Chapter 1

On my 30th birthday, I posted a picture of a wedding dress on my Instagram.

Within minutes, Julian—the childhood friend who had rejected me ninety-nine times—called me.

He specifically told me to put on the dress and meet him at City Hall.

He said he had a massive birthday surprise for me.

But when I stood outside the City Hall entrance, shivering in the cool breeze, I heard him laughing with his frat-boy friends behind me.

"See? I told you she'd actually show up in a wedding dress. Pay up, boys! A hundred bucks each!"

Then, Julian turned to me, winking and flashing that arrogant smirk of his.

"Come on, Maya. It was just a joke. You didn't seriously think we were getting married, did you?"

"But hey, if you're that desperate to get married, you can always just go inside and grab a random guy."

His friends burst into obnoxious laughter.

I rolled my eyes. Honestly, I did have an appointment to get married today.

But my groom wasn't him.

A few minutes later, when I walked out of the building arm-in-arm with another man, holding our marriage certificate, Julian's face went completely pale.