Chapter 3
I stood there for what felt like forever.
My mind raced through everything.
When we were young, I was shy and introverted, often bullied by the bad kids at school.
When I was too scared to speak up, Sienna Marlowe spoke up for me. When I was too scared to fight back, Sienna fought for me.
Academically, I was sharper than Sienna.
Every scholarship and prize money I earned, I split with her.
She was an only child who never cared much about school.
Senior year, I dragged her to study sessions every night, breaking down every concept until she understood.
I motivated her, painted dreams of our future together.
We both got into Columbia.
Sophomore year, I caught my boyfriend cheating.
The second Sienna heard, she stormed over to their hotel, beat the hell out of him, and tore into the other woman.
After graduation, we shared a tiny studio apartment, both completely lost about our futures.
Every night we’d huddle under the same blanket, spinning fantasies about getting rich and taking care of each other.
‘If we make it big, we stick together.”
‘Share a bed now, share a penthouse later.”
We’d been inseparable since childhood. I’d long considered her family.
Maybe family doesn’t love you unconditionally, but I believed she would.
So when I was faced with her betrayal, I couldn’t even muster the strength to confront her.
The same person who once fought my battles and destroyed a homewrecker for me had become the homewrecker in my life.
My complete trust had been repaid with brutal betrayal.
As I left the Meridian, the moon hung high overhead, and I felt cold to my core.
I thought back to how Chase and I began.
At twenty–five, I’d clawed my way up to chief designer at New York’s top wedding planning firm.
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My Fiancé Practiced Vows in Bed with My Bestie–So I Said “I Don’t” at the Altar
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Chapter 3
I was setting up for Griffin Hale’s estate wedding.
After pulling an all–nighter supervising the setup, my blood sugar crashed and I collapsed headfirst into a two–foot fountain.
Chase happened to be walking by and pulled me out.
The image of him carrying me in his arms, water dripping from his hair, looking at me with those intense eyes–I fell for him
nstantly.
I found out about his wealthy background and his reputation as a player, which made me keep my distance.
But Chase cleaned up his act and spent a full year pursuing me seriously.
His pursuit was respectful, thoughtful, and genuine.
That New Year’s Eve, I went back to my hometown to visit my grandparents‘ graves, and my phone died.
After three hours of no contact, Chase panicked that I’d had another hypoglycemic episode and collapsed somewhere remote. He drove hundreds of miles to find me.
found him standing in a field wearing nothing but a thin shirt, craning his neck, helplessly wiping away tears as he called my
name desperately.
That’s when I thought: Mom, Dad, this is the one I want.
Through three years together, I never felt Chase’s love fading.
He’d kneel down in crowded department stores to help me try on shoes.
He’d hunt down herbal remedies for my cramps and personally brew them for me.
Before meeting his parents, he’d prep them thoroughly so I wouldn’t face a single doubt or slight.
He’d bring me to high–society events and proudly introduce me to everyone.
This is my fiancée, Vivienne Alcott, chief designer at ArtGreen. You can call her Miss Alcott.”
She’s incredible–won countless design awards. She designed Princess Josephine’s wedding of the century. People are booking her
ervices two years out.”
Actually, bookings start the year after next because next year we’re getting married–and we’re going all out! You’ll all get
nvitations!”
His love was so intense, so perfect.
Which made this flaw so hideous and devastating.
I went to a hotel and cried my heart out.
I kept telling myself–so what if I got backstabbed? So what if I got played?
We hadn’t had the ceremony yet, hadn’t signed the papers. It wasn’t too late.
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My Fiancé Practiced Vows in Bed with My Bestie~So I Said “I Don’t” at the Altar
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Chapter 3
I could disappear, get far away from this place.
Get far away from these monsters.
But I wasn’t the one who did anything wrong. Why should I be the one slinking away in shame?
I was going to get revenge.
And what needed examining was my judgment and discernment, not my sincerity and kindness.
I did nothing wrong.
I was fine.
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