Chapter 3

"Miss Ava, a lady claiming to be a friend of Mr. Ethan is here to help with the venue setup."

The wedding planner stood at the door, looking uneasy.

I was bending over to check the centerpieces, but I stood up straight at her words.

Chloe was standing at the entrance of the ballroom, wearing a white silk dress, her hair cascading over her shoulders, holding a bouquet of baby's breath.

When she saw me, her eyes curved into crescents.

"Ava, babe!"

Her voice was sweet enough to draw the attention of everyone in the hall.

"Ethan said you were working hard setting up the venue by yourself today, so he asked me to come help out~"

I stared at her white dress.

The designer hesitated. "And this is... the groom's..."

Chloe took over smoothly, her smile radiant.

"I’m Ethan's... best friend. We've known each other for years."

She emphasized "best friend" very softly, her eyes drifting toward me as if testing my reaction.

She walked around the room, running her fingers over every decoration. When she reached the guest book table, she flipped through a sample.

"Ava, everything you picked is so pretty. But this color scheme... I remember Ethan saying he doesn't really like pink. He prefers blue."

The staff members all turned their eyes to me.

"I chose the wedding colors."

Chloe gasped, covering her mouth as if she’d made a terrible mistake.

"I'm so sorry, Ava. I shouldn't have spoken."

She stepped back, perfectly positioning herself under the softest lighting. The white dress made her look fragile and pure.

I walked to a quiet corner and called Ethan.

"Why did you send Chloe to the venue?"

"She wanted to see it, and I couldn't stop her. She rarely goes out, so since she was in high spirits, I figured you could just show her around like a little sister."

"Ethan, she wore a white dress to my wedding venue."

"What’s wrong with a white dress? You’re being way too sensitive."

Before I could reply, Chloe’s voice came from right behind me.

"Ava, you’re so generous. If it were me... I don't think I could handle it."

I turned around. She was standing three steps away, pointing her phone at us as if taking pictures of the setup.

She spoke loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear.

The call was still active. Ethan's voice came through the speaker: "Ava? Hello? Are you still there?"

Chloe tilted her head, dropping her voice so only I could hear.

"Ava, do you know why your Alexa at home answers to my name?"

I froze.

"Because I go there at least three times a week. Ethan set up a special reminder for my medication. In the voice memo, he calls me 'babe'."

She winked at me.

"But your reminder... I think he labeled it 'Miss Ava'?"

The phone stayed frozen against my ear. Ethan was still calling my name on the other end.

Chloe turned around and posted the photos she had just taken to Instagram. The caption was: "Visiting the wedding venue with my sweet friend~ Smells like happiness." The location tag showed the hotel's name.

I hung up the phone.

In the distance, she waved at me, her smile dripping with sweetness.

"Ava—can I be your maid of honor? Ethan promised me I could~"

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