Chapter 1

Ten minutes before walking down the aisle, the wedding ring was missing.

My best friend, Lilah Ortega, stuck out her tongue playfully. "I hid the ring under the bed. If you can't find it, you're not allowed to get married."

My fiancé, Hunter Cooper, laughed, saying in a doting tone, "You're always a troublemaker."

I gathered up my massive wedding dress and awkwardly got down to reach under the bed. All I got was a handful of dust.

Lilah burst out laughing. "Just kidding, Elowyn. The ring's in the best man's pocket.

I said, "Hurry up and get it out. Don't mess up the timing."

The best man pointed at his pants pocket with a sly grin and shot me a suggestive look.

I braced myself and reached into his pocket, and he shouted dramatically, "My god, Elowyn, what are you grabbing? You are so bold."

Lilah laughed so hard that she pounded the bed. "I can't take it anymore, Elowyn. How are you so easy to trick? There's nothing in his pocket."

Furious, I turned to leave, my face darkening as I snapped at them, "Enough! Don't go too far."

Hunter pulled the ring box from the pocket over his heart and sighed. "I kept the ring close to my heart, Elowyn. Why didn't you try touching my heart first?"

I suddenly felt so wronged that I wanted to cry.

When I opened the ring box, a condom popped out and smacked me in the face.

This time, everyone burst out laughing. "You got tricked again. How can you be so clueless?"

Hunter smirked. "That condom? Lilah left it behind. She liked the ring, so she swapped it out. Since you two are so close, sharing a guy shouldn't be a big deal, right?

"Of course, even if you mind, there is nothing you can do. The wedding is about to start."

I stared at him, with my face drained of all color.

My mom, who walked in, looked as upset.

She grabbed my hand, her face tight with anger. "Enough. My daughter isn't here for you to mess with. We're not getting married. Come on, I'm taking you home."

"Mrs. Sinclair." Hunter stepped in front of her, his smile dripping with contempt. "This is our business, not yours. Why don't you stay out of young people's stuff?

"You're making choices for your daughter, but what if she's actually into it? Maybe she's dying to try a threesome and would love every second of it."

My mom slapped him hard across the face.

She pressed her lips together, with her face twisted with anger. "Hunter, what do you take my daughter for? Do you know what shame is? Have you got any decency left?"

Hunter's head jerked to the side from the slap.

He rubbed his jaw, and then let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Shame? Mrs. Sinclair, maybe you should ask your daughter if she knows what shame is.

"She chased after me for years like some pathetic puppy. I wouldn't marry her, so she proposed to me instead.

"Last Valentine's Day, I told her to bring a condom to my place, and she showed up without blinking.

"I told her to drop it off and leave, and she did, clueless as ever. Lilah was in my bed the whole time.

"So, tell me, did your daughter really not know, or was she pretending?"

Hunter laughed shamelessly. "She loves me so much. Maybe she wouldn't care if there was someone else in the mix."

I stared at his arrogant face, feeling a cold chill run down my spine.

So, this was how he had always seen me.

Hunter and I dated for five years, but we never got any closer.

It was Lilah who pushed me, saying, "Why wait for a guy to propose? Girls can take the initiative too. If he says yes, great. If not, you can move on."

So, I proposed.

The night Hunter agreed, I was so happy that I couldn't sleep.

But was he holding Lilah, laughing at me behind my back, celebrating all night while I was over the moon?

And on Valentine's Day, when he told me to drop off the condom and leave, I thought it was weird, but I never suspected he was with another woman.

Now I realized that it was his way of taunting me, wasn't it?

I was so oblivious back then. I didn't notice a thing.

And I never noticed that my best friend and the man I loved were both betraying me.

I rasped, "Hunter, you're the filthy one. Don't assume everyone else is as dirty as you."

Hunter narrowed his eyes, glaring at me, his eyes full of annoyance. "Elowyn, maybe you should think before you speak. Don't let your emotions run wild."

I let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh. 'Even now, he still thinks I'm letting my emotions run wild, huh?'

My mom wiped her eyes, squeezed my hand, and tried to keep her voice steady. "Elowyn, I need to know. Do you still want this wedding? Whatever you decide, I'll stand by you. If you say no, I'll take you home."

I saw the tears in her eyes and the gray in her hair, and my own eyes burned.

I was already twenty-eight, but I still made her worry, still needed her to shield me like a mother bird protecting her chick.

"I'm not getting married," I said, my voice firm. "Mom, I don't want this man anymore."

Hunter's face darkened. He looked like he couldn't believe what he'd heard.

He spoke in a cold, threatening tone, "Elowyn, don't do anything stupid. This isn't some game. There are dozens of guests out there waiting. You can't bail on the wedding now."

Then something seemed to click for him, and he gave a sly, knowing smirk. "So, that's it, huh? Trying to use this as leverage? Spit it out. What do you want? A kid? A house?"

I stared at him, completely dumbfounded, like I was seeing the real Hunter for the first time.

He didn't have a single ounce of respect for me or my mom.

Shaking, I stepped right up to him, watching that cocky, self-assured grin spread across his face.

Then I raised my hand and slapped him hard, right across the cheek. "Hunter, you seriously disgust me."