Chapter 1

"How much did you pay for her ring?" A woman's voice suddenly came through the speakers, her tone playful.

All 320 guests in the hall looked up at the speakers flanking the stage.

Alex Foster's voice followed. "20 grand."

"Only 20 grand?" Ellie James's laughter boomed through the mic. "The one you bought me cost 30 grand."

"Of course they're not the same." Alex lowered his voice, but the wireless mic made sure every word echoed through the hall.

"I bought yours with my year-end bonus. But hers? I randomly grabbed it from the counter."

I stood at the center of the stage, and my champagne glass shook in my hand.

320 gazes shifted from the speakers to me.

I didn't move. After all, I was the one who turned the microphone on myself.

The hall went dead silent for a few seconds. Then my mom was the first to stand up. "What's that noise?"

She turned to my dad, and then to Alex's mom, Mary, who was sitting at the main table.

Mary's face changed in an instant, going from glowing with joy to that familiar look, scheming.

Her mind was working overtime, trying to figure out what was going on.

The conversation over the speakers kept going.

Ellie's voice dropped to a whisper, like she was leaning in close to someone's ear, but the mic picked up every word. "Did you notice how that wedding dress makes her look really fat?"

Alex didn't answer.

Ellie continued, "The waist is cinched so tight that even I felt uncomfortable for her."

Then Alex laughed. It was a soft chuckle, like he didn't want anyone to hear, but the sound system made sure everyone did.

The whole place erupted into a commotion.

One of Alex's college buddies was the first to react. A guy in a gray suit hurried over to the sound booth, shouting at the sound engineer, "Turn it off, now!"

The sound engineer, Jake, looked up at him, and then glanced at me.

I gave him a slight shake of my head.

Then Jake didn't move.

The guy in the gray suit shouted again, his voice cracking. "Are you deaf? Turn it off!"

Jake replied flatly, "The bride told me not to."

The whole place went wild.

"She told you not to?" The guy was stunned.

I stood at the center of the stage and put down my champagne glass.

All 320 pairs of eyes were fixed on me.

Some people looked stunned, some were confused, and some were already filming with their phones.

My dad's face darkened, and his fists clenched so hard that his knuckles were white.

Mary couldn't sit still anymore. She stood up from behind the main table, her high heels clicking urgently on the floor. "Jake, I'm a Foster. I'm ordering you to turn it off!"

Jake glanced at me, but I didn't nod.

He sat behind the soundboard, not budging.

Mary turned to me, forcing a smile. "Haley, this is just a technical glitch. Let's not make a fuss."

I looked at her. "Mrs. Foster, please sit down."

My voice stayed steady. "The real drama hasn't even started."

Twenty-one days ago, I was just as composed.

The bridal shop was on the fourth floor of Central Plaza downtown. The starting price for a dress there was 10 grand.

That afternoon at two, I was trying on my third wedding dress.

In the full-length mirror, I was so tightly cinched that I could hardly breathe. The white gown trailed six feet behind me.

Ellie was outside, helping me pick out accessories. She said she was going to ask the staff for a longer veil.

I bent over in the fitting room, struggling to unzip the dress from the back, but my hands couldn't reach. So I pushed the door open to call Ellie. That was when I overheard her talking.

She was on the other side of a row of hangers with her back to me, phone pressed to her ear. "Yeah, she's trying it on. She looks really terrible in it."

She let out a quiet laugh. "She doesn't even realize how thick her waist looks now. I'm honestly too embarrassed to bring it up."

I stood quietly behind the row of hangers, not saying a word.

"Alright, just book the restaurant for tonight. I'll head over after I finish helping her shop," Ellie said.

Then she hung up.

I retreated into the fitting room and drew the curtain shut. My heartbeat thundered in my ears like a drum.

Instead of anger, I felt confused.

Who was she on the phone with?

Three minutes later, Ellie came back and handed me a lace veil. "Haley, try this on. You'll look gorgeous."

I took it and smiled. "Where did you go?"

"Just getting the veil from the staff," Ellie said.

Her expression didn't change at all.

I let it go.

But that night, when I got home, I went through Alex's spending records on the phone for the first time.