Chapter 1
My fiancé, Simon Shaw, kept a mistress named Nina Summers in his private estate. Her eyes were an eight-out-of-ten match for mine.
Simon bought Nina the finest jewelry and took her around the world on his private jet. But he never once allowed her to cross my path.
Everyone in our circle knew I was where he drew the line.
Simon even assigned four bodyguards to my cat, just because I once casually mentioned I was afraid it might wander off.
But this time, Nina, having grown bold on his indulgence, had learned to fight back. She uploaded a sex tape of her and Simon into the slideshow for our wedding.
Nina said, "Ms. Sinclair, I know I'm a sidekick. But Mr. Shaw replaced your vitamins with sleeping pills just to see me.
"While you were busy preparing for your wedding, Mr. Shaw kept increasing the dose, making sure you took them, all so he could be with me all night."
In that moment, I realized that the boy who once would do anything for me was long gone.
I wiped away my tears, closed the video, and dialed the number I locked away for years.
I said, "Seven days later, I'm going to turn our wedding into a funeral. And he'll never find me again."
*****
The moment I hung up, Simon rushed in, practically bursting through the door.
"Charlotte, did I do something wrong? Why did you sell the dresses I personally designed for you?" Simon asked, his voice trembling.
With a wounded look on his face, he pulled out a few of the very dresses he bought back after I sold them.
But I didn't say a word. I just watched him in silence.
Every time Simon cheated on me, he'd make it up by designing a new dress for me.
Including the one he sketched for our anniversary three days ago, still unfinished, there were twelve in all.
I gave a quiet, bitter laugh.
There was a time when I thought I'd treasure these dresses like they were priceless.
Back then, I really believed this was Simon's way, as a star designer, of showing his love.
But now I finally saw; it was all just his way of easing his own guilt for cheating on me.
"I just thought they were a little outdated," I replied.
I kept my composure, but Simon's brows were still furrowed as he pulled me into his arms.
"Charlotte, are you sure nothing's wrong?" he asked, worry etched in his voice.
When I shook my head, Simon finally let out a sigh of relief and whispered sweet words to me.
"Charlotte, don't worry. No matter what happens, I'll always love you," Simon said softly.
Hearing his laughable promise, I just smirked and kept quiet.
Simon dropped the subject, put on his apron, and went right back to playing the loving stay-at-home husband, just like always.
But before he could even start cooking, Simon's phone started ringing.
I watched him busy in the kitchen and deliberately raised my voice.
"Simon, someone's calling you," I said.
"Just pick it up for me," he replied without thinking.
With a smirk, I raised an eyebrow at the contact labeled Client and swiped to answer.
Someone said, "Mr. Shaw, when are you coming to see me?"
The moment I picked up, a sugary voice came through the phone.
At the same time, Simon rushed out of the kitchen, still clutching his spatula.
Realizing he had overreacted, he gave a sheepish smile.
"I just wanted to see if it was something work-related," he said, trying to sound casual.
Seeing how he was trying to cover it up, I handed him the phone, my expression calm and unreadable.
"I just picked up. They haven't said anything yet," I replied.
He snatched the phone from me, and when he saw the contact name, his face went pale with guilt. He hung up in a flash.
"Charlotte, you really didn't hear anything?" he asked, his voice tight with anxiety.
I nodded.
"If you're busy with work, I'll just eat something on my own. Go ahead and take care of it," I said.
That was exactly what he wanted to hear.
Simon nodded and gave me a quick hug.
"There's something at the studio I need to handle. I'll be back as soon as I can. Go ahead and eat without me," he said.
I didn't call him out on his lie. I just nodded again.
The moment the door closed behind him, the rain started falling without warning.
My phone buzzed with a new message.
Nina sent: [Ms. Sinclair, even though you two are about to get married, Mr. Shaw still leaves you behind the moment I call. He's out there braving the storm just to come see me.]
That was the moment my heart finally went numb.
His choices had already made his feelings clear.
I got up, pulled up my contacts, and fired off a text.
I sent: [Seven days from now, help me vanish for good. I've already decided how I want to die.]
Seven days from now would be my wedding day, and the day I would finally walk away for good.