Chapter 2

The glow from my phone screen washed over my face, cold and harsh.

The room was completely silent.

I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. Then it started racing.

My blood rushed to my head.

I stared at the words on the screen: [If you show up, you'll make me look too low-class.]

That was what he thought of me.

I kept reading his message over and over, word by word, as if I were trying to etch them into my mind.

The bank's deposit notification for $14 million was right above his message. It was so ironic.

I couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't loud, but in this empty room, it echoed so clearly.

I sat up and leaned back against the headboard. Any excitement I felt was gone. Even the flood of resentment faded away.

After my mind went blank, a new kind of clarity washed over me.

I replied to him. One word. [Okay.]

He replied almost instantly: [Don't overthink it. This is for us. We have to keep up appearances. I'll make it up to you after the wedding, I swear.]

I stared at his reply and couldn't even be bothered to respond.

I tossed my phone aside and opened my laptop.

There was a folder on the desktop. It was named "Wedding."

Inside were all the contracts and contacts, including the hotel, the wedding planner, the host, the car service, and the makeup artist.

I opened them one by one and found the phone numbers.

I picked up my phone and dialed the first number. The wedding planner, Linda King. She was super friendly.

"Hello? Ms. Carter, you're still up? Are you too excited to sleep?" Her voice was cheerful.

I said, "Linda, I'm sorry. We're calling off the wedding tomorrow."

There was a three-second silence on the other end.

"What? Calling it off? Ms. Carter, are you serious? It's so last minute. How can you cancel now?"

"Something came up. We're not getting married. I'll pay the cancellation fee. It'll be in your account first thing tomorrow morning. Please let the host and the photographer know. I'll cover everyone's losses."

My voice was so calm that even I was surprised.

Linda was still trying to talk me out of it. "Did you and the groom get into a fight? Come on, couples argue all the time, but they always make up. Don't take marriage so lightly."

"I'm not joking. That's final, Linda."

I hung up before she could say anything else.

The second call was to the hotel manager.

"Hello, Ms. Carter," he answered.

"I'm calling to cancel tomorrow's wedding ceremony. Please cancel all reservations. You can keep the deposit. I'll come by tomorrow to settle any losses face-to-face."

The hotel manager was much calmer than Linda. He asked, "Are you sure about this, Ms. Carter?"

I replied, "I'm sure."

"Alright, I understand."

The third call was to the car service.

The fourth call was to the makeup artist.

Half an hour later, I finished making all the calls.

Everyone involved in the wedding had been notified.

The wedding was off.

After I finished everything, I stood up and walked over to the window.

I looked out at the city at night. My heart felt empty. I wasn't sad or relieved. There was only emptiness, like a balloon someone had popped.

My phone rang again. It was Adam calling.

I stared at the name flashing on the screen: "Hubby."

I was the one who set that nickname. It looked like a joke.

I swiped to answer. "Hello."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Adam snapped. His voice was full of anger. "What do you mean, 'okay'? Are you seriously not coming?

"Sophia, I'm telling you, don't act childish. Tomorrow's a huge day. If you bail on me, see what happens."

I didn't say a word. I listened quietly as he lost it on the other end.

"Are you even listening to me? Cat got your tongue?"

I finally spoke up, "Adam."

"What?"

"The wedding's off."

"What did you say?" Adam's voice shot up.

"I said, the wedding's off. You don't need to come. I'm not going either. We're done."