Chapter 2

When I got to the hotel, the ballroom was still blazing with lights.

Staff was rolling out the red carpet, the florist was crouched by the stage adjusting roses, and the big screen was playing wedding photos of Charlotte and me on repeat.

She was in her white dress, leaning on my shoulder, her smile gentle.

A few hours ago, I thought that photo would be the first thing everyone saw tomorrow.

Now, when I stood at the entrance, it all felt absurd.

Kelly Hughes, the wedding coordinator, hurried over, clutching the event folder. "Mr. Warren, I got the call and thought I misheard. Are you sure you want to cancel?

"The main stage is already set up, and guests will start arriving tomorrow morning. It'll look pretty bad if we start tearing everything down now."

I stared at the big screen. "Turn it off."

Kelly hesitated for a second, then told the tech to shut it down.

Half the ballroom went dark.

James leaned in and whispered, "Why don't you sit down? I'll handle it."

I set my phone on the control desk and pulled up the payment records. "No need.

"The hotel's final payment is already done. The wedding planner still has 30% left, and the photographer gets paid tomorrow. All breach fees will be deducted as per the contract.

"Any pending payments are on hold, but I'll cover the labor costs for what's already been set up."

Kelly's expression eased a bit, but she still looked uneasy. "What about the bride?"

"She's not the bride anymore," I said.

Kelly didn't dare say anything else.

I picked up the event folder and flipped to tomorrow's wedding ceremony schedule.

It included the processional walk, the vow reading, the ring exchange, the parent tribute speech, and the reception toast.

The schedule was crammed.

Charlotte spent two weeks picking out every detail, fussing over how many degrees my boutonnière should be tilted when I walked in.

Tonight, she had Alex wear my boutonnière.

My finger stopped at the "Bride's Entrance" line, and I crossed it out with a pen.

The tip of the pen tore right through the paper.

Kelly watched me, not daring to stop me. "Mr. Warren, how do we notify the guests?

"We need to give all the groups a definite answer by 7 AM tomorrow, and the hotel needs to know if we're canceling the party or changing it."

I looked up. "The party stays."

Kelly froze.

I explained, "The wedding's off, but the party's still happening tomorrow at noon. It's now the Warren family's appreciation dinner. Take down anything with the Wynn family, the bride, or the newlyweds on it."

Kelly quickly jotted it down. "Sign-in wall, place cards, wedding favor boxes, backdrop, welcome sign, opening video, bouquet, ceremony arch..."

"Take it all down," I said.

James shot me a look. "The Wynn family is going to lose it."

I picked up my phone and called my dad. "I'm calling my parents now."

It rang three times before he picked up, the TV still playing in the background.

"It's late, and you have to get up early tomorrow. Why aren't you asleep yet?" he asked.

My throat tightened.

My parents had been busy with this wedding for two months.

My mom had checked every single room for our relatives, and my dad, though he kept complaining about the hassle, had secretly rewritten his speech seven times.

I said, "Dad, the wedding's off tomorrow."

There was a long silence on the other end.

The TV went quiet.

My dad's voice dropped. "Where are you?"

"At the hotel," I said.

"Did something happen to Charlotte?"

"She went to Alex's party tonight, wearing a wedding dress."

My dad didn't say anything right away.

I heard a chair scrape on the floor, and my mom asked, "What's wrong?"

My dad covered the phone and whispered something.

When he spoke again, his voice was steady. "Are you hurt?"

I glanced at the back of my hand. "I'm fine."

"Your mom and I are coming over. Don't get into a fight with the Wynn family. Stop what you can for now, and don't give anyone a reason to blame you."

"Okay."

After I hung up, Kelly handed me a temporary change order. "Mr. Warren, please sign here. The party will still go on, but we'll need to rearrange the guest flow for tomorrow."

When I finished signing, the blood on my hand smeared the edge of the paper.

Kelly looked like she wanted to say something, but held it in.

James handed me a tissue. "Wipe it off. Right now, you look like you walked out of a crime scene."

I took the tissue and pressed it to my wound. "Close enough."

James frowned. "Someone at the club was filming. Wouldn't be surprised if that punch you threw at Alex ends up online."

"He set this whole thing up. Tonight's on him."

"Yeah, but if the video gets out, they could twist it and make you look like the bad guy."

I crumpled the tissue in my hand. "By the way, where'd you get that address you sent me earlier?"

James pressed his lips together. "Don't get mad at me. One of Charlotte's bridesmaids sent it to me. She thought I already knew. She said Alex's bachelor party was a big deal and wondered why the groom wasn't there."

I looked at him. "Who?"

"Luna Taylor," he replied.

I remembered the name.

