Chapter 1
My name is Alex Carter.
When the plane landed in Harbor City, I still had a message from Ethan Brooks on my phone, sent seven days ago.
It was just one line: [I'm getting married next Friday. Please come back.]
He didn't mention who the bride was, how long they'd been together, or even send a photo.
I stared at that line for three minutes.
Then I tossed the overseas project files I'd just signed to my assistant and booked the earliest flight back to Harbor City.
Ethan and I grew up together and we were thick as thieves since diapers.
And now, just like that, he was getting married out of the blue.
Not even a word in advance.
Aren't we supposed to be best friends?
I stared out the car window at the streets rushing past, my chest felt tight with anxiety.
*****
The wedding was held at a private estate on the outskirts of the city.
White roses were everywhere, lining the path from the entrance to the ceremony stage, their scent hanging thick in the air.
I sat in the front row of the guest section, spinning my glass of champagne between my fingers, my eyes glued to the person on stage.
Ethan was dressed in a custom black suit, his shoulders squared, his features as sharp and familiar as they'd been for over twenty years.
But his smile was barely there, almost invisible. He looked like he was just following some script he'd memorized ages ago.
"Drop the act," I muttered under my breath.
I tilted my head back and downed half my glass of champagne.
Someone next to me leaned over and asked how I knew the groom.
I replied offhand, "Childhood friends," but I couldn't take my eyes off his hand clutching the ring box.
His knuckles were white.
Was it nerves, or did he just not want to be here?
When the ceremony began, the lights dimmed.
Chloe Mason walked down the aisle, arm in arm with her father, step by step toward the stage.
Her wedding dress trailed behind her, and she looked every bit the perfect socialite, elegant, poised, flawless from head to toe.
I wasn't interested in checking out the bride, my eyes stayed locked on Ethan the whole time.
He watched Chloe walk toward him, his eyes dead calm, like nothing could stir him, not a hint of emotion anywhere.
The pastor stood in the middle, going through the motions as he asked the vows.
"Mr. Brooks, do you take Ms. Mason to be your wife, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"
Ethan paused for two seconds, his voice flat and emotionless. "I do."
My heart clenched, and my fingers tightened around the glass without me even realizing it.
Boring as hell.
God, this was so fucking dull.
When it was the bride's turn, the whole place went dead silent.
Chloe lifted her head, not a hint of shyness on her face, her gaze was intense, almost blazing, as she locked eyes with Ethan, unwavering.
Then she spoke, her voice cutting through the silence and echoing across the venue.
"I don't."
Those words dropped like a bomb, blowing up the crowd.
The guest section exploded, whispers flooding the room like a rising tide.
I raised an eyebrow. Now I was interested.
Now this was interesting.
We would see what kind of show Lady Mason was about to put on.
Ethan just frowned, didn't say a word, and didn't look the least bit surprised.
The next second, Chloe gathered up her dress and made a beeline for the guest section.
All eyes followed her, and then, just like that, every single one zeroed in on me.
I froze.
Chloe stopped right in front of me, her eyes rimmed red, her voice trembling but every word clear. "Alex, take me away."
The whole place went dead silent.
It took me a full three seconds to process what just happened.
Take her away?
Me and her?
Honestly, before today, I couldn't even picture what Lady Mason looked like.
The only connection we had was Ethan once mentioning, offhand, that this whole thing was just a business arrangement between the families, a total formality.
Was she using me as a pawn to piss off Ethan?
While I was still in shock, a bunch of semi-transparent words suddenly popped up in midair right in front of my eyes.
They were crammed together, cascading upward non-stop, just like a barrage of bullet comments on a streaming site.
[Here it comes! The classic scene where the reborn heroine runs away from her wedding!]
[Good for her! Dumping Ethan, that emotionally abusive jerk! She was stuck in a ten-year contract marriage last time, basically living like a widow. Why should she put up with that?]
[Go for Alex! Ethan's best friend! He's got the looks and the background, total upgrade! That's a slap in the face for Ethan!]
[Can't have the guy? Just go for his best friend instead! That's next-level savage! This kind of revenge plot is so satisfying!]
[Poor Alex, just a total pawn here, lmao.]
I blinked, then blinked again.
The comments kept scrolling, one after another, and all that info was making my brain hurt.
Reborn?
Last life?
Contract marriage?
Slap in the face?
So Lady Mason died once, got reborn, and the first thing she did was dump Ethan at the wedding and make me her scapegoat?
Why me?
What did I ever do to deserve this?
"Are you out of your mind?" I shot back, leaning into his chair, sarcasm thick in his voice.
"If your brain's messed up, go see a shrink. Don't make a fool of yourself in front of everyone."
Chloe's face went pale in an instant, she clearly hadn't expected me to react like that.
She probably thought I'd just play along and help her humiliate Ethan in front of everyone.
Dream on.
Bullet comments scrolled one by one.