled at me. "When we're old, can I still take it out and look at it?"

I told her, "If you like it, keep it."

But she kept it for tonight.

Alex stepped forward, blocking Charlotte. "Edward, don't scare her. She's getting married tomorrow. Tonight's a farewell party for her."

I met his gaze. "Is that your idea of a farewell? A wedding dress, a ring, and you on one knee?"

He smirked. "Man, you're really making a big deal out of nothing."

I stepped up, grabbed his collar, and pulled him close.

The crowd gasped.

Charlotte panicked. "Edward, enough."

Alex tried to break free, but I held him tight.

I kept my voice low, barely holding back my anger. "You called all these people to watch her in a wedding dress, watch you kneel, so tomorrow I get a bride everyone's already seen. You think that's funny?"

Alex's smirk vanished. "Let go of me."

I let go.

The next second, I punched him right in the corner of his mouth.

He stumbled back, slamming into the wreckage of the champagne tower, his back hitting it with a dull thud.

Charlotte rushed over to help him, tears streaming down her face. "Alex, are you okay?"

My hand was still tingling.

The fact that she rushed to protect him first said everything I needed to know.

I pulled out my phone and called the wedding coordinator.

The call connected, and the wedding planner's voice was still upbeat. "Mr. Warren, the wedding convoy will be there at 6:30 AM sharp tomorrow."

"Cancel it," I said.

There was a pause. "What?"

"The wedding's off. Cancel the hotel, wedding planner, convoy, and photographer. Send me the bill for the breach of contract as per the agreement," I added.

Charlotte whipped around. "Edward, are you out of your mind?"

I stared at her, the anger in my chest burning so hot that it felt like my ribs were on fire. "When you showed up here tonight in that dress, I was already out of my mind."

Charlotte shoved Alex aside and rushed up to me. "You can't do this. Both sides of the family will be there tomorrow, and my parents are waiting. If you cancel the wedding now, what am I supposed to do?"

I stared at her.

She panicked, scrambling to grab my phone.

I grabbed her wrist and shoved her away. "Maybe you should've thought about what I'd do when you showed up here tonight."

She stumbled, and Alex caught her, whispering, "Charlotte, don't beg him. If he's using the wedding to threaten you, it means he never really loved you."

I shot Alex a look.

His lip was split, blood smeared on his fingers, but he was still putting on a brave face.

I walked over, picked up the ring box he'd dropped, snapped it shut, and shoved it back into his pocket. "Hang on to your props."

Alex frowned.

I walked past him and glanced at the people in the club still holding up their phones.

"Got your fill?" I said.

A few people quickly lowered their phones.

I pointed at the words on the wall, then at Charlotte's wedding dress. "Don't bother coming to the wedding tomorrow. Tonight was more than enough."

With that, I turned and walked out.

Charlotte called after me, "Wait, Edward."

I didn't look back.

The cold wind slapped my face as I stepped outside, and that was when I noticed my hand was cut, blood dripping down my knuckles.

James Stone, my best man, ran out and threw his jacket over my shoulders.

He glanced at my hand, then at the chaos inside. "Hospital?"

I shook my head. "Take me to the hotel."

He paused for a second.

I turned off my phone, my voice hoarse. "I'm going to cancel our wedding myself."