Chapter 1
My childhood friend, Alex Stone, told me he missed me.
So, I booked a flight right away, endured a fifteen-hour journey, and snuck back home to surprise him.
Outside the private room, I heard him talking animatedly with his buddies.
"Mia's coming back soon. Don't spill any details about the wedding, or the surprise will be ruined," he said.
I was overjoyed, my heart fluttering with excitement.
Alex and I had made a three-year promise: if neither of us was married by then, we'd tie the knot.
Now, it seemed like he was planning to surprise me.
"Since Mia and Claire are close, I'm worried Mia might accidentally let something slip and ruin the surprise," he added.
My whole body froze.
Turned out, I wasn't the one he was marrying.
*****
Alex said, "Mia's got a ton of ideas. She's planned many big weddings overseas, and her creativity is legendary. If she plans my wedding with Claire, it'll blow up all over Landia.
"I want Claire to have a wedding she'll never forget, something that'll make everyone talk."
Alex spun the wedding ring on his finger, completely immersed in his anticipation for the big day.
His buddies chimed in, "Alex, Mia's been head over heels for you forever. She might even plan your wedding for free. Planners at her level usually cost a lot."
"Yeah, Alex, I still remember back in high school when Mia wrote you that love letter, saying she wanted to be your bride for life.
"She even drew herself as a princess in a wedding gown and veil, with you standing right beside her."
"We all teased you two, asking you two to kiss each other. Remember that?"
"I remember you just barely brushed her lips, and then dashed off to the restroom to rinse your mouth over and over. Seriously, did Mia have bad breath or something?"
The group burst out laughing, swapping stories from their high school days.
But their laughter was cut short when Alex rapped his knuckles on the table.
"Can we not bring up all that embarrassing stuff from back then?" Alex said.
After a pause, he said something even worse, "Mia not only had bad breath, but she was like a leech. It was impossible to shake her off.
"I'm warning you guys, don't bring up the past when she gets back, especially that dirty stunt she pulled on Claire. If you do, you'll be in serious trouble with me."
He pointed at each of them, warning, "If Claire hears any of this, you're dead meat."
Inside the private room, they were openly using me as their punchline, and I couldn't stop myself from trembling.
After my parents passed away, I was sent to live with my aunt.
But my uncle-in-law was an alcoholic, and he kept trying to take advantage of me.
My aunt was just a regular housewife, and she couldn't stand up to his overbearing ways.
So, she quietly sent me off to stay with one of my dad's old friends.
I lived with Alex's family for many years.
Our relationship was far deeper than that of ordinary step-siblings.
Back in our freshman year of high school, Alex turned down an offer as the city's top student just to attend a regular school with me.
He said I was too timid and worried I'd get bullied at school, so he wanted to always be there for me.
As I grew older, my crush on Alex became more and more obvious.
I stopped hiding my feelings for him.
When I started high school, I secretly doodled a pretty girl in a wedding dress and veil, standing next to her groom, in my notebook.
In the empty space, I scribbled: [Alex and Mia's Wedding.]
But that drawing I'd carefully kept in my notebook ended up getting discovered.
They ran up and down the hallway waving it around, yelling, "Mia's desperate to get married! She's totally lovestruck. No shame at all!"
Everyone was scrambling to get a look at my drawing, and they all started teasing me.
When Alex found out, he dragged out the guy who started it and beat him up pretty bad.
Then, right in front of everyone, he pulled me close and kissed me.
He gazed down at me and murmured, "Mia, I'll protect you for the rest of your life. I want you to be my bride someday."
Turned out, he couldn't bear that kiss.
Alex had been disliking me all along.
So, all those promises about marrying me when I came back were just empty words.
I couldn't help but clutch the limited-edition watch I'd chased down across continents. I stayed up night after night to get it for Alex.
"Hi there, miss. Would you like something to drink?" A waiter noticed me as he walked by and asked.
The moment the people inside heard the voice outside, the private room instantly went quiet.
"No, thanks," I replied.
Now that I'd been noticed, I had to pretend I was clueless and then stepped inside the private room.