Chapter 1

When I got married, my bridesmaid, Serena Quinn, suddenly came up with her own little scheme.

She didn't wear the bridesmaid dress we'd picked out long ago.

Instead, she appeared in a carefully prepared black gothic wedding gown with a black wedding veil, looking more like she was attending a funeral.

My husband, Michael Shaw, looked at her with a mix of helplessness and affection. "Are you here for a wedding or a funeral?

"Who wears something like that to a wedding?"

Serena flashed a charming smile. "I'm here to mourn the death of your freedom.

"RIP to the bachelor life."

Hearing that, I didn't hesitate for a second.

I wiped off my lipstick, slipped out of my wedding dress, and called off the wedding.

My family wasn't holding any funerals, so I didn't need anyone to show up like that.

*****

On the day of my wedding, I woke up before the sun even rose.

People always said weddings were exhausting, but I was bursting with happiness.

Today, I was about to officially step into marriage with my boyfriend of two years, ready to walk hand in hand with him for the rest of our lives.

Just picturing Michael in his suit, looking all fidgety and nervous, made my heart flutter even more.

After a quick wash, I made my way to the makeup room, feeling pretty confident with my glowing appearance after last night's careful skincare routine.

But as soon as I reached the door, I stopped dead in my tracks.

Inside the makeup room I'd reserved for myself, there was already a woman sitting there.

And the makeup artist I'd spent a small fortune to book was busy working on her instead.

Just like that, the joy of my wedding day faded.

This makeup artist really had no respect for the contract. Not only was she doing someone else's makeup behind my back, but she even brought her into my makeup room.

I did my best to keep my emotions in check.

I walked over and pointed out, "Lauren, didn't we agree you'd be working exclusively with me today?"

Lauren jumped at the sound of my voice, her hand slipping as she worked on the brows. The woman in the chair shot her a look of pure annoyance.

"Hey, what are you doing? My eyebrows are ruined," the woman grumbled.

Hearing that familiar voice, I felt a wave of confusion wash over me.

Then, Serena turned her pretty face toward me. She gave me a bright smile. "Joliet, you're here. Just grab a seat over there. I'll be finished in no time."

My confusion quickly gave way to irritation.

Serena was my bridesmaid, and also Michael's childhood friend.

Back when we were planning the wedding, she volunteered herself for the role.

For Michael's sake, I couldn't bring myself to say no.

So, she ended up joining my bridesmaid squad.

But Serena really didn't know how to behave.

On the wedding day, the bride was supposed to get her makeup done first. How could a bridesmaid do it first?

Barely holding back my anger, I ignored Serena and turned to Lauren, who looked genuinely surprised.

I said, "Lauren, didn't we set the time for 5:30?

"Why did you show up early and not even give me a heads-up, and then start working on someone else?"

Lauren's hand froze mid-air, and she looked genuinely confused.

She asked me, "Ms. Carter, didn't you tell me to come half an hour early?"

My confusion deepened. When did I ever ask her to show up early?

Realizing our stories didn't line up, Lauren quickly whipped out her phone to prove her point.

She said nervously, "Ms. Carter, look. Your husband messaged me at eleven last night. He told me to come thirty minutes early."

It was really Michael's message.

My irritation only grew stronger.

I gave her a pointed glare. "You showed up early, saw I wasn't here, and instead of texting me, you just started doing someone else's makeup?

"As an experienced makeup artist, you should know the bride always gets her makeup done first."

Lauren looked flustered, trying to explain, "I know, but this bridesmaid insisted on going first, and Mr. Shaw called to approve it."

As she spoke, she showed me the call log.

Sure enough, Michael had called at five o'clock.

At this point, my anger was about to boil over. I grabbed my phone and dialed Michael's number.

While I was still trembling with anger, Serena, whose makeup was nearly done, turned to me.

"Joliet, don't take it out on Michael. I just didn't want to hold things up, so I had Lauren start with me," she said.

At that moment, I didn't care if Serena was trying to comfort me or just stirring things up. All I wanted was to get Michael on the phone and get to the bottom of this.

When he finally answered, I held back my anger and said, "Michael, come to the hotel right now."

Michael sounded like he was still half-asleep. He mumbled, "Joliet, isn't the wedding supposed to start at eight? It's still early."

Serena chimed in, "Joliet, let Michael sleep a bit longer. Michael and us were out partying last night and didn't get home until one.

"Let him catch a few more winks."

I didn't bother responding to Serena and just repeated my words to Michael.

After hanging up, I shot Serena a look, my voice thick with sarcasm. "Ms. Quinn, it must have been really tough for you.

"You went out partying until one, and then scrambled to the makeup room around four o'clock?"

My irritation was obvious, but Serena couldn't care less.

"Come on, it's Michael's wedding. Of course I'd be here bright and early," Serena said.

She met my gaze, her eyes practically daring me to say something.

"I've been hanging out with Michael for ages. As one of his best friends, the least I can do is show up early for him," she said.