Chapter 3
I sat comfortably on the couch, watching him with a laid-back attitude.
I said, "You'd look bad if you just had a miscarriage too."
Travis's face instantly darkened, his anger flaring. "A miscarriage? What the hell happened?"
I looked up and told him the whole story.
Travis started pacing the room, his hand drifting toward his pocket like he was about to pull out a cigarette.
But when he glanced at me, he thought better of it and let his hand drop.
I said, "Travis, you're the famous Hutton heir in Fentin City. But not only did you not get the girl, you almost got driven to suicide by your love rival.
"Honestly, your dad would be ashamed of you."
Travis lifted his chin defiantly. "I don't like Sonia. I was only up on the balcony to get some air."
I looked up at him. "Then why go out of your way to pick a fight with Lionel over her?"
His ears turned red as he shot me a quick glance. "It's just... Sonia looks like someone to me."
I scoffed, "Someone? Seriously, if she didn't look like a person, do you expect her to look like a dog?"
"You don't know anything," Travis snapped back.
Just then, he got a call.
He kept glancing at me, like he had something to say.
I kicked him, leaving a footprint on his crisp black suit pants. "Spit it out."
He motioned for me to check my social media feed.
I unlocked my phone, and it took me a full two minutes to get the feed to load.
The top three trending topics were all stamped with a blazing red "Hot" label.
There were hashtags with "Mr. Starnes's Epic Wedding Rehearsal" and "Lionel and Sonia's Legendary Romance."
Almost at the same time, my phone lit up with a local entertainment news alert.
The headline was wild: [Mr. Starnes's Wedding Rehearsal. The super-hot groomsmen guards the bride. Such bromance is total friendship goals!]
The post featured a nine-photo grid.
Right in the center, Lionel and Sonia were locked in a heartfelt gaze, surrounded by a crowd of stylishly dressed men and women.
In the corner of the grid, Patrick was looking sharp in his groomsman's suit, turned slightly to the side.
He was carefully steadying a woman who nearly tripped over her flowing dress.
That woman was Sonia's BFF, Tessa Dutton.
The photo was snapped from a clever angle, catching the exact moment their eyes met.
There was a lingering smile on Patrick's lips.
The next shot showed Sonia with her back to the crowd, tossing her bouquet over her shoulder.
The pink-and-white bouquet sailed through the air.
It landed right in Tessa's arms, leaving her looking completely shocked.
Everyone burst out laughing and started teasing, while Patrick stood right next to her, locking eyes as the shot captured that exact moment.
The trending topics were blazing at the top of the list, with hashtags like "Sonia's Bouquet" and "Super Compatible Groomsman and Bridesmaid."
Comments were pouring in so fast, I could barely keep up.
People were flooding the comments with congratulations, celebrating the happiness witnessed by everyone.
I kept my anger in check and looked at Travis with an unreadable expression.
"So, did you really kidnap Sonia on Valentine's Day?" I asked.
Ten minutes later, a spicy post got pinned to the top of my X homepage.
The caption read: [Looks like my husband's about to get a new girlfriend. Should I be sending them my blessings or what?]
The first pic was my marriage certificate with Patrick.
I'd blurred out my name and face.
The other seventeen photos were all of Patrick pulling a half-dressed Tessa into his arms.
The room was dimly lit, the atmosphere thick with suggestive tension.
Travis shrugged. "I didn't plan on kidnapping Tessa. She kept insisting that if I was taking Sonia, she had to come along.
"Who would've thought Patrick and Tessa would end up losing control even after I dumped them out in the middle of nowhere?"
Back when I saw the barrage of comments, I figured maybe Patrick and Tessa had crossed the line a little.
But now, seeing all this proof laid out in front of me, I finally realized how clueless I'd been.
My post totally piggybacked on the buzz from Lionel's wedding.
It blew up in no time online.
[Wait, isn't that Mr. Starnes's groomsman?]
[Seriously! I always heard their crowd was wild, but this really kills the mystique.]
[What, can't even spring for a hotel? That's rich.]
[Man, lucky to be born in this time. No way we'd get to watch this kind of drama for free back in the day.]
[Hold up, isn't that guy a department head at some top hospital?]
The internet instantly turned on them.
Hashtags like "Lionel's Groomsman Caught Making Out in the Wild" and "World-Famous Cardiothoracic Surgeon's Secret Marriage and Cheating Scandal" went crazy online.
Soon, my phone screen lit up.
Patrick's name was flashing like crazy on the screen.
Travis glanced over. "Not gonna pick up?"
I switched my phone to silent.
I watched as the words appearing in thin air before me, which had been filled with congratulatory flower emojis, suddenly changed.
[Wait, what? The chapter title says this is the finale! How is there still a plot twist?]
[Change of plans. Summer homework's on hold. I'm diving back into this drama!]
[Hold up, the second lead actually has a wife? Is this some random cannon fodder trying to steal the spotlight?]
[Poster upstairs obviously wasn't paying attention. It was mentioned back in the chapter when the second lead first appeared, though it was just one line.]
The vibration finally died down, but then my phone blew up with a flood of texts.
Patrick typed: [It's not what it looks like with me and Tessa. That night, we got kidnapped and she was hurt.]