Chapter 4

When Tilda came at me holding that lubricant, the smell rising off it was exactly the same as the smell that had clung to Bryce.

For a moment I just froze, unable to react. In my mind, the Bryce who had only ever had eyes for me rewound fast, and at the end there was nothing left to remember at all. Every face around me carried the same strange look. Some bit back laughter. Some looked at me with pity.

The moment the lubricant touched my finger, Bryce yanked the ring off in one hard pull.

It scraped the bone of my knuckle, but I didn't make a sound.

Only the wave of nausea rushing up jarred my nerves, and I dropped every last sneer behind me and bolted for the restroom.

I scrubbed my hands until they went red, then kept running the water and scrubbing again.

I don't know how long it went on before I finally went quiet and looked at the woman in the mirror with her red-rimmed eyes.

"It's fine. After tomorrow, she and I become complete strangers."

"Evie, are you okay?"

By the time Bryce walked in, I had my composure back.

"I'm fine."

"But something's come up. I need to go."

With that, I didn't care what he was saying to me. I had only one goal, to get out of this disgusting place as fast as I could.

Back home, I got a call from a friend.

"Evie, there's something I have to tell you."

"Your fiance just went off with your best friend to get a hotel room."

My hand tightened around the phone. By now, everyone who knew us probably knew Bryce had betrayed me before the wedding.

I reached up, took down our wedding photo, and dropped it in the trash.

Everywhere I looked, this place held too many memories of him and me.

I'd thought we would grow old together. Who knew it would end in only the third year.

"Hello? Evie, are you still there?"

The line was still open. I let out a sigh.

"You don't need to ask anything. Just come drive the wedding car for me tomorrow."

"What? You still want to marry him?"

"I'm the one getting married, but you'll find out who the groom is when the time comes."

Bryce wanted to play games, didn't he? Have the driver take the wedding car far off course, so I couldn't get to the ceremony on time and marry him?

Then I'd give him exactly what he wanted. I'd stay far, far away from him.

I put the phone down and went to shower. When I came out, Bryce was calling on video.

On the screen his hair was a mess, his face worn out.

He'd clearly been doing something before this.

"Evie, when you left tonight, you seemed unhappy."

How generous of him to think of my feelings only now, when his own lust had run so far ahead of me.

However much he cared about how I felt, he still had to get his fill of Tilda first.

All that so-called devotion. Every bit of it was fake.

"I'm not unhappy. I'm just thinking about tomorrow's wedding schedule and the details, because something's suddenly changed."

"Changed?"

"Mm. I'm going to give the man I love most an even grander wedding."

Bryce broke into a smug smile. Then a small hand suddenly slid into frame, right where I could see it clearly.

Bryce caught the danger too, and quickly told me to get some rest before hurrying to end the call.

This time, I actually felt at ease. Not the slightest ripple in my heart.

Early the next morning, the wedding began.

My family had all rushed to the venue to help set things up. Bryce kept me on video while he directed the scene.

He poured out a stream of sweet, loving words. I didn't take in a single one.

When it was time to leave, I got to the wedding car and realized something.

Aside from the driver, who was my friend, everyone else was Bryce's man.

"Eva, let's go!"

"Bryce couldn't wait to see you, so he sent us to bring you over!"

How hard he must have worked at this. Afraid I'd reach the ceremony on time, he sent his good brothers to keep watch over me.

I gave a small smile, got into the wedding car, and kept my eyes closed the whole way.

Every one of them watched me with a curled lip and contempt. Only one shook his head, his face showing pity.

Once the wedding car set off, we hit heavy traffic on the road.

We kept having to change routes, driving further and further the wrong way from the venue.

Kathleen Fox, my friend behind the wheel, looked thoroughly annoyed, right up until the wedding car pulled up outside a luxury hotel so dreamlike and lavish that everyone envied it.

"Stop!!"

No one understood.

I opened the door and stepped out. "Anyone interested is welcome to come in for a drink. No gift money needed."

"And if you don't feel like drinking, go back and tell Bryce that today I'm marrying Ethan Farley."

The words had barely left my mouth when Ethan Farley walked out in a groom's outfit worth a fortune, bodyguards at his side.

"Little Evie, you're here!"

Bryce's brothers panicked in an instant. "Holy crap! Hurry, call Bryce, Ethan Farley's stealing his woman, hurry...!!!!"