Chapter 1

My wife locked me in the bridal suite on our wedding day.

All because she ran into her college sweetheart.

I sat in the locked room, watching the suite’s smart TV screen. On it, she and Austin were embracing and kissing, completing the entire wedding ceremony in front of all our guests.

When the reception finally ended, Chloe walked into the room. The lipstick on her lips was smeared all over her face.

Yet, she looked at me with complete nonchalance. "Ethan, I couldn’t get ahold of you. We couldn't just cancel the wedding. Besides, it’s just a ceremony anyway."

I looked at the screen again. The live feed had moved to the after-party in the suite. Austin was pinning Chloe down on the couch, his hands all over her.

I smiled.

Later, her company was ruined by that very man. She came crawling back, crying and begging for my help.

But she seemed to have forgotten one simple fact.

We were already divorced.

The wedding was over, and the door to my hotel suite was finally unlocked.

Chloe walked in, carrying the scent of another man’s expensive cologne.

The smeared lipstick on her face made her look both pathetic and cheap.

I looked at her quietly. Then, my eyes drifted back to the TV screen, which was still casting the Snapchat live stories of her and Austin.

Austin was practically on top of her, and their movements were disgusting.

I remembered how much effort I had put into planning this wedding. I had spent sleepless nights dreaming of our future.

To find the perfect wedding ring she wanted, I had traveled to three different cities.

To design the dream venue, I personally drew every single sketch.

Countless nights of anticipation had led to this trash show.

The pain washed over me like a tidal wave. It was the kind of agonizing betrayal that rips your chest wide open.

But strangely, after the initial shock, a cold calm took over.

When did Chloe start changing?

I didn't say a word. I just looked up at her.

She seemed to know what I wanted to ask. She rolled her eyes, her gaze filled with annoyance.

"It was just a show for the guests. You weren't there, so should we have just canceled the whole thing? Austin was only helping me out. Don't be so narrow-minded."

Just then, Austin walked into the room. He had a fake, apologetic smile on his face. "Ethan, don't be mad. It’s all a misunderstanding."

I laughed out of pure anger. I pointed at the TV screen. "A misunderstanding? You call this trashy behavior a misunderstanding?"

Chloe instantly stepped in front of Austin, defending him.

"Don't yell at him! If you hadn't messed up and disappeared at the last minute, would this have happened? Austin was just trying to save my reputation. What did he do wrong? Stop throwing a tantrum!"

Where did my phone go? Why was my door locked from the outside? Why couldn't I contact the hotel staff? And why was the TV casting their live feed?

The answers were screamingly obvious. Watching Chloe pretend to be innocent made her look like a clown.

I didn't say another word. I walked past them, got into my car, and drove back to our apartment.

I lit a cigarette. The smoke drifted slowly under the warm yellow light and disappeared into the air.

You can never hold onto smoke. Just like I could never hold onto Chloe's heart.

The wedding portrait on the wall stung my eyes. We looked so happy and in love back then.

Everyone used to say we were a match made in heaven. Now, looking at it, I felt nothing but cold emptiness.

Chloe didn't come home that night.

I wondered if she even remembered who she had actually married today.

She sent a text saying Austin had helped a lot, so she had to buy him dinner to thank him.

I lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Memories flashed in my mind like a movie on repeat.

Her beautiful smile when we first met, our romantic walks on the beach, the sweet excitement of planning our future...

Now, those memories were nothing but sharp knives.

I pulled out my phone, posted the screenshot of her and Austin kissing at the altar on Instagram, and captioned it: "Wish you two a lifetime of happiness."

The next evening, I came home from work and saw Chloe sitting on the couch. Her face was incredibly dark.

I hung my briefcase on the rack and walked right past her. I had no energy left to play her games.

"Ethan Carter!"

She slammed her hand on the coffee table, stood up, and glared at me as if I were the one who had committed a crime.

"What is wrong with you? What is this attitude, Ethan? What is the meaning of your Instagram post?"