Chapter 1

Lenora’s POV

“This wedding’s boring. Let’s rip up her dress.”

At our wedding, my fiancé’s “girl bro,” Tatum Blake, suggests a game called “Rip the Dress.”

“Everyone gets to rip a piece off the bride’s dress! Name your price, and the groom has to buy it back!”

“Then we’ll sew all those good wishes into a brand-new wedding dress!”

Tatum yanks off one of my straps, nearly exposing my breast.

“Like this! Five grand!”

Callum gives her a fond smile and takes the strip of tulle from her.

She winks, then puts his payment confirmation up on the big screen.

“Tatum, you’re a fucking genius!”

“Come on, man! If you love her, pay up!”

Callum’s friends join in, egging each other on.

I clench my fists, about to tell them no, but Callum cuts me off in a low voice.

“She’s just having fun. Don’t spoil it.”

I stare at him.

Tatum once stuffed a balloon under her shirt and pretended she was pregnant. She tricked me into listening for a heartbeat through my stethoscope, then popped it.

My hearing has been cutting out ever since.

He thought that was funny.

The night of our engagement party, she deliberately left me drunk on the street.

He thought that was funny, too.

As far as Callum’s concerned, everything Tatum does is funny.

People grab at my skirt, fighting to tear off pieces.

Someone waves a strip of fabric overhead. “Come on! Thirty grand!”

“Send that money and the wedding’s off.”

Callum frowns. “They’re here to celebrate with us, baby. Don’t ruin it.”

“Seriously,” Tatum says with a pout. “You’re no fun.”

A moment later, the guest holds up his phone, showing off the thirty thousand dollars Callum has just sent him.

Everyone’s shouting, but I suddenly feel strangely calm.

She’s right. There’s nothing fun about this.

...

“All right! Game on!”

At Tatum’s announcement, the crowd surges toward me.

I snatch up the microphone.

“Don’t touch me! The wedding’s off!”

Nothing comes through the speakers, and my voice disappears beneath the cheering.

I look at Callum, stunned. He turned it off.

He smiles as if he’s been expecting this, then steps back with Tatum tucked safely behind him.

Hands reach for me from every direction, and he lets them tear at my dress.

My ears start ringing.

Yesterday, Tatum sent my family and friends to a deserted island, telling them the wedding rehearsal would be there.

There’s no one here to help me, all because she thought that would be fun.

Riiip!

Another huge piece of my skirt tears away.

I stumble backward.

“Stop! The wedding’s off, and I’m calling the cops!”

For a moment, everyone goes quiet. Even the guest who just tore a piece off my dress freezes.

“She’s kidding!” Tatum calls, hanging off Callum with an arm around his neck.

“Who ripped that piece? Come get your money!”

She waves them over. And Callum just keeps smiling at her like she can do no wrong.

The guest approaches hesitantly, then grins at his phone when the payment comes through.

The others rush me again, shouting.

I have nowhere left to go, and no one can hear me over them.

Hands grope me as more and more of my dress is torn away.

“CALLUM!”

I scream his name, wrapping my arms around myself as I curl into a ball.

Through a gap in the crowd, I see him glance at the pile of fabric beside him. His smile finally fades.

“Enough!”

They keep grabbing.

“I said enough!”

They pull away reluctantly. Even the underskirt beneath my gown is mostly shredded.

“Those women grabbed all the good pieces, but hey, at least I got to cop a feel.”

“No kidding, her skin’s so fucking soft and smooth. Rich bastard’s got it made.”

“Shut the fuck up!”

Callum pulls off his jacket, his expression darkening at the red marks on my arms and legs.

“I told you guys not to get carried away!”

The guests shift uneasily, glancing at one another.

Tatum suddenly sneezes. “Jesus, it’s freezing in here.”

Callum pauses, then turns and drapes his jacket over her shoulders instead.

I shiver, goose bumps rising along my bare arms.

“Dude, don’t get weird on me. Since when do you treat me like a girl?”

Tatum starts to shrug it off.

He holds it in place. “Just keep it on.”

She snorts. “Fine. Guess you’re good for something.”

I take a deep breath, pull down a nearby curtain, and wrap it around myself as I stand.

Callum catches my arm.

“Where are you going? The wedding’s not over.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “You really think we’re still getting married?”

He holds my gaze for a few seconds, then lets go with a smile.

“Right. It’ll take a while to put the dress back together. Go get some rest in your room.”

There’s so much I want to say, but in the end, all that comes out is this.

“Callum, we’re done.”