Chapter 2

When I pushed open the grand doors of the ballroom, Carter and Daisy were in the middle of a passionate kiss on the stage. The crowd below was cheering wildly. Most of them were Carter’s frat brothers and close friends.

My hand gripped the brass door handle so hard my knuckles turned white.

Daisy was wearing the wedding dress I was supposed to wear tomorrow—a custom gown I had flown to Italy to get made by a master designer.

Carter's best friend, Brad, was the first to notice me. He gasped in shock:

"Sera?"

With that single shout, the rowdy room instantly fell dead silent.

Just two hours ago, my fiancé, Carter, was still calling me "baby" over FaceTime, sweetly telling me to get some rest for our big day tomorrow.

Before going to sleep, I suddenly remembered that the wedding video slideshow hadn't been uploaded to the hotel's computer yet. I had rushed over here in a hurry, only to catch my fiancé marrying another woman.

Daisy Sterling. I knew exactly who she was—the college girl Carter kept on his payroll.

Two months ago, when I first found out about her, Carter had sworn up and down that he would cut all ties with her. He had even blocked her on Snapchat and Instagram right in front of my face.

I walked toward the stage. Daisy shrank back, looking terrified, and hid behind Carter.

Carter didn't look even slightly ashamed when he saw me. He shrugged, his voice utterly nonchalant:

"Daisy said she didn't want any regrets in this relationship. She kept begging for a wedding. I figured I'd just use this as a dress rehearsal for our wedding tomorrow. Don't overthink it, Sera. I only had a ceremony with her, we didn't actually sign any legal papers."

Carter and I had known each other since we were kids. Our families were prominent business partners, so our engagement was set early on.

Carter was incredibly handsome and came from old money. Women were constantly throwing themselves at him. He was a notorious playboy, always rotating through a roster of side chicks.

My mom used to comfort me, saying that no rich man in our circle was clean, and that he would settle down once we got married.

Every time I caught him, Carter would immediately cut off the girl. Combined with our years of history, I had learned to turn a blind eye.

But this was the final straw.

I had spent over six months planning this wedding. Every single detail was perfect, and I had poured my heart and soul into it.

And now, he had given my dream wedding to his side chick. Did he really think Sera Miller would accept a secondhand wedding?

Honestly, I didn’t even want this secondhand man anymore.

I didn't scream or throw a fit. Instead, I calmly raised my middle finger, slid the engagement ring off, and tossed it.

"Here's your ring back."

Carter caught the ring, a playful smirk playing on his lips. He tilted his chin up:

"Sera, the wedding is tomorrow. Are you really that impatient to swap out your engagement ring?"

"Tomorrow's wedding is canceled. I am not marrying you. From this moment on, we are completely done."

My voice was ice-cold. There was no hesitation or lingering affection on my face.

Carter's grip tightened around the ring, and his face turned pale with anger:

"Sera! What kind of sick joke is this? The wedding is tomorrow, and you’re canceling it now?"

I looked at his furious face with absolute calm, mimicking his previous nonchalant attitude:

"Well, then you can just marry her again tomorrow."

Carter was a prominent figure in high society. He knew that while he could play around with girls like Daisy, marriage required someone of equal social standing.

Besides, the Vance family would never allow their son to bring a girl like Daisy into their family.

Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Brad quickly stepped in to play peacemaker:

"Sera, don't be mad. Today was just a joke, it doesn't count. Carter loves you. You're the only one who's going to be Mrs. Vance."

Mrs. Vance? Who cares?

Just a minute ago, Brad had been cheering the loudest. Now he had the nerve to smooth things over.

I ignored him, turned around, and walked out without looking back.

Behind me, I heard Brad’s panicked voice:

"Carter, go after her! You need to apologize!"

"Let her go," Carter sneered, his voice dripping with arrogance. "She’s spineless. She’ll come crawling back to make up in a couple of days."

"Man, she just canceled the wedding. It looks like you really broke her heart this time. This isn't going to blow over easily. You should go after her."

Carter stared at my retreating figure, a flicker of worry finally showing in his eyes.

Suddenly, Daisy grabbed his arm, looking up at him with innocent, wide eyes:

"Carter, babe, we haven't even exchanged rings yet."