Chapter 1

Seven years into our relationship, Ethan and I planned to make our marriage official at City Hall right after our pre-wedding honeymoon.

Yet the second I opened the hotel suite door, my best friend Sadie was rolling around on our king-sized honeymoon bed, wearing nothing but a slinky silk nightgown.

"Chloe, you guys are finally here! Did you really think you could sneak off for a romantic getaway without me?"

"Ethan texted me the room number! I'm staying too!"

My expression darkened. I turned to look at Ethan.

He gave an awkward, sheepish laugh. "Sadie just went through a breakup, Chloe. I only thought it'd be good for her to get some fresh air."

Five years. It was always like this.

Every time Ethan and I had a private date, Sadie always found an excuse to tag along, and Ethan indulged her every single time.

When we took our engagement photos, he let her crowd into the frame and steal the spotlight.

When we bought matching couple's hoodies, he turned around and bought the exact same one for her.

He even had a spare key cut for our new place and secretly gave it to Sadie behind my back.

I turned on my heel to leave, but Ethan grabbed my arm in a panic.

"Chloe, please don't be like this. You and Sadie are practically sisters. What's the big deal if we all hang out together?"

The next second, his inner voice slammed straight into my head like a physical blow:

*[Why is she freaking out so hard? Wait... does Chloe know Sadie confessed her feelings to me?]*

My pupils shrank. I whipped my head around and stared him dead in the eye.

"Did you turn her down?"

Ethan froze.

I gritted my teeth, repeating each word with icy precision.

"When Sadie confessed her feelings to you, Ethan... did you reject her?"

Ethan went dead silent.

I let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh. I walked back to the entryway, set the keycard on the console table, and walked out.

In this supposed honeymoon of ours, I was the third wheel all along.

When I reached the hotel lobby, it wasn't Ethan who stopped me, but the concierge.

"Ma'am, the tropical storm made landfall earlier than expected."

"You really need to stay indoors. Heading out right now is extremely dangerous!"

I glanced outside. The violent wind was tossing debris everywhere, bending the palm trees almost flat against the ground.

There was no way out.

Left with no choice, I sank onto one of the lobby sofas and opened my phone, frantically checking for return flights.

It took Ethan and Sadie forever to finally saunter down the stairs to look for me.

"Ethan, look! Chloe's right there. I told you she wouldn't actually leave!"

Sadie waved at Ethan, then slid onto the couch right beside me.

"Chloe, are you really mad at me?"

"That confession was just a stupid dare from Truth or Dare! I was completely messing around with Ethan."

She reached out to link her arm through mine, but I flinched away.

She smiled awkwardly, pulling her hand back.

Seeing that, Ethan chimed in to back her up.

"She's telling the truth, babe. Sadie and I have been friends for years. If anything was going to happen between us, it would've happened ages ago. Besides, she just got dumped! Why would she suddenly fall for me?"

Right then, his inner voice echoed in my head again.

*[Thank God Sadie and I came up with this excuse upstairs.]*

*[Chloe's never even seen Sadie's fake ex-boyfriend anyway. There's no way she figures out it's a lie.]*

I heard every word.

I turned to Sadie and held out an open palm.

"Show me his picture."

"Wasn't your boyfriend always dragging Ethan out to play basketball and video games? Telling you it was 'guys' night' so I couldn't come? Now that you're broken up, don't tell me I'm not even allowed to know his name or what he looks like."

Sadie instinctively shoved her phone behind her back.

"We broke up! I deleted everything already. Why are you bringing this up out of nowhere?"

I let out a cold smirk and reached for her phone.

"Did you delete them, or did this guy never exist in the first place?"

Sadie jumped up with a dramatic shriek, pretending to dodge, but she barely put up a fight.

Before my hand even brushed against her, her phone was already in my grip.

Just as I was about to unlock the photo album, a violent shove hit my back.

"Chloe! Have you lost your damn mind?!"

"Didn't you see Sadie hit her stomach on the table?! All over a stupid phone? What the hell is wrong with you!"

Caught completely off guard, I crashed face-first onto the polished marble floor. My knees hit the stone with a sickening crack. Cold sweat broke out across my forehead from the blinding pain.

I struggled to prop myself up. By the edge of the coffee table, Sadie was huddled on the floor, clutching her stomach and tugging Ethan's sleeve with tear-filled eyes.

"Ethan, my stomach hurts so bad..."

"I think I bruised it..."

Ethan was completely enraged, barking at me without holding anything back.

"Fine! I'll tell you the truth! Sadie made that boyfriend up using a burner account! And those basketball games and gaming nights? It was just the two of us hanging out! We only kept it from you because we didn't want you overthinking everything!"

"Sadie and I are just friends! How many times do I have to say it before you get it through your head?!"

Without giving me another glance, Ethan scooped the whimpering Sadie into his arms and walked away without looking back.

As he turned the corner, his irritated thoughts crashed into my mind once again.

*[What an irrational bitch.]*

*[I should've just dated Sadie from the very beginning.]*