Chapter 1

Only ten minutes left before the wedding, and my phone buzzed with an incredibly sickening photo.

In the picture, a man was so emaciated he was nothing but skin and bones, groveling on the floor like a dog.

And my bride-to-be, Vanessa Hayes, was standing over him, looking down with absolute disgust.

Just as I was about to block this prank number, two more messages popped up.

[Run. Leave the wedding right now. Whatever you do, do not marry Vanessa!]

[The man on the floor is you in ten years!]

My heart skipped a beat, but I quickly recovered. I stared at the screen and let out a cold laugh.

We were about to take our vows. Who was playing such a childish prank?

I typed back: [Your Photoshop skills are terrible. Who the hell is this?]

The reply came instantly: [I am you.]

[Don't believe me? Look at the left lining of Vanessa’s wedding dress, right against her chest. There’s a plain silver ring hidden inside. Julian Cole gave it to her.]

[Also, the zipper on Julian's groomsman suit broke. Vanessa hand-stitched it for him in the dressing room just now.]

[There is a fresh needle prick on the webbing of her left hand right now.]

Click.

The dressing room door swung open.

Vanessa walked in, stunning in her custom-tailored white wedding gown.

She was breathtaking, adorned with pearl earrings that caught the light perfectly.

"Ethan, are you ready?"

She smiled as she walked toward me, her eyes overflowing with warmth.

Without a word, I stood up and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Vanessa stiffened slightly before wrapping her arms around me with a soft chuckle.

"We’re about to get married, and you’re already this clingy?"

My cheek pressed against the left side of her chest.

Through the delicate fabric, I felt it. A hard, circular object hidden right in the lining of her dress.

It was shaped exactly like a ring.

Not only that, but her collar carried a faint, barely noticeable scent of hair wax.

It was the signature scent Julian always wore.

I pushed her away abruptly and grabbed her left hand.

There, on the webbing of her hand between her thumb and index finger, was a tiny, unmistakable red dot.

A fresh needle prick.

The blood in my veins turned to ice.

Vanessa’s eyes flickered with panic, and she quickly pulled her hand back.

"What’s wrong, Ethan? Why are you staring at me like that?"

I locked eyes with her.

"What happened to your hand?"

Vanessa smiled, her face completely calm.

"Oh, the pin on the boutonniere was loose. I accidentally pricked myself."

The lie came so naturally. Her heart rate didn't even skip a beat.

Suddenly, this woman I had loved for three years felt terrifyingly like a stranger.

My phone buzzed on the table again.

Another text from my future self:

[Do you believe me now? Did she tell you she pricked herself with a boutonniere pin?]

[Ethan Vance, your entire life with her is a lie.]

[That time she ran through three blocks in the pouring rain to get you pasta? It wasn't for you. It was because Julian had a stomach ache that night.]

[That time she rented out the entire amusement park to propose to you? It was because Julian was on a date with another woman there that day. She wanted to make him jealous!]

I stared at the screen, my fingers shaking uncontrollably.

Every sweet memory we shared suddenly turned into a dagger plunged deep into my chest.

I remembered her soaking wet in the rain, handing me the food.

But immediately afterward, she had slipped away to the balcony, talking on the phone for over an hour.

On the day she proposed, she had stared at the Ferris wheel in the distance with a dark, gloomy gaze, even slipping the ring onto the wrong finger.

At the time, I thought she was just nervous.

It turned out she was looking at another man.

I took a deep breath, fighting the urge to throw up.

"Vanessa, take out whatever is hidden in your dress lining."

Vanessa’s expression finally shattered. She instinctively clutched her chest.

"Ethan, stop fooling around. The guests are waiting."

I took a step forward. "I said, take it out!"

Vanessa grabbed my wrist. Her grip was surprisingly tight.

The warmth in her eyes vanished, replaced by sheer impatience.

"Ethan Vance, today is our wedding day! Do you really have to throw a tantrum right now?"