Chapter 1

During our Thanksgiving trip, right as we were posing for a group photo, my best friend Chloe ripped the wig off my head in front of everyone.

In that instant, even strangers' phones swung toward me like magnets.

Chloe held up my wig, doubled over with laughter.

"Life's big moments deserve photos with a little pizzazz, you know?"

"Mia, your bald head is literally shinier than the moon!"

I snatched my wig back and couldn't stop myself from snapping at her.

But my husband Ethan just furrowed his brow and said, "It's just a joke. Do you really have to make a big deal out of it?"

Ever since I'd started losing my hair from my illness, my wig had become Chloe's favorite toy.

Freshman year of high school, I had the highest GPA in the entire school and was supposed to give a speech in the auditorium.

Right before I went on stage, she hid my wig.

I stood in front of the whole school with a bare head. After that, I was called "Baldy" for three straight years.

Then last month, during the group photo at my wedding, she yanked off my wig again.

There I was in my wedding dress, desperately clutching the top of my head, while everyone dubbed me "the bald bride."

Every single time she humiliated me, Chloe would laugh and say she just wanted to make the highlights of my life a little more memorable.

And Ethan always took her side.

"Having a bald head on camera—that's pretty cool, honestly. Other people couldn't pull it off if they tried."

This time, I didn't argue.

A friend and a partner who refuse to take my pain seriously? I'm better off without them.

…

I ignored the stares around me, kept my face blank, and put the wig back on.

Chloe sidled up to me, eyes rimmed with red, her voice going all soft like she was the one who'd been deeply wronged.

"Mia, I'm sorry…"

"I was just trying to joke around with you. I had no idea you'd get this upset."

I stepped aside, looked her dead in the eye.

"A joke is only a joke when I'm okay with it—when it makes me laugh too."

"Otherwise, it's just an insult."

Chloe's expression froze.

The next second, she threw herself at Ethan's side, looking wounded, and latched onto his arm.

"Mia, we're supposed to be like sisters…"

"Is that really how you see me?"

Ethan's brow creased with concern, right on cue, and he pulled her behind him.

"Mia, enough."

"It was just a prank. Why do you have to blow everything out of proportion?"

"Blow everything out of proportion?"

I stared into his eyes, then glanced at Chloe hiding behind him like a frightened deer, and suddenly I laughed.

"Ethan, how many times has this happened now? Do you even remember?"

"Our first date—do you remember what you promised me?"

For our first date, Ethan had spent three months planning. He wanted to give me an unforgettable night at the most expensive restaurant in New York.

But Chloe had wheedled and pestered until she tagged along.

Ethan was holding nine hundred and ninety-nine roses. A violinist was playing beside us. Every guest in the restaurant stood and applauded.

And then Chloe yanked off my wig, making a spectacle of me.

Afterward, she'd teared up and claimed it wasn't on purpose—she was just "testing" whether Ethan truly loved me.

Back then, Ethan still got angry.

He still stepped in front of me and yelled at the people sneaking photos: "What are you looking at?"

Then he took my hand and said, "Mia, from now on, if the sky falls, I'll hold it up for you. If anyone hurts you, I'll stand up for you."

But now, the man who once shielded me was standing on the other side.

He was defending the person who had humiliated me again and again, asking me why I had to make such a scene.

When I brought up the past, Ethan frowned.

Whenever he got impatient, he'd unconsciously raise his voice.

"We're out here trying to have a nice trip for once, and Chloe was just messing with you. What are you so mad about? Do you really have to make everyone uncomfortable?"

Chloe panicked too, rushing forward to grab my hand.

"Mia, it's all my fault."

"I know you're sensitive about this. I shouldn't have joked about it…"

She said the words, but the smile on her face was grating.

"Oh, by the way—Ethan and I set up a surprise party for you back at the hotel. Considering how much thought we put into it, can you please stop being mad?"

"I promise, this is absolutely the last time I'll joke like that."

To get us back to the hotel for the party, Ethan went to buy shuttle tickets.

When he returned, he was carrying two smoothies.

Chloe took one and immediately broke into a sweet smile.

"Ethan, you're so thoughtful—you even remember what your wife's best friend likes to drink."

She glanced at the other cup in his hand and let out a little gasp, covering her lips.

"Ethan, did you forget? Mia's allergic to mango smoothies."

"Mango is only *my* favorite."