Chapter 2

A joke?

I smiled at her, stepped forward, and slapped her hard across the face.

Mia collapsed onto the floor instantly. Ethan lost his mind. "Are you insane?! Why did you hit her?"

"What’s the matter, Ethan? Can’t you take a joke?"

I stared ruthlessly at the cheating bastards in front of me.

I was so done with this.

How many times had this happened?

Since the day Mia entered our lives, she had been pushing my boundaries over and over again.

When she broke my laptop, she just giggled. "Oh, you wanted a new one anyway. I’m doing you a favor, Chloe. No need to thank me!"

When she slept in our bed, she rolled her eyes. "I just slept on your bed for a night. What's the big deal?"

Her trashy words and toxic "pranks" had completely drained whatever little love I had left for Ethan.

There was absolutely no point in continuing this wedding.

I turned around to leave the stage, intending to take my parents and walk out. But Ethan blocked my path. "Apologize to Mia right now!"

"Apologize?"

I laughed out loud again, completely amused by his audacity.

I pointed at the giant screen. "Does that video not require an apology first?"

Ethan looked back and forth between me and Mia. "She’s practically a child! Why are you being so petty?"

As soon as those words left his mouth, I raised my hand and slapped him too.

Before he could rage, I said calmly, "You just slapped me because of that video. Shouldn't I return the favor?"

"You—"

"Ethan," Mia whined, rubbing her bruised cheek and acting like a victim. "Chloe is way too petty. She can’t even take a joke at a party like this. How is she ever going to accompany you to high-society events in the future? Hitting me is one thing, but hitting you? She has gone too far."

Ethan looked deeply touched. The gaze he turned on her was incredibly tender. "Alright, don't cry. But really, why are you so mischievous? Playing a prank at a wedding of all places?"

His words sounded like a scolding, but his tone was pure pampering.

"Well, I just figured you and Chloe already have everything," Mia said, tilting her head. "I couldn't think of a normal gift, so I wanted to give you a real shock."

She then turned to me with a smug, mocking look. "And Chloe, I heard that women your age love young male models. I already sent your video to a Snapchat group full of male strippers. They’re all super excited. Don't thank me, honey!"

Meeting Mia’s provocative eyes, I slapped her yet again.

"Chloe Vance, you've crossed the line!" Ethan roared, shielding Mia in his arms like she was some precious treasure. "Do you think I won’t call off this wedding? If you keep acting like a psycho, we don't need to get married at all!"

I sneered. "I’m sorry, but a woman of my age refuses to take any disrespect. Whoever makes me miserable, I’ll make them suffer ten times worse."

"You..." Ethan was shaking with rage. "Mia already said it was a joke! Is all this really necessary?"

Before I could speak, the guests in the audience couldn't hold back anymore.

"Is that even a joke? That's straight-up cyberbullying."

"Damn, if my wife was humiliated like that, I’d probably be in jail for murder by now."

"Well, you can't compare yourself to Ethan. After all, Mia is his precious little mentee."