Chapter 1

The night before the wedding, I found a diamond necklace tucked away in Ryan's closet.

The same necklace his college friend Emily had admired when we went ring shopping a few days ago.

I'd wanted a simple ring that day, barely 15 hundred dollars. Ryan said we couldn't afford it.

He told me weddings didn't need to be extravagant. He said simple was better.

But Emily looked at that necklace for maybe 30 seconds, and Ryan went back and bought it for her.

He also told me he'd never marry someone like Emily. He said she was too independent and too confident. He said I was different because I was gentle and quiet, and that made me the right kind of woman to be his wife.

I didn't fight him about the necklace. I didn't cry either.

The next morning, I opened my email and sent my reply. I accepted the position on the polar research expedition.

I was done with this relationship.

But Ryan followed me all the way to the Arctic anyway. He said he wanted to see the northern lights with me.

*****

"This place has good reviews," Ryan Brooks, my fiancé, said. He was scrolling through his phone and barely looked up. "They've got designer dresses and they do custom work too."

I walked behind him into the bridal shop. My stomach was doing flips, but I was excited too. Every girl dreams about picking out her wedding dress.

"Ryan?"

Someone called his name right as the shop assistant was showing us to our seats.

I turned around without thinking.

A tall woman had just walked in. She was wearing a light tan trench coat, and her hair was pulled up in this casual but elegant way. She had gorgeous features and this confident energy that just radiated off her.

She glanced at me for a second, then her eyes landed on Ryan.

"It really is you!" She smiled like she'd just bumped into an old friend she'd been hoping to see.

Ryan looked surprised for a moment, but then his whole face lit up. "Emily? When did you get back?"

"Just yesterday." She walked over and adjusted her coat. There was something playful in her voice when she spoke. "I heard you were getting married. I was hoping I'd get to meet your fiancée, but I didn't think it would happen this fast."

"This is Sophie Reed," Ryan said.

Ryan turned around and gave me a quick introduction, then he looked back at her.

"This is Emily Lane. We went to college together."

"Hi," I said with a polite nod.

"Hey there." Emily looked me up and down before she smiled. "Well, Ryan's got good taste."

It sounded like a compliment, but something about it felt off.

"Since we ran into each other, you don't mind if I stick around, right? This is a big day for Ryan, and I should help you guys pick something out."

Emily sat down next to us without any hesitation and started flipping through the dress catalog the assistant had just handed over.

"Of course not," Ryan said. He was smiling as he pushed the catalog toward her.

Emily turned a few pages and stopped at a mermaid style gown. She held it up for me to see.

"This one's gorgeous. The waistline is perfect, and it'll make your proportions look incredible. You'd absolutely stun everyone at the wedding in this."

I glanced at it. The dress was beautiful, but it was really bold. There were sequins everywhere and this long train that would drag across the floor.

"It's pretty," I said carefully. "But I don't think it's really my style."

"Just try it on," Emily said. She was looking at me like I was a little girl who didn't know how to dress herself.

"Wedding dresses are supposed to be dramatic. You can't be too understated about this."

"Yeah, just try it," Ryan agreed. "If you don't like it, you can always pick something else."

I looked at the assistant hesitantly, but before I could say anything, Emily called out.

"We'll try this one, thanks!"

The assistant smiled and headed off to get the dress.

"Oh, there's another bridal shop nearby," Emily said, turning to Ryan. "They have way more custom options. Want to check it out after this?"

"Sure," Ryan said immediately. He didn't even seem to notice that I was standing right there in front of the mirror.

I stared at my reflection in the white dress. The fabric made me look like a flower bud wrapped up too tight.

But my eyes kept drifting to the empty seat next to me.

Ryan and Emily were huddled together over his phone. They were deep in conversation and laughing quietly together.

That seat was supposed to be where Ryan sat with me while I chose my dress.

I gripped the fabric tighter. I couldn't quite name what I was feeling.

Something cold crept up from the smooth material under my fingers and settled in my chest.