Chapter 1

At our wedding, my fiancé publicly slipped a ring onto his female best friend’s finger.

The whole room went dead silent for a second.

He held the microphone, his voice dripping with tenderness. "Back when we were kids playing house, I promised I’d marry you. Consider this promise kept."

His childhood friend, clutching her mouth and laughing with teary eyes, slowly extended her hand.

He bent his head and slid the ring over her knuckle.

The officiant scrambled frantically to smooth things over: "Look at that sibling love! Bride, don’t take it to heart, right?"

Murmurs erupted across the banquet hall.

Neither of them paid any attention. My fiancé gazed at her, his eyes filled with warmth, even reaching out to ruffle her hair playfully.

I stood two steps away, like a complete clown.

After a while, he finally turned around.

He walked over to me and dropped onto one knee.

Pulling another velvet box from his pocket, he held it up to my face.

"Natalie, will you marry me?"

I took a step back. "No, I won't."

My fiancé froze instantly.

He looked up at me, the ring box still open, the diamond catching the blinding stage lights.

He looked like he hadn't heard me right.

His lips parted, struggling for a couple of seconds before he forced out, "What did you say?"

I lifted my wedding gown and took two steps back.

"I said, I won't."

"You two look way better together anyway. The ring is on, the officiant is here, and your friends and family are all watching. How about I just go sit at a table and enjoy the food while you two continue?"

The smile on the female best friend's face vanished instantly.

Panicking, she began frantically tugging the ring off her finger, stumbling toward me as she pulled.

"Natalie, it’s not what you think! It was just a childhood—"

"Don't bother."

I raised a hand to cut her off.

My fiancé scrambled up, gold glitter clinging to his suit knees. He tried to grab my hand.

I swerved aside.

"Natalie, listen to me, it was just a joke! She's like a sister to me, I watched her grow up!"

"Then marry her," I snapped.

Instead of looking at me, his eyes darted toward the friend, lingering on her face for a beat.

My mother's face turned completely livid. She marched onto the stage, pointing straight at his nose.

"Ethan Reed, do you think our family is a joke?"

Ethan whipped around, bowing his head in a hurry. "Mrs. Foster, please, it’s really not like that."

"Don’t call me Mrs. Foster!"

My dad stormed up right behind her.

"You dragged our daughter in front of six hundred guests just to publicly humiliate her, and you still have the nerve to speak to us?"

Down in the crowd, Ethan’s mother couldn't sit still anymore.

Hoisting her dress, she scurried onto the stage, her face bright red as she grabbed my mother's arm.

"In-laws, please, listen to me! It was just playful teasing between kids! Chloe basically grew up glued to Ethan's hip. They are strictly brother and sister, absolutely nothing more!"

My mom violently shook off her grip.

"Sibling love requires putting on rings at a wedding? Why don’t we just hand our new house over to her too?"

Ethan's mother’s expression darkened in an instant.

Her lips pressed into a tight, hard line. Blocking the stage, she lowered her voice:

"Isn't that taking it too far? It was just a harmless little stunt. Even the officiant said it was fine!"

"He might think it’s fine, but I sure as hell don’t."

My mom seized my wrist with a grip so fierce my bones ached.

"Let's go."

My dad moved behind us, shouldering past a couple of groomsmen who tried to block our path.

Just as we reached the side steps, Ethan’s father somehow cut us off, planting himself right in front of us.

"Call off the wedding if you want, but you return our wedding deposit and ring first!"