Chapter 6

The day of the wedding.

6:00 AM.

Ethan woke up to complete silence.

He reflexively reached out to the other side of the bed, only to feel cold, empty sheets.

He opened his eyes, frowning.

The space beside him was completely empty.

"Chloe?"

He sat up and called out.

No response.

He threw off the blanket, slid into his slippers, and walked out of the bedroom.

The living room was so quiet that he could hear the ticking of the wall clock.

The kitchen was dark, and the bathroom door was wide open.

He walked to the entrance and saw my house slippers sitting neatly on the shoe rack.

Ethan's frown deepened.

He pulled out his phone and dialed my number.

"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

The cold, automated voice echoed in the empty apartment.

He tossed his phone onto the sofa in frustration.

"What is she throwing a tantrum about now?"

He assumed I had gone to the hotel or a salon early because he had ignored me the night before.

He walked into the bathroom to wash up.

But as he reached for his toothbrush, he froze.

My toothbrush and cup were gone.

He yanked open the medicine cabinet.

It was completely empty. All of my skincare products had vanished.

A sudden wave of panic pricked at his nerves.

He rushed back to the bedroom and pulled open the wardrobe.

My side of the closet was bare, holding nothing but a few empty hangers.

Ethan froze in place.

His brain went completely numb as he stared at the empty hangers.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang loudly.

Ethan snapped out of his daze and rushed to open the door.

"Chloe!"

He threw the door open.

Standing outside were his groomsmen in their tuxedos, along with Isla in a pink bridesmaid dress.

"Hey, Ethan! The limo is waiting downstairs. Where's the bride?" the best man asked with a grin, peeking inside.

Isla stepped forward, blinking innocently.

"Ethan, is Chloe still getting her makeup done?"

Ethan's face was completely pale.

He looked at the crowd, his throat dry.

"She... she might have gone to the hotel early."

"To the hotel?" the best man blinked.

"Since when does the bride go to the venue on her own? That's not how it works."

Isla gasped, covering her mouth.

"Is Chloe still mad at me? It's all my fault. I shouldn't have borrowed her dress yesterday..."

Her eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Ethan.

"Ethan, maybe I shouldn't go. I don't want Chloe to be unhappy when she sees me."

On any other day, Ethan would have comforted her immediately.

But right now, his mind was filled with the image of those empty hangers.

"Stop talking," he snapped at Isla.

"She's just being difficult. Let's go straight to the hotel."

He threw on his custom suit in a rush, his tie slightly crooked.

All the way to the hotel, Ethan kept calling my phone.

Still unavailable.

He even called the wedding coordinator.

"Ms. Miller? She left right after the rehearsal yesterday, sir. We haven't seen her today," the coordinator replied in a professional, distant tone.

Ethan's knuckles turned white as he gripped his phone.

"What on earth is she playing at?" he hissed, staring out the window at the passing streets.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Isla looked back at him.

"Ethan, don't worry. Chloe probably just wants to make you anxious. Girls love playing these little games."

Her voice was sweet, but every word painted me as a dramatic attention-seeker.

Ethan took a deep breath, forcing down his panic.

"She better have a damn good explanation for this."

The car stopped in front of the hotel.

Ethan pushed the door open and marched toward the grand ballroom.

He had prepared a whole lecture in his head to unleash on me the moment he saw me.

He was going to teach me a lesson about how childish this little stunt was.

He crossed the lobby and walked toward the entrance of the ballroom.

But when he looked up and saw the massive welcome sign at the entrance, he froze.

He felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

Surrounded by gorgeous floral arrangements, the gold-embossed sign read:

*Julian Sterling & Chloe Miller.*

There was no mention of Ethan Wright.