Chapter 2

The guys exchanged glances and looked at me with creepy, knowing smiles.

Thinking they were just joking, I forced down my disgust.

"We grew up in the same town, Tyler. I’ve never heard of such a tradition."

I didn't want to play along, so I turned to walk away.

To my surprise, Ethan grabbed my hand. "Come on, Chloe, it’s just feeding them some cake. Everyone is watching."

Before he even finished, Tyler brought over a plate of cake, grinning like a fool.

"Come on, Chloe! Don't be a party pooper!"

Ethan’s parents stood to the side, completely silent.

His seven or eight friends watched me with mocking smiles.

I took a deep breath. Not wanting to throw a tantrum on my wedding day, I suppressed my rage and began to feed them.

Tyler opened his mouth with a suggestive expression and deliberately licked the fork.

The next two guys did the exact same thing, making vulgar double entendres.

"Wow, the cake Chloe feeds us tastes so much sweeter!"

After saying that, they burst into loud, obnoxious laughter.

I slammed the fork onto the table. "I’m done!"

Everyone stared at each other in awkward silence.

The atmosphere froze. I was burning with rage.

Ethan’s mom squeezed out of the crowd, grabbing my hand to play peacemaker.

"Chloe, sweetheart, don't be mad. Everyone is waiting. You’ve already fed a few, so let’s call it a day. You guys, stop standing around! Did you really expect Chloe to feed every single one of you?"

Ethan also walked over to apologize. "Chloe, it’s our wedding day. They were just trying to hype up the crowd. Please don't be mad..."

Seeing this, the friends walked over with fake smiles and offered half-hearted apologies.

My parents sighed, stepping in to smooth things over, and gently patted my hand.

Looking at Ethan standing next to me, for the first time, I wondered: "Is this marriage really worth it?"

I was incredibly annoyed, but since I didn't want to cause a scene, I gave a tense nod.

However, I didn't realize that my tolerance would only invite worse treatment.

Ethan took my hand and led me toward the backyard garden.

I noticed his friends suddenly getting excited, rushing to the front of the yard.

My heart began to race. I turned to look at Ethan.

His eyes were suddenly dodging mine. My heart sank, and I instinctively tried to stop walking.

But it was too late.

With a racing heart, I whispered fiercely to Ethan, "What the hell are your friends doing? Are they planning another stunt?"

He stammered, "Don't overthink it, Chloe. They know their limits."

Seeing him like this, a lump formed in my throat. I couldn't understand why Ethan turned into a spineless coward the moment his friends were around.

Before this, Ethan had been a decent boyfriend.

He once drove sixty miles back and forth just because I said I wanted a specific cupcake. When my mom hurt her leg, he stayed up all night to find the best doctor for her.

He would blush when I kissed his cheek, and he would get excited like a kid over a simple gift I bought him.

Back then, I truly believed he was the one.

But now, standing at our wedding venue, looking at his shifting, guilty eyes, I suddenly felt a wave of panic.

He gave a fake cough to hide his nervousness.

"Let’s go in. Everyone is waiting."

I pulled myself together, entering the yard with a heavy heart.

Before I could even react, his friends suddenly marched toward us carrying buckets, triumph written all over their faces.

From a distance, I smelled a horrible, chemical stench.

In the next second, they lifted the buckets and splashed the contents right over Ethan and me.