Chapter 3

The line went completely silent.

I could picture Adam's face. First, shock. Then, disbelief. And finally, rage.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, he exploded on the phone. "Sophia. Are you out of your mind? Do you even know what you're saying?

"Cancel the wedding? Who do you think you are to call off the wedding? I'm telling you, tomorrow you're getting married, whether you want to or not."

I held the phone a little further away from my ear.

I waited for him to finish yelling. I said, "Adam, you don't need to come over. I've called off the hotel, the wedding planner, everything. Tomorrow, there'll be nothing there. It'll be an empty hall. Do you understand?"

"You..." He was so furious that he could barely speak. "Just wait, I'm coming over right now."

He hung up.

I stared at the screen as it went black and tossed my phone back onto the bed.

He was coming over. Let him come, whatever.

We could finally get everything out in the open.

I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. The hot water hit my skin.

I closed my eyes. My mind was a mess.

Adam's face. His mom's face. My sister Emily's face. And my parents, struggling to hold back their anger. All these faces flashed through my mind.

Steam filled the bathroom.

The mirror was completely fogged up.

I couldn't see a thing. Maybe that was for the best.

The doorbell rang frantically. It kept ringing, again and again. Someone started pounding on the door, hard. Adam shouted, "Sophia! Open the door. Open up."

It was Adam. He must have rushed over.

I turned off the water, dried off, and slipped into my pajamas. I didn't rush to the door.

Instead, I headed for my parents' room first. I knocked softly.

My mom opened the door almost immediately. She was in her pajamas, worry written all over her face. "Sophie, what's going on? Who's out there?"

I said, "Mom, it's Adam. We fought. I told him the wedding's off."

My mom froze, completely stunned.

My dad stepped out of his room. He looked at me. His eyes had things he wasn't saying. "You really thought this through?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I have."

My dad said, "Alright. Go back to your room. I'll take care of the rest."

I said, "No, Dad. This is my mess. I'll deal with it myself."

I turned and headed for the front door.

Adam was still freaking out outside, kicking and banging on the door. "Sophia, if you don't open up, I'm calling the cops."

I opened the door.

Adam was standing there. His hair was a mess, his eyes bloodshot.

He grabbed my wrist tightly. "What the hell do you want from me?"

He tried to yank me outside.

My dad grabbed his shoulder. "Let go." His voice was low, but it carried weight.

Adam froze when he saw my parents.

He let go of my wrist. But he was still glaring at me. "Mr. and Mrs. Carter, perfect timing. You tell me if this is fair. She says she wants to call off the wedding.

"All because I sent her a text asking her not to come tomorrow, now she wants to cancel everything. Is she crazy or what?"

My mom was so mad she was shaking. "You told Sophie not to come to the wedding? Adam, how could you even say something like that?"

Adam looked completely unapologetic. "Mrs. Carter, I was trying to look out for both of us. Everyone knows how amazing her sister is. Sophie barely makes anything. How would that look with her standing next to her?

"Isn't that embarrassing? I'm trying to help her out. I don't want her to feel bad about herself."

I looked at him, the man I'd been in love with for three years. It felt like I was looking at a stranger. It made me sick.

I said, "Adam. We're done."

He let out a cold laugh. "Done? Sophia, what do you have to walk away from me for? You really think you can find someone better than me?

"With your measly $6,700 a month, you really think you can make it on your own? Quit messing around and come home. Go through with the wedding tomorrow, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened."

As he spoke, he reached for my hand again.

I stepped back, dodging him. "Forget it. I can take care of myself."