Chapter 1
The night before my wedding, Edward Quinn drugged me so his childhood sweetheart, Charlotte Moore, could shave my head.
When I woke up and saw myself in the mirror, I completely lost it.
Charlotte twirled her soft curls and gave me a fake apologetic look.
"Oops, my hand slipped. You're not mad, are you, Zoe?
"It's all my fault. Now you'll be the most tragic bald bride ever!"
Edward just pinched her nose affectionately and spoke for me in that sickeningly sweet tone. "Just throw on a wig and she'll be fine.
"With the veil, no one will even notice. Besides, no one's prettier than you."
Everyone stared at me—a complete mess—and the room went dead silent.
They were all waiting for the fiancée to blow up like usual.
Instead, I just flashed a calm, gracious smile.
I pulled off my engagement ring and slipped it onto Charlotte's finger.
"Why bother with all this? Just swap brides. With the veil on, who could tell the difference?"
*****
My reaction threw everyone off.
Charlotte pouted. "Zoe, I just wanted to give you a new look, but my hand slipped. Don't hate me, okay?"
She ran straight into Edward's arms, giving me those teary puppy eyes.
Everyone exchanged awkward looks.
Someone finally tried to smooth things over. "Hey, Zoe, you've got it wrong.
"Charlie and the rest of us are just Eddie's friends. You're the one he's marrying."
Edward caught on and jumped in. "Charlie's just joking around. She didn't mean anything by it."
The day before the wedding, she shaved the bride's head.
She kept apologizing while snapping ugly photos of me for laughs.
And that was supposed to be harmless?
What a lame excuse.
I met Edward's protective gaze with a sarcastic smile. "Who knows? Maybe next time she'll want to play bride on a whim. Maybe I should just hand over my spot now."
Edward's face darkened.
He snapped, "Zoe, can you stop?
"Charlie's just a kid at heart. Are you seriously going to hold a grudge?"
The room fell into awkward silence again at his words.
I was actually six months younger than Charlotte.
Even if she really was "just a kid," what kind of kid shaves a bride's head the night before her wedding?
I watched Edward step in front of Charlotte, shielding her.
He was so gentle with her, treating her like something precious.
I used to be the one he protected.
"Zoe, this is my fault. Don't blame Eddie. Just yell at me, hit me—I can take it."
Charlotte peeked out from behind Edward, playing innocent.
Her brows furrowed, putting on that fragile, anxious act, but her eyes held a clear challenge.
Edward's expression softened. "How is this your fault? I'm the one who gave her the sleeping pills. If anyone's to blame, it's me.
"Just ignore her. I spoiled her too much, and now she throws a fit over nothing."
Anger clogged my chest, stealing my breath.
Edward once promised he'd protect me forever.
He said I could be myself, do whatever I wanted, and never get hurt.
But now, even though Charlotte was the one at fault, I was the troublemaker in his eyes.
He spoke to Charlotte in a low, tender voice, comforting her.
That intense, devoted look in his eyes—he'd never looked at me that way.
I watched it all with a self-deprecating smile.
If this had happened before, I would've raised hell—stood up for myself.
But now? I was numb.
In this twisted relationship, I'd already lost everything.
Edward probably didn't even remember anymore.
He was the one who pursued me first. Who confessed first.
We met through a setup, and as we talked, we discovered we had tons in common.
Edward was gorgeous—smooth and charming when he spoke. Who wouldn't fall for that?
So of course, we got together.
He texted me good morning and good night every day. He made sure I had Midol during my period. He never missed a special occasion with flowers.
Back then, I really thought I was the happiest person alive.
But when we got serious and started planning the wedding, Edward's childhood sweetheart Charlotte came back from abroad.
He'd always been cool and composed, but suddenly I didn't recognize him.
All that tenderness he had for me? Now it was reserved for Charlotte.
He stopped talking to me or sharing stories. Instead, he spent all night with Charlotte, hiking mountains to catch sunsets.
When I was burning up with fever, he was hitting up concerts with Charlotte, living it up.
He even forgot my birthday.
He was too busy helping Charlotte's dog give birth, leaving me stranded at the restaurant.
From that day on, Edward stopped giving me flowers—because Charlotte was allergic to pollen.
"If Charlie finds out, she'll feel bad. I don't want her upset."
We fought about this constantly for six months.
Every time, Edward swore up and down. "I just look after Charlie like a little sister. Why do you always get jealous?
"If I can talk about her openly, doesn't that prove there's nothing going on?"
Even though I was his fiancée, I was always the one he pushed aside.
I finally woke up.
Love shows. So does the lack of it.
Maybe Edward never loved me. Not even once.
And me, clinging to hope for a future with him? What a joke.