Chapter 1
"Sharon, is it true? You're pregnant?" I overheard Justin Hudson's thrilled voice from the bridal shop changing room.
My phone fell, its screen cracking into pieces, just like my heart.
"Thera, please, let me explain," Justin stammered, his face turning pale.
"Explain what? How you got my best friend pregnant?" I replied with a cold laugh.
In the end, he picked Sharon Archer because she was having his baby.
Six months passed. My career was flourishing, and I had rebuilt my life. Then one day, the miserable Justin found me. "Thera, Sharon and I are over," he said. "Can we start again?"
I looked straight at him, feeling absolutely nothing.
*****
December in Riverside City was freezing. The wind seemed to cut right through me.
Standing outside the bridal shop fitting room, I peeked through the half-open curtain and watched as Justin wrapped Sharon tightly in his arms.
"Sharon, are you really pregnant?" Justin's voice shook with excitement he could barely control.
"Yeah, it's been two months," Sharon said, her cheeks flushed as she nodded shyly. "Jay, it's our baby..."
My phone slipped from my numb fingers, hitting the floor with a heavy smack. The screen shattered—almost as broken as my heart.
Justin jerked away from Sharon and spun around, his face instantly turning pale when he saw me.
"Thera, how long have you been standing there?" Justin stammered, struggling for words.
"I'm here to try on my wedding dress," I said, my voice so eerily calm that it almost startled me. "Didn't expect to walk in on the groom and bridesmaid rehearsing their soap opera embrace."
Sharon's face went pink, but not a hint of guilt showed. She looped her arm through Justin's, putting on that innocent damsel act for all it was worth.
"Thera, don't get it wrong," Sharon chirped, her voice soft and sweet as sugar. "I was just sharing some good news with Jay, that's all."
"Good news?" I scoffed. "My fiancé and my best friend are having a baby together. Fantastic, right? A real cause for celebration."
Justin walked over, looking miserable. "Thera, please, let me explain..."
"Explain what? How long you two have been fooling around behind my back? Or were you just deciding when to break it off with me?" I asked.
I bent to pick up my phone, its shattered screen reflecting my broken expression. Three years of love, with a wedding just months away—and now it all felt like a sick joke.
Justin reached out for me, but I shook him off hard.
"Don't touch me." I shot back, my voice cold.
The sales assistant tiptoed over, her voice barely above a whisper. "Ms. Johnson, would you still like to try on the dress?"
I glanced at the custom-made dress worth 25,000 dollars, its harsh white practically blinding—almost mocking me, the perfect irony for this moment.
"No need," I said, my voice flat. "The wedding's off."
Sharon hurried to speak up, her voice full of false concern. "Thera, don't be rash. Jay just..."
"Just what? Just woke up one day and realized that he was in love with someone else and having a baby with her?" I stared her down. "Sharon, we've been friends for eight years. So tell me, when did you start sneaking around with Jay?"
Sharon bit her lip, and the tears started falling like she'd been waiting for this moment. "Thera, I never intended to break you two up, but I truly love Jay, and now... I'm having his baby."
"So now, because you're pregnant, you think you have every right to steal my fiancé and pretend nothing's wrong?" My voice was razor-sharp.
Justin finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper, "What Sharon and I share is real. I should've told you sooner, but..."
"But you couldn't let go of my family's connections, my dad's projects, or the partnership we almost landed?" I cut him off, my words icy and precise.
Justin's face turned even whiter, and at that moment, I finally saw him for what he truly was—a coward trying to keep one hand on my family's backing while having the other all over Sharon. Just another player who thought he could have the best of both worlds.
"Thera, it's not like that..." Justin mumbled, sounding more desperate than ever.
"Oh, really?" My eyes were as cold as ice. "Then tell me, Justin, how much longer did you expect me to play along in this ridiculous circus?"
The sales staff quietly retreated to the far corner, wanting nothing to do with this mess.
