Chapter 4

After Austin came out of the restroom, I picked out a gold bracelet.

He paid for it with a pained expression.

A minute later, his phone alarm went off, and he quickly made an excuse to run, terrified I would drag another dime out of his wallet.

The moment he left, I took all the items we had just purchased back to the counter and returned them.

Watching the $15,000 refund hit my bank account, I smiled. Austin, this is just the beginning.

The day before the wedding, the realistic blow-up doll I ordered arrived.

I dressed "her" up in a wedding gown and put those $29.90 fake Valentino shoes on her feet.

Once everything was ready, I turned off my morning alarm and went to sleep.

The next day, I woke up near noon. My phone was blowing up with dozens of missed calls and frantic text messages from Austin.

"What is wrong with you, Chloe? Why aren't you at your apartment for the bridal party pickup?"

"Our wedding is today! Where the hell are you?"

"Why did you cancel the makeup artist, the photographer, and the videographer last night?"

"Are you trying to embarrass me? Get your ass to the venue in thirty minutes, or the wedding is off!"

Thirty minutes?

I didn’t even need that long.

Because I was already staying in a suite right above the banquet hall.

I had canceled the wedding planning team because when it was time to pay them, Austin had pretended to have a stomachache and made me pay the deposit.

Later, he had said, "Oh, babe, why are you making such a big deal out of this? The makeup, the photos, they're all for you. It's to give you face."

Well, I didn’t care about "face."

The only person who cared about "face" was Austin—a selfish, superficial prick who loved to show off.

I carried the dressed-up doll down the elevator.

The moment I pushed open the doors to the banquet hall, I was met with complete chaos.

Austin’s relatives were gossiping in groups.

Austin was holding the bouquet, standing near the stage, desperately dialing my number.

When my ringtone echoed from the entrance, his eyes lit up. He ran over and grabbed my arm.

"Chloe, have you lost your mind? What the hell are you holding?!"