Chapter 1

Today was my best friend Yvonne Lane's wedding.

I stood at the dressing room door, holding the bridesmaid dress I'd picked out specially.

"Yvonne, I'm here," I called, pushing the door open.

Yvonne was sitting at the makeup counter, and her artist was doing her eyebrows.

She smiled at me in the mirror. "Winona, perfect timing. I was just looking for you."

I walked over and hung the dress on a nearby rack. "What's up? Need me to do anything?"

Yvonne paused for a second, then said, "There's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" I asked, sitting down behind her.

"It's about your fiancé."

My heart skipped a beat. "Zachary? What about him?"

Yvonne bit her lip. "Maybe I'm just being silly, but at the rehearsal yesterday, I felt like he was looking at me in a flirty way."

"Flirty?" I was shocked.

Yvonne hesitated. "Well, kept staring at me, like we'd met a bunch of times before."

I chuckled. "Of course you have. The three of us have had dinner together so many times."

Yvonne shook her head. "It's something else, but I can't put my finger on it."

The makeup artist cut in, "Don't get nervous, Yvonne. It's your big day—why worry so much?"

Yvonne forced a smile. "Yeah, maybe I'm just overthinking it."

I patted her shoulder. "Come on, it's your wedding day. You should be all smiles."

"Okay," Yvonne nodded. But in the mirror, I could still see her brows furrowed with worry.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Yvonne, I'm here," Diana called from outside.

"Come in, Mom," Yvonne replied.

Diana pushed the door open, holding a fancy gift box. "I got you some fancy lingerie. Wear it—it's really comfortable."

I was just about to stand up and offer Diana my seat when Yvonne suddenly let out a gasp.

"Mom, where did you get this lingerie?" Yvonne blurted out, her voice full of surprise.

"What's the matter? I bought it from an overseas agent. It cost me 1,500 dollars," Diana said.

I leaned over, curious. But the moment I saw it, my heart skipped a beat.

This set of lingerie was all too familiar to me.

I had the same set sitting in my closet at home.

Not just the style, but even the lace patterns were exactly the same.

Besides, this lingerie was a limited edition—only ten sets in the whole world.

I remembered exactly how Zachary had given me the item for my birthday, saying he'd asked a friend to bring it back from overseas. He'd sworn it was one of a kind.

But now, the same lingerie showed up at Yvonne's wedding.

My hands trembled.

Yvonne noticed. She glanced at me, then at the lingerie in her hands.

"Winona, what's wrong? You don't look well," she asked.

I tried to compose myself. "It's nothing. Probably because I didn't sleep well last night."

But inside, my emotions were in complete turmoil.

This couldn't be a coincidence.

There must be something between Zachary and Yvonne.

"Yvonne, try it on and see if it fits," Diana continued, oblivious to the weird vibe between us. "Winona, could you step out for a moment?"

I nodded mechanically and walked out of the dressing room.

Wedding staff bustled up and down the hallway, busy with preparations.

I leaned against the wall, my mind blank.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed—it was a message from Zachary.

It read: [Baby, I'm at the hotel. See you soon.]

I stared at the message, my finger hovering over the screen for what felt like forever.

How should I reply?

Should I come right out and ask him about the lingerie?

But what if I was overthinking it? What if this were just some crazy coincidence?

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

I couldn't jump to conclusions. I need more proof.

I texted back: [Okay. I'm with Yvonne in the dressing room.]

Zachary sent me a kiss emoji right away.

Suddenly, I felt sick to my stomach when I saw it.

If my suspicions were true, that emoji would be a slap in the face.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket and pushed open the dressing room door.

Yvonne had changed into the lingerie and was checking herself in the mirror.

"How do I look?" she asked.

I forced a smile. "Amazing."

There was only one thought in my mind—I had to uncover the truth.

This wedding was bound to be anything but peaceful.

About an hour before the ceremony, I made up an excuse and slipped out of the dressing room.

I needed to see Zachary and watch how he'd react.

Zachary was in the men's lounge, fixing his tie. The moment I walked in, he came right over to me.

"Baby, you look stunning today," he said, moving in for a hug.

I stepped back. "Zachary, I need to ask you something."

"What's up?" He looked relaxed, like nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Do you remember the lingerie you gave me for my birthday?" I asked.

Zachary blinked. "Of course. Why?"

"You said it was a limited edition, only ten sets in the whole world, right?"

"Yeah." Zachary nodded. "I had a friend go through hell to get it for me."

I stared him down. "Then why does Yvonne have the exact same set?"

Zachary's face changed for a split second, but he quickly covered it up.

"The exact same? No way. It must just look similar," he said casually.

His answer came so fast that it only made me more suspicious.

"No, it's not just similar. It's the same—even down to the lace details," I said, keeping my voice steady.

Zachary fell silent. After a while, he gave a wry smile. "I might've got ripped off. Maybe my friend got me a fake limited edition."

His explanation sounded reasonable, but something about it just didn't sit right with me.

"Who's this friend? Do I know him?" I pressed.

"You don't know him. He's a friend from college," Zachary replied, looking away. "Today's Yvonne's big day. Can we drop this?"

I nodded, but my suspicions kept piling up inside me.

Just then, someone knocked at the door.