Luna was Charlotte's college friend, supposed to be a bridesmaid tomorrow. I'd seen her at a few dinners. She was always the quiet type.

James handed me his phone, showing me the chat.

The first message from Luna was the club's location.

The second was a photo from the scene.

In the picture, Charlotte stood in the middle of the dance floor, Alex facing her, with people all around holding up their phones.

Luna: [Does the groom know about this? Something feels off.]

James: [What do you mean?]

Luna: [Alex said this is Charlotte's last surprise before the wedding. He's planning to pop the question later.]

I handed the phone back to him. "Save the chat."

"Already did," he replied.

Just then, my phone buzzed.

It was Charlotte.

I stared at the screen, letting the call ring out.

She called again.

Third time, it was her mother, Victoria Wynn.

I picked up.

Victoria's voice was already shaky with tears. "Edward, did you and Charlotte have a fight? She called me, crying, saying you're canceling the wedding.

"With all our relatives and friends coming tomorrow, can't you wait until after the wedding to sort things out?"

I held the phone, and I heard myself let out a soft laugh.

Kelly and James both glanced at me.

I said, "Mrs. Wynn, if you want to talk about waiting until after the wedding, maybe you should ask Charlotte what she did tonight."

Victoria froze for a moment, then said, "Charlotte said it was her friends hyping things up. She didn't mean anything by it.

"Alex is her old friend, and the kids got a little carried away. Edward, you've always been the steady one. Don't get caught up in their drama."

Steady? I felt the ache in my hand flare up at that word.

I spoke slowly, "She was standing in the middle of the dance floor in a wedding dress, letting Alex kneel and hand her a ring. The whole crowd was shouting for them to kiss. Mrs. Wynn, you call that a little carried away?"

I could hear Victoria's breathing get shaky on the other end.

She lowered her voice. "But you can't cancel the wedding. Get married first, and we'll make her apologize to you later. Her dad's got a quick temper. If he finds out the wedding's off, he'll be so upset that he might get sick tonight."

I closed my eyes.

My mom stayed up all night for this wedding, and all the Wynn family cared about was not making a fool of itself.

I guessed that was how it went. Everyone was protecting their own interests.

"The wedding's canceled. Tomorrow's party is now the Warren family's appreciation dinner. You'll have to tell your relatives yourself," I said.

Victoria's voice went sharp. "Edward, how could you be so ruthless? The Wynn family isn't marrying off a daughter for you to return her like some product in front of everyone."

I held the phone a little further away.

When she finally caught her breath, I said, "You could've yelled at her like that when she showed up in a wedding dress to see Alex tonight."

I hung up.

Kelly stood off to the side, holding the removal checklist, looking awkward.

I set my phone face down on the table. "Keep going."

She nodded quickly. "I'll get someone to start removing the materials."

In the ballroom, a few workers started dismantling the sign-in wall.

My name and Charlotte's name were removed and tossed into a cardboard box.

It read: [Edward Warren & Charlotte Wynn.]

We went through three different fonts trying to get those words right.

Now, it felt like a work of art turned into a punchline.

By the time my parents got to the hotel, it was almost 3 AM.

My mom walked in, saw the half-dismantled wedding backdrop, and paused for a second.

She didn't ask about Charlotte.

She came over, grabbed my hand, and when she saw my scraped-up knuckles, her eyes welled up. "Does it hurt?"

I'd been holding it together this whole time.

But when she asked that, my throat tightened up, like it was stuffed with cotton.

I shook my head. "It's nothing."

My mom squeezed my hand and didn't ask any more questions.

My dad stood off to the side, glancing over the change order. "Settle all the bills. Keep every receipt. We'll handle the family obligations, but you don't have to take the fall for anything embarrassing."

I looked at him.

He gave my shoulder a reassuring pat. "You don't have to go through with the wedding. Don't let them make you bend."

I nodded.

My phone lit up again.

Charlotte sent me a string of messages. [Edward, I really know I messed up.

[Please don't cancel the wedding. Let's go through with it tomorrow, and we can talk when we get home.

[Alex's already gone. There's nothing between us.

[You can't let one stupid joke ruin seven years of us.]

I stared at those last words.

She threw our seven years all away for a party, turning it into the backdrop for Alex's old dream.

I didn't reply.

I handed my phone to James. "Take the video Luna sent and cut out anything private. Keep the part where Alex is on one knee and Charlotte's standing there in her wedding dress."

James looked up. "You're actually going to send it?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

My dad looked at me, but didn't stop me.

I kept going, "Send it to both sets of parents and the wedding planning group chat. Show this to anyone who asks me why I canceled tomorrow."

James nodded.

My mom slowly let go of my hand. "Do it. Don't let them dump the blame on you."