Chapter 2
The black wedding car was parked by the curb.
Ethan bent down and got in.
Emily yanked open the passenger door.
I stood by the side of the road, my heels bleeding, my wedding dress all wrinkled and misshapen.
I glanced down. The spacious backseat was stuffed with a pristine wedding dress, taking up every inch of space.
The window was halfway down, and Emily called out from inside.
"Sophie, your dress is a mess. We got you a new one, but it's super delicate," Emily said.
Ethan looked over at me.
"Grab a cab and meet us there," Ethan said.
I felt like my bones were coming apart, and my feet were on fire.
I was about to say I wasn't going.
But my phone suddenly rang.
Mom's gentle voice came through the phone.
"Sophie, where are you guys?" Mom asked.
Ethan smirked at me.
"Be good. Your mom is still waiting for us at the hotel," Ethan said.
My throat was dry, and the exhaustion was so heavy I could barely breathe.
I took a deep breath.
"We're on our way, Mom. We'll be there soon," I said.
As soon as I finished speaking, the wedding car sped off.
I flagged down a cab.
When I got to the hotel entrance, I spotted Mom right away, dressed in new clothes.
She frowned when she saw me.
She said, "Sophie, you bumped your eye yesterday, and now you've messed up your dress and makeup. How can you be so careless on such a big day?
"Good thing Ethan was considerate and got you a new dress. Hurry up and go change."
Before I could catch my breath, I was hurried off to the makeup room.
As I pushed the door open, two heavy wedding firecrackers went off with a thud.
Bits of hard shell from the fireworks rained down, smacking me in the face and all over my body.
My vision went black for a moment.
Emily's crisp voice rang out.
"Seriously, Sophie, when will you learn?" Emily mocked.
The lights came on, and there she was, standing in front of me in a wedding dress, arms crossed.
"Ethan would never marry you. Keep dreaming," Emily sneered.
I froze, clenching my fists so hard my nails bit into my palms.
The sharp pain snapped me back to reality.
But then I pictured Mom's hopeful face, and I slowly unclenched my fists.
"Emily, I'm begging you. Even if it's all an act, can we please go through with the ceremony?" I pleaded.
Emily raised an eyebrow and nodded.
"Sure," she said.
I blinked in surprise.
Emily grinned, walked over, and gave my shoulder a friendly pat.
"Seriously, you believe everything I say?" Emily teased. "I thought the dress looked nice, so I wanted to try it on."
Ethan chuckled.
"Alright, Emily, quit teasing her," Ethan said.
Alex let out a cold snort.
"At least she knows her place. She can't hold a candle to Emily. No wonder she panicked and bought it the second she heard the wedding was fake," Alex sneered.
I didn't respond, just kept my head down and followed Emily into the dressing room in silence.
I squeezed into the wedding dress that fit her like a glove, but felt uncomfortably tight on me.
Just a little longer.
Once Mom's heart surgery was done, I would get her out of here, far away from all of this.
*****
I straightened out my dress and walked into the wedding venue.
A sea of cameras and flashes were pointed at me, shutters clicking nonstop.
Mom and Emily each took one of my arms, leading me up onto the wedding stage.
Ethan strode over, bouquet in hand.
I reached out, ready to take the bouquet.
But he walked right past me and handed it straight to Emily.
That was when I finally noticed Emily's designer gown, glittering under the lights.
Standing next to her, I looked like a total joke in my ill-fitting wedding dress.
She caught my stunned look and smirked.
"Seriously, Sophie? You fell for it again?" Emily teased.
Suddenly, the big screen lit up with clips from this morning's so-called wedding parade.
On screen, I was being dragged through the streets with that red rope, humiliated by all those disgusting wedding games.
The chat was blowing up.
[She got dragged through the streets and still thinks she's the bride? I'm cracking up. I've never seen anything like this!]
[LOL, Emily's the one getting engaged, and this homewrecker shows up in a wedding dress? What a clown.]
[That's how you deal with a homewrecker. Hit her hard!]
The moment I realized what was happening, I spun around, desperate to shield Mom from the screen.
But instead, I saw Mom take Emily's hand and place it in Ethan's.
"Was my acting good enough, Emily?" Mom asked.
Then she turned to the reporters and gave them a deep bow.
"Sorry, everyone. I failed as a mother. Sophie ended up as the other woman and thought it was something to brag about," Mom said.
The chat was still full of praise for Mom.
[Poor mom, having to deal with such a clueless daughter. Must be so hard for her.]
Mom leaned in and whispered in my ear.
"Only Ethan can get me the surgery I need," she said. "I gave you your life.
All I'm asking is for you to put up with a little humiliation today, and in return, you're giving me my life back. Honestly, you're the one coming out ahead here."
I felt like I'd been plunged into an icy abyss.
Someone in the crowd started shouting.
"How can the homewrecker stand up there, acting all shameless?"
"Get off the stage already!"
A bunch of guests, all fired up, rushed the stage, grabbed my arms, and yanked me right off.
Fists and kicks came at me from every direction.
The wedding dress, already too tight, tore apart from all the chaos.
I curled up on the floor, instinctively shielding my head.
Through the gaps in the crowd, I saw Ethan gently smoothing out Emily's dress.
Alex handed her a glass of champagne, his eyes filled with tenderness and worry.
Mom stood by the stage, clapping for them.
Ethan picked up the champagne, but this time, he didn't aim the bottle at anyone nearby.
I started to black out.
Someone suddenly pushed through the crowd and pulled me up.
"Sophie, leave Ethan," Ryan said. "I really do like you. It kills me to see you like this."
I slumped against Ryan, silent.
I remembered him. He was one of Ethan and Alex's crew.
But Ethan strode over and landed a punch on Ryan.
"What the hell are you doing?" Ethan snapped.
Ryan was caught off guard by the punch, and with no one to hold me up, I collapsed to the floor.
His eyes flashed with anger.
"Didn't we agree? You and Alex both had your fun, so I get my turn now, right?" Ryan said. "What, you're backing out now?"
I was dazed, my mind spinning.
So that was what being "next" was all about.
Ethan let out a cold laugh.
"We agreed this was to settle the score for Emily. She wants Sophie to stay the other woman forever," Ethan said. "If she's with you, how is she still the other woman?"
He turned to me and held out his hand.
"Sophie, come here," Ethan said.
Alex stood there with his arms crossed.
"Getting to be with Ethan and stuck as the side chick forever? That's way too good for her," Alex sneered.
Mom wrapped her arm around Emily, whispering softly to comfort her.
I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and let a sly smile curl on my lips.
"Alright," I said.
They always loved making a joke out of me.
Now it was my turn to mess with you.