Chapter 1

Seven days before the wedding, I returned home early.

As I slid the key into the lock, I was still wondering what to cook for dinner.

My fiancé, Dexter Lowes, loved grilled ribs, so I made a special trip to the supermarket to choose the best ones.

I pushed the door open. The living room was dark, but I could hear intimate sounds coming from the bedroom.

My footsteps faltered.

One step, two steps, three steps.

I pushed open the bedroom door.

The sheets were a mess, and clothes were strewn all over the place.

Dexter, and my best friend of ten years, Miranda Spencer, were wrapped up in each other.

On the bed meant for our wedding night.

"Ah!"

Miranda screamed, instinctively covering herself with the blanket.

But Dexter wasn't even fazed.

He slowly leaned back against the headboard and grabbed a cigarette from the nightstand. He lit it and blew out a cloud of smoke.

Then he looked up at me, his voice as mild as if he were saying the weather was nice.

"You're back early."

I dropped the ribs, and they hit the floor with a dull thud.

I stood there, stunned, as if I'd just been struck by lightning.

My mind went completely blank.

Three years.

I'd been engaged to Dexter for three years.

For three years, I'd scrimped and saved to buy him designer brands, stayed up late after work to do his laundry and cook for him, and known what he liked better than I knew myself.

And Miranda was my best friend for ten years.

From high school to college, and then into our working lives, she was my most trusted friend.

She was there for me through breakups, took care of me when I was sick, and was more excited about my engagement than I was.

It all turned out to be a lie.

"What are you just standing there for?"

Dexter's words jolted me out of my daze.

He slipped on his robe, stood up, and walked over, looking down at me from above.

"Brianna, I was going to wait until after the wedding to tell you everything, but since you caught us early, let's lay it all out now," Dexter said.

He spoke with a shrug, like he was just talking about something trivial.

"Miranda and I have been together for way longer than you'd ever guess," Dexter said.

I finally found my voice again. "How long?"

"Since three months before we even got engaged."

Three years and three months.

It turned out to be all a joke right from the start.

By now, Miranda had already gotten dressed. She walked over, linked her arm with Dexter's, and flashed me a smug grin.

"Brianna, you should know you're not good enough for Dexter," she said.

She gave me a once-over, her eyes full of mockery.

"Look at you. You're unfashionable, broke, and always counting every penny. Dexter's the heir to the Lowes family. How could he ever seriously want someone like you?"

My nails dug into my palm.

"Then why did you even bother getting engaged to me?" I asked.

Dexter let out a mocking laugh. "That house your parents left you is sitting on prime real estate in the south side, and it's set for redevelopment next year. You didn't actually think I cared about you, did you?"

The house.

So it was all about the house.

That tiny old place was the only thing I had to remember my parents by after they were gone.

I used to feel lucky to have that inheritance. It was a place of my own in this city, somewhere I could actually belong.

I never thought that inheritance would be the very thing people took advantage of me for.

"The wedding goes ahead as planned," Dexter said, flicking his cigarette ash, his tone unapologetic. "Once the compensation comes in and the house's transferred, we'll get divorced. You'll get your share, and neither of us loses out. It works out for everyone, doesn't it?"

I took a deep breath. "In your dreams."

"In my dreams?" Dexter arched his brow. "Brianna, do you think you get to choose?"

He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a threatening whisper.

"The Lowes family runs this town. You're just a nobody with zero connections. If you piss me off, you really think you can survive in this city?

"And..."

He leaned in, his voice cold as steel right in my ear.

"You know exactly how you landed that job. If you piss me off, you'll be out on your ass by tomorrow."

I felt a cold shiver run down my spine.

I only got this job after I got engaged to Dexter.

I used to believe it was all thanks to my own abilities, but now that I thought about it, he must've been pulling strings for me from the start.

Miranda stood off to the side, gloating, "Brianna, do yourself a favor. If you go up against Dexter, you'll only end up getting burned."

I looked at her familiar face, yet she suddenly looked like a total stranger to me.

"Ten years," I said, my voice trembling. "We've known each other for ten years. I'd treated you as my best friend."