Chapter 3

I move out that same night.

When Ethan figures it out, he switches to text bombing me.

[I know you're mad, but you can't push me like this. Marriage is a big deal. You can't just announce a wedding this weekend. I'm not mentally ready.]

[Chloe, it's not that I don't want to marry you. It's just bad timing. Tiff's been in a rough place. She needs me. Can't you just wait?]

[I'm being real with you. I'm not ready to get married. The more you push me, the less I want to marry you.]

I don't reply. Not one message.

...

All the way until the night before the wedding.

That's when Tiffany sends me a video.

The lighting is dim—clearly a suite at that boutique hotel in Malibu.

Then her call comes through.

"You saw the video, right? If even that doesn't make you cancel... Wow! You really are something."

My voice stays flat. "I saw it. I'm not canceling."

She hangs up on me. A few seconds later, a photo lands in my inbox.

Soft hotel light. Ethan and Tiffany were kissing.

I look at it. Type three words back.

[Not. Canceling. It.]

...

Wedding day.

I stand at the hotel lobby in my gown, greeting guests.

Ethan walks wearing gym clothes. His eyes catch on me — and for half a second, I see real shock there. Real awe.

"That dress you picked alone… It actually looks good."

Then Tiffany—in a full evening gown—slides her arm through his.

The whole room goes silent.

A groom in sweatpants, arm-locked with another woman. The bride standing alone across the room in white.

Ethan ignores the stares and starts babbling.

"Look, I need to be straight with you. There's nothing going on between me and Tiff."

"That photo and video you saw? Camera angles. We staged it. We just wanted you to cancel the wedding. We didn't think you'd take it this far."

Tiffany nods beside him, voice sugar-sweet.

"It's true, Chlo. It was all my idea. I just wanted to test how much you really care about E."

"You sat through that video and those photos without breaking. Honestly? I'm impressed by your love."

I look at the two of them. I smile.

"Even if you two are sleeping together, I don't care."

Ethan's face shifts. He notices my tone changes right away.

"I'm telling you the truth. She's literally just a friend. You know Hunter? Same exact thing."

Tiffany jumps in. "Right, we're just friends!"

Ethan launches into the same speech again.

"You know how much my friends mean to me. I'd never ditch a friend just because I'm dating someone."

I look at him standing there, righteous as ever, and I can't help it.

"Ethan. You keep preaching about how much your friends mean to you."

"So how come you haven't noticed you're already missing one?"