Chapter 1

Only ten days remained until my wedding to Andrew Sullivan.

I pushed open the fitting room door. Andrew was bent over, fastening the back chain of Charlotte Evans' dress.

She was wearing my wedding gown, the very one I'd made the final payment on only yesterday, the one I'd planned to wear to marry him in ten days.

A shop assistant stood nearby, smiling and gushing over the neckline, saying the dress looked tailor-made for Charlotte.

Charlotte had walked in with Andrew, and the staff had obviously taken them for the engaged couple here for a fitting.

I stood in the doorway, my own veil still pinned in my hair, my fingers tightening slowly.

The photographer shooting my fitting froze mid-shot, unsure who to focus on.

Charlotte caught my gaze in the mirror. As if suddenly remembering I was there, she quickly lifted a hand to cover the lace across her chest.

"Natalie Grant, don't misunderstand." Her voice was soft, almost innocently gentle. "I commented on how lovely this dress was and wanted to try it on. Andrew said..."

"She's never worn a wedding gown before."

Andrew straightened and finished her sentence for her, his tone as calm as if this were nothing at all. "What harm is there in letting her try it?"

*****

I looked at Andrew, and suddenly, I couldn't help but feel a bitter laugh rising in my chest.

Last night, I was up until one, wrapping up the final arrangements for the wedding.

The last payment for my wedding dress went through yesterday afternoon, and this morning, I was still fixing last-minute details for the big day.

And now, Andrew was standing in front of my main wedding dress, adjusting the back chain for Charlotte, and casually asking me, "What harm is there in letting her try it?"

Without a word, I made my way over.

The shop instantly fell silent.

Even the shop assistant who'd been holding my gloves unconsciously stepped back.

Andrew glanced at me, finally noticing my expression, but his tone was still that familiar, urging me to be reasonable, like he was trying to get me to be the bigger person.

"Charlotte just got back from abroad, and she's feeling down," he said. "It's a try-on. Don't make things awkward."

I stared at him and asked quietly, "Oh, and when exactly did things start getting 'awkward'?"

He frowned.

Charlotte pressed her lips together, looking like she wanted to wash her hands of the whole thing. "Natalie, I swear I didn't mean anything by it. I—"

"Oh, you definitely meant something," I cut her off. "If you meant nothing, you wouldn't be standing here, knowing exactly whose dress this is, letting him fuss over your train like it's nothing."

Her face went pale.

Andrew's voice dropped, sharp and cold. "Natalie. Why are you taking it out on her? She already said it was a try-on. Do you really have to make it sound so harsh?"

As I looked at him, I realized that when one's heart finally gave up on someone, it didn't hurt. It felt hollow.

So hollow, I couldn't even find the strength to be angry anymore.

I reached up and took off my wedding veil.

The delicate veil drifted through my fingers and floated gently into the shop assistant's hands.

Everyone froze.

Andrew's expression finally shifted. "Natalie, what are you doing?"

I didn't even bother to answer him. I bowed my head and began to slip the ring off my finger.

He slipped that ring onto my finger last month.

He promised he'd swap it for something better after the wedding.

Turned out, he thought my wedding dress, my wedding, and even his pride could all be loaned out to appease Charlotte.

The ring wouldn't come off easily.

I gave it a forceful twist, and my finger quickly turned red.

Andrew finally seemed a little panicked as he came over, reaching for me. "Don't be dramatic."

I sidestepped him and dropped the ring into the silver tray with the accessories. "If she wants to play bride, then you can go ahead and marry her."

I stared straight at him, making sure he heard every word. "My wedding is not something you can hand out."

The shop was so quiet, one could hear a pin drop.

The girl filming still had her phone raised, her hand wobbling just a bit.

Charlotte's face went completely pale, her voice trembling. "Natalie, please, don't be like this. I swear I wasn't trying to steal anything from you—"

"You weren't trying to take anything from me," I said, locking eyes with her. "You figured that as long as you reached out, Andrew'd always be there for you. And he really didn't let you down, did he?"

Andrew's face grew cold. "Enough. Do you have to make a scene here? The wedding is right around the corner, and now you want to call it off? Have you thought about the consequences?"

As soon as he said that, any last bit of hope I had was gone.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

He was certain I'd poured in too much money, effort, and years of love to ever walk away.

He was betting I wouldn't have the guts to leave.

Betting I'd do what I always did, swallow my pain, let him off the hook, and tell myself the wedding was almost here no matter what.