Chapter 4

The next day, the wedding proceeded as scheduled.

My maid of honor, Gwen, looked back at me.

The heavy silence inside the dressing room was a sharp contrast to the bustling noise outside.

Neither of us had any joy on our faces.

Envelopes of cash were slipped under the door as per tradition.

Gwen kept an eye on the time, playing along with the bridal games to stall for a bit.

When she finally opened the door, Ethan rushed in and swept me into his arms.

In the wedding car, I looked down at Ethan’s hands, which were shaking with anxiety.

"Luna, this is amazing. I'm finally marrying you."

Ethan talked a lot.

He spoke of our past, his current joy, and his hopes for our future.

I smiled and nodded along, but my eyes were filled with nothing but disgust.

Halfway there, the wedding car suddenly broke down.

Gwen said, "The bride and groom will have to take separate cars to the venue."

"Ethan, you go ahead first. I'll bring Luna in a bit."

He nodded and left.

Meanwhile, Chloe snuck into the VIP lounge at the venue.

"The escape car is waiting outside, Ethan. Shall we go?"

She held her hand out to him.

Like a pair of runaway lovers, they ran off without a backward glance.

Still in his wedding tuxedo, Ethan sat at a bar downtown, throwing back drink after drink.

Leaning back against the leather sofa, his mind was filled with images of how panicked and lost I would look when I couldn't find him.

Chloe leaned against his shoulder. "Thank you for getting back at her for me."

He figured he would head back to the venue by noon to finish the ceremony anyway.

But his phone remained dead silent.

He checked it several times, but there wasn't a single text or call from me.

For some reason, an uneasy feeling began to settle in his chest.

He had agreed to Chloe’s plan, but truth be told, he had regretted it. Yet, when I slapped her yesterday, his resolve wavered again.

He told himself this would be the only time. The only time he would hurt me like this.

He called his parents.

"Mom, Dad, I ran into an issue. Please comfort Luna for me."

Their voices were laced with annoyance. "Comfort her? We don't even know where she is!"

Ethan frowned and sent me a text.

The reply was only two words: [Traffic jam.]

At nine-thirty, the official start time of the ceremony, Ethan’s phone finally rang.

He answered quickly, blurring out his pre-made excuse. "Luna... I got into a car accident..."

"Dude, it's me. Where are you? Neither you nor the bride are here. What are we supposed to do?"

"The bride isn't there?"

"No! Are you guys stuck in traffic?"

Ethan knit his brows. "Didn't the wedding car break down? She was supposed to come right after me."

The person on the other end was confused. "Break down? The fleet we hired is perfectly fine."

A terrible dread washed over him. Just then, the projector screen at the venue lit up.

"Dude! Dude! You need to get over here right now!"

By the time Ethan rushed back to the venue, the video screen was showing a high-definition clip of him and Chloe passionately kissing.

Someone was frantically trying to shut down the projector.

"It won't turn off! Someone hacked the system, and it's running on an independent backup power source!"

"Is that the groom and...?"

"Wait, is that what the bride looks like?"

He heard the whispers of the guests and stared up at the massive screen.

In an instant, all the color drained from Ethan’s face.

The guests erupted into a frenzy of gossip.

"The bride's car is finally here!"

Ethan ran out like a madman and yanked the car door open.

"Where is she? Where is the bride?"