Chapter 1

During my solo portrait shoot, the photographer was nudging me to pick a style.

But I was frozen, staring at the couple on the cover of the studio's lookbook.

Seeing that I couldn't take my eyes off it, the photographer smiled and leaned in.

"You have great taste, Ms. Miller. This is our premium sample set."

"There’s actually a really touching story behind this shoot. They’ve been together for seven years, and they’re getting married next month."

Looking at the painfully familiar face in the photos, my fingertips trembled. I forced myself to open the client feedback book.

A handwriting I knew all too well slapped me in the face once again.

[Give this photographer a fat bonus! He made my wife look absolutely stunning.]

My tears blurred the ink on the paper, but I laughed.

So, my boyfriend of nine years was getting married.

And the bride wasn’t me.

The photographer handed me a few more sample albums.

Every single one featured Ethan and this other girl, posing in various romantic settings.

The assistant next to me couldn't stop gushing about him either.

"This guy was so incredibly sweet to his girlfriend. He stayed through the whole shoot, helped her change into four or five outfits."

"He was bringing her water, even helping her put in her colored contacts."

"Seriously, the perfect man!"

Yet, I had never seen this side of Ethan. Not once.

I fought to keep my emotions under wraps and squeezed out a smile for the photographer.

"Something came up. I have to cancel today's shoot."

I grabbed my phone, snapped a photo of the sample album, and sent it to Ethan via Snapchat.

The next second, my phone rang. It was Ethan.

I answered. After a few agonizing seconds of silence, Ethan spoke first.

I gripped my phone tightly. Even though I was prepared, it still felt like a thousand needles were stabbing my heart.

When I didn't say anything, Ethan went on.

"Clara, listen to me. I had no choice."

"I didn't mean to keep this from you. Can we please talk about this when I get home tonight?"

I sniffled, trying to clear the burning sensation in my nose.

"Ethan, let's break up."

Before he could utter another word, I hung up.

Ethan tried calling me back several times. I declined every single call.

Eventually, he stopped calling.

Instead, a voice note popped up on Snapchat and started playing automatically.

"Clara, I'm really busy right now. Stop throwing a tantrum."

But in the background of that voice note, I clearly heard a girl's voice.

"Ethan, look at these wedding venues. Which one do you like?"

I took a deep breath, trying with all my might to stop my tears from falling.

I walked out of the photo studio in a daze.

Like a masochist, I kept opening my phone, staring at Ethan's wedding photos over and over.

In the photos, Ethan was wrapping his arms around that girl, smiling with pure, unadulterated happiness.

I hadn't seen that smile on his face in years.

Looking at his familiar face, I felt lost.

I had been a fashion model for years and had shot countless high-end editorials.

But he had never taken a single professional photo with me.

Every time I suggested we do a couple's shoot, he would just hug me.

He would ruffle my hair and say:

"I'm not handsome, baby. I'm totally camera-shy."

"Let's not do it."

"Don't waste your gorgeous face on a photo with me."

Back then, hearing those words only made my heart ache for him.

_I bought him skincare products, took him to spa treatments._

Now I realized.

It wasn't that he hated photos. He just hated taking them with me.

Pulling myself together, my numb fingers scrolled through TikTok.

The very first video on my feed was a "wedding prep vlog."

My breath hitched as I tapped on it.

The video showed a man and a woman shopping for wedding dresses. When the woman turned around in her gown, the man looked absolutely spellbound.

And that spellbound man was none other than Ethan!

Because I wanted to learn about wedding planning beforehand, I had been searching for wedding content lately. That must have triggered the algorithm.

Whenever I brought up marriage to him, he would always say impatiently:

"What's the rush? I want to enjoy our time as a couple for a few more years."

"Stop wasting your time looking at that stuff."

"I don't plan on getting married for at least another five years!"

The TikTok account was named @Chloe_and_Ethan_Prep.

It was only at this moment that I finally understood.

Why Ethan's private Snapchat handle had always been `ChloeOnMyMind`.

I used to tease him about it, asking him who Chloe was and why she was on his mind.

He would just smile, say nothing, and never change it.

I tapped on the girl’s profile. Her bio read: *7 days until the big day.*