Chapter 1

On the eve of our wedding, my girlfriend, Angelica, insisted on throwing a bachelorette party despite my strong objections.

She invited all of her ex-boyfriends to stay up all night with her. She even messaged me to "reassure" me:

"Don't worry, babe! There are so many of us here. We're literally just talking, nothing else!"

I smiled, replied with a simple "OK," and felt so excited that I couldn't sleep.

The countdown to the wedding was down to seven hours. After tomorrow, she would become the most infamous woman in the entire city.

Angelica had just called me. "Babe, seriously, don't worry. There are so many people here, we’re just chatting!"

"I know. I trust you," I replied.

Over the phone, I could hear several men jeering in the background.

"Wow, Leo really trusts you, doesn't he?"

"Let us run the final check on him! We'll teach him how to be a good husband after you guys get married!"

Their provocations were mixed with weird laughter. I didn't care. I just sneered and hung up the phone.

If I hadn't seen her Snapchat chat history, I might have actually believed her.

I had been dating Angelica for three years, and she had lied to me for three whole years.

At first, she told me she had a heartbreak so deep she could never forget her ex. Back then, my heart ached for her. I wondered why such a good girl couldn't find true love.

I spent three months winning her heart, completely unaware that she was still sleeping with her exes behind my back.

To make things worse, she complained about me to them, calling me a "naive loser" who was easy to manipulate—just a "suitable guy to marry."

I bought her designer bags and a car, spending over $45,000 in three years. And to her, I was just "suitable."

Hearing the muffled groans coming from the room next door, I lit a cigarette.

It was currently 12:40 AM on April 18th. In seven hours, it would be our wedding.

Angelica had no idea that I was staying in the exact same hotel, in the room right next to hers, with my bags already packed.

My flight was scheduled for 7:00 AM.

At 1:00 AM, I packed all the gifts Angelica had bought me over the past three years. They barely filled a cheap plastic delivery bag.

A cheap lighter, underwear that ripped after two wears, some travel badges...

I left the bag of worthless trash at the front desk. I had already scheduled a courier to deliver it to Angelica's house at exactly 10:00 AM the day after tomorrow.

Then, I opened my phone gallery. I selected all 8,000 photos of us, hit delete, went to the trash folder, and emptied it permanently.

My heart felt completely empty, yet strangely light.

At 2:00 AM, I started working on a PowerPoint presentation. This was going to be the highlight of tomorrow's event.

Whether she became famous or not depended entirely on this.

Right then, my phone buzzed. It was a Snapchat message from Angelica.

She sent me a photo of herself tucked under a blanket, with only her head showing. "Babe, I'm back home and going to sleep! Goodnight. Love you!"

I didn't reply. The sounds of flirting and giggling were still leaking through the wall from the room next door.

With a numb heart, I saved the photo and inserted it into the final slide of my presentation.

At 3:00 AM, I sent a mass message to my Snapchat group:

"The wedding tomorrow is canceled. You guys don't have to come. I'll buy everyone dinner another time. Sorry for the inconvenience!"

These were all my close friends and family.

A few of my best friends called me immediately, sounding panicked. Once they realized I was serious, they gasped:

"Leo, are you insane? You're calling it off now?"

"Angelica has been with you for three years! You're just dumping her at the altar?"

"What the hell happened?"

I only replied with one sentence: "Just watch my live stream tomorrow."

At 4:00 AM, I grabbed my suitcase and checked out of the hotel.

Before leaving, I glanced at Room 363. An alarm was buzzing inside, followed by the rustling of sheets.

I pulled my cap down, put on a face mask, and walked away without looking back.

As the elevator doors opened, a woman rushed out. For a split second, our eyes met. She looked up at me and was about to speak, but I had already stepped into the elevator.

It was Chloe, Angelica's best friend. She was probably bringing her a change of clothes for the morning.

What a loyal friend.

When I arrived at the airport, Angelica sent me another message:

"Babe, I'm so nervous! The makeup artist is arriving soon! You're going to see the most beautiful version of me today!"