Suddenly, Sharon clutched her stomach, her face drained of all color. "Jay, my stomach... hurts..." she whimpered, playing up her weakness just when the spotlight was on her.
Justin immediately grabbed her, his voice full of panic. "Sharon, what's wrong? Is it the baby?"
I stood there, watching the whole scene unfold, and my heart went completely cold.
To Justin, Sharon carrying his child meant everything. Nothing about me even mattered anymore. Even a single frown from her outweighed all my tears put together.
"Just go," I said, then turned to the sales staff. "I don't want the dress anymore. Keep the deposit."
Justin rushed out of the bridal shop, carrying Sharon in his arms, not even sparing me a single glance as he left.
I stood there all alone before that blinding white dress, memories of three months ago hitting me hard. Back then, slipping into it for the first time, I'd felt on top of the world—absolutely sure I was the happiest girl alive, about to marry the love of my life.
Now I realized the biggest fool in all of this had been me all along.
My phone buzzed—Mom texting: [Thera, did you pick out your wedding dress yet? I've already started prepping everything for your big day.]
I stared at her message, and I just couldn't hold the tears back any longer. They finally spilled over.
When I returned home, Justin was already in the living room, acting like he'd been waiting calmly all along.
He'd changed into a fresh outfit and fixed his hair, looking so annoyingly flawless that it almost made me wonder if the disaster at the bridal shop was just some nightmare I dreamed up.
"Thera, can we talk?" He got up, putting on that gentle "nice guy" expression I used to fall for, but now it just made me sick.
"Talk about what?" I kicked off my heels and felt an ache shoot up my ankle—just perfect. "Is Sharon's baby alright?"
"She was just a little shaken up. She's fine now," Justin said as he walked over, trying to sound calm. "Thera, I want to set things straight between me and Sharon."
"Set things straight?" I sneered. "What, are you gonna tell me it was all for some artistic purpose? Or maybe Sharon just had a miracle baby, dropped from the heavens?"
Justin's face went sour. "Thera, do you have to be so savage? I never saw this coming with Sharon. Believe me, I was caught off guard too."
"Caught off guard?" I glared at him. "Justin, so you want me to believe it was just some one-night mistake?"
"It wasn't a one-night stand," Justin said, taking a deep breath. "Sharon and I... have been together for six months."
Six months.
My head felt like it was spinning off my shoulders. Six months ago, I was swamped with wedding preparations, totally believing we were on the same page. And all that time, Justin had already stabbed me in the back.
"Why?" I could barely get the words out. "Was I not enough for you?"
Justin went quiet for what felt like forever before finally saying, "Thera, we're done. After three years, this feels more like a business deal than a real relationship."
"A business deal?" I couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "Justin, do you even remember everything I've done for you these three years? My dad gave you all his best projects. My mom introduced you to all her contacts. Most of what I made went straight into our shared expenses. Now you tell me it feels like a business deal?"
"Thera, I get it, okay? I really do appreciate everything you and your family have done for me, but you can't put a price on love. It's not something you can tally up in favors or handouts."
"Then how do you tally up your love, Justin? Sharon's body, is that what counts?"
Justin's face darkened. "Thera, does it have to be this harsh? Sharon and I—what we have is real. We actually love each other."
"Real?" I was shaking, practically livid. "You call sneaking behind my back for half a year 'real love'? If you really loved her, why didn't you break up with me sooner? Why keep me hanging until she gets pregnant, until we're just two months away from the wedding?"
Justin was left completely speechless.
I pressed on, my voice icy and ruthless. "You just couldn't let go, could you? Not when breaking up meant saying goodbye to everything my family gave you. You wanted to have your cake and eat it too—me for the connections, Sharon for the thrill. But now that Sharon's pregnant, you can't juggle us anymore, so you finally have to come clean."
"That's not it..." Justin whispered, barely meeting my eyes.
"So what is it then?" I shot him a glare, all frost. "Justin, what's your plan now? Are you marrying Sharon or me?"
Justin hung his head, silent for what felt like ages.
His silence spoke louder than any words ever could.