Chapter 2

"You two... got legally married?"

My voice trembled. I stared at Ethan and Blair in utter disbelief.

During my five years of dating Ethan, I had proposed to him ninety-nine times.

Every single time he was about to say yes, Blair would always have some convenient emergency to drag him away.

Just a few weeks ago, I gathered my courage to ask him one last time.

This time, he finally agreed, and we started planning the wedding.

But today, on our actual wedding day, he casually let slip that he had already legally married Blair at City Hall.

Then what was I? What was this wedding?

I stared at Ethan, desperately waiting for an explanation.

But his expression remained completely calm. He didn't show even a flicker of guilt.

The atmosphere in the room turned heavy. One of our mutual friends quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Oh, come on, Chloe, don't be so sensitive. We're all best friends here. It's normal to help each other out."

"Exactly. It's just a piece of paper from City Hall. Ethan was just doing Blair a favor as a bro. Why do you have to be so incredibly jealous and insecure?"

Before they could even finish, Ethan smiled and tapped the top of Blair's head affectionately.

"Alright, keep quiet. Not even food can shut your mouth, can it?"

Blair pouted and playfully punched his chest.

"Please, a banana doesn't even come close to satisfying me the way you do, Ethan. It could never keep me quiet."

The crowd gasped, followed by a burst of wild, filthy laughter.

"Wow, Blair, you seem to know a lot about his size! Have you been testing it out? Want to try mine next?"

"Me too! I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

"Get lost, guys! Ethan and I grew up together. Back when his hormones were raging, I was the one who helped him release his tension. None of you can even compare."

The moment those words left her mouth, the noisy room fell dead silent.

My brain completely short-circuited.

Seeing my shocked face, Blair laughed it off, completely unfazed.

"Oh, Chloe, speaking of which, you should actually thank me."

"If I hadn't trained Ethan's skills in bed so well, how else would you get to enjoy such amazing service?"

Blood rushed to my head in a blinding fury. I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed a glass of champagne and hurled it straight at Blair's face.

Before she could even scream, Ethan reacted instantly, pulling her protectively into his arms.

"Chloe! Are you out of your mind?! What is wrong with your psycho temper?!"

I stared at the red splashes of alcohol on the back of Ethan's hand, my nails digging deep into my palms.

"Does being childhood besties give you a free pass to sleep together?"

I let out a cold, mocking laugh.

"If you two are so desperate for each other, why didn't you just get married for real? You're both disgusting. A cheap slut and a trashy cheater."

Ethan's face twisted in rage. He raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face.

"That is enough, Chloe! When did you become so venomous and disgusting?!"

"Apologize to Blair right now!"

Blair snuggled deeper into Ethan's chest, looking up at me with a triumphant, mocking smirk.

Tears fell uncontrollably. Suddenly, I felt a profound sense of exhaustion. It all felt so utterly meaningless.

I turned around to leave.

But Ethan grabbed my wrist tightly. "You insulted Blair in front of everyone. You hurt her. Apologize to her right now."

"If you don't apologize, this wedding is officially canceled."