Chapter 2

I turned around, feeling my way along the wall to find the exit of the hall.

I heard Sean's footsteps following me.

But then, Emily's voice rang out.

"Sean, the gifts Chloe got you are so basic."

"I didn't expect her to have such tacky taste!"

Sean's footsteps stopped.

"Well, her eyesight has always been bad. Otherwise, she wouldn't have mistaken me for someone else," he said with a self-deprecating chuckle. "Whatever, just give them to me."

"Aw, I really envy Chloe. No matter what she does, you never get mad at her, Sean."

The next second, a sharp shattering sound echoed through the hallway.

Emily gasped dramatically.

"Oh my gosh! I—I didn't mean to!"

"I was just tossing it in the air for fun and dropped it. I'll pick up the pieces! Oh no, it's completely ruined..."

She rambled on, her voice filled with panic.

But instead of scolding her, Sean immediately comforted her.

"Don't touch it. You'll cut yourself."

"Besides, I don't really care for things other people have handled anyway."

"When I have time, I'll just take Chloe to buy a new one."

My steps faltered. I reached down and touched the ring on my left ring finger.

Sean had put on hold all his business projects and spent three months learning from a master jeweler just to handcraft that ring for me.

He had engraved our initials inside the band.

At the time, he had hugged me and said, “Chloe, it might not be as perfect as a designer ring, but it holds all my love for you.”

I had believed him. I just didn't expect that love to rot so quickly.

I slipped the ring off my finger and tossed it carelessly into the air.

It hit the tiled floor with a soft click and rolled away into the shadows.

From the end of the hallway, the hushed whispers of the guests drifted over.

"Hey, who's actually the groom today?"

"The welcome board says Sean Harrison, right?"

"Yeah, but did you see the slideshow? The photos of the bride are all with some other guy!"

"Wait, did no one notice? The bride walked in blindfolded, but what about her family? Are they blind too?"

"Her parents and sister were the ones who set up the venue. If you ask me, this bride must be adopted. They clearly don't care about her."

I trembled, sinking onto the floor in a dark corner.

Tears soaked through the blindfold, making the raw, torn skin on my face burn like fire.

I bit my lip to keep from crying out, trying to unlock my phone to call an Uber to the hospital.

Suddenly, Sean's voice sounded right above me.

"Chloe, the floor is freezing. Get up."

He pulled me up and guided me in a direction I couldn't discern.

"Let's just finish the ceremony, okay?"

"Yeah, Chloe! I spent so much time planning this game. Please don't let my hard work go to waste," Emily said, grabbing my other arm and shaking it.

My parents' voices joined in immediately.

"It's your wedding day. Stop being so childish and throwing a tantrum!"

Emily was the one who had ruined my wedding.

Yet, they were all accusing me of throwing a tantrum.

My parents had always favored Emily.

And now, Sean—the man who once swore to always put me first—was siding with her too.

I pushed their hands away, my voice shaking.

"Sean, do you also think I'm just throwing a tantrum?"

He didn't answer.

Instead, Emily let out a sudden gasp.

"Oh no! I almost forgot! I'm livestreaming the wedding on Snapchat for Grandma!"

"She just got out of the ICU! She can't handle any stress right now!"