Chapter 2

Whatever excitement I'd had about the wedding evaporated. I hadn't expected Winona to blow up like this. I thought my request was reasonable, but I couldn't understand why she was acting so defensive.

"Winnie, no husband in the world would be okay with his wife visiting her ex alone. I'm already compromising by saying I'll go with you."

She looked increasingly frustrated. Then, she stamped her foot.

"I don't care what you think. I'm going whether you like it or not, and you're staying here."

She seemed to realize her attitude had been too harsh and softened her tone.

"Liam, I just want to see Julian one last time. If you're there, he'll feel uncomfortable. Besides, tomorrow I'll be your wife. Don't you trust me?"

I knew Winona. She only softened her tone like this when she was trying to appease me. But her insistence on not letting me go only fueled my suspicions.

I stared at her intently and said, "Our wedding's tomorrow. Just be back early."

Her eyes lit up. She threw her arms around me and planted a big kiss on my lips.

"So, you agree? You're the best, Liam. Don't worry. I'll be back early and won't let it affect the wedding tomorrow."

Before, I would have been thrilled to hear that. Watching her hum cheerfully as she sat down to do her makeup, my heart kept sinking.

I was starting to wonder if she'd ever really loved me. I remembered when Winona was talking to the wedding planner, she insisted on a simple look and said she disliked makeup. I hadn't thought much of it since she'd never worn any around me.

But now she sat at her vanity, meticulously applying makeup to every part of her face. She looked more incredible and gorgeous than she'd been in our entire five years together.

There was an old saying that women dressed up for the people they wanted to impress. I'd always loved that she didn't need any of that around me. Now I realized she probably never had me in her heart to begin with.

Winona took forever going through her closet before settling on a fitted sleeveless dress. She was naturally beautiful. But with that dress and all the effort she'd put in today, she looked absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, she wasn't dressing up for me.

Usually, I'd hug her before she left. This time, I just sat there silently and watched her walk out the door. She didn't seem to notice anything was different and left with a smile.

I looked at the wedding decorations around our room, and the red roses scattered on the bed. This was everything I'd dreamed about. But now that it was actually here in front of me, I felt lost. Would Winona and I really be happy together?

Suddenly, a notification chimed from the computer in the study room. I got up to check and noticed she had forgotten to log out of her messaging app.

Seeing that the message was from Julian, a voice in my head whispered, "Go on. Just open it, and you'll know if the woman you love has been lying to you."

I tried to convince myself that Winona was only visiting him because of their past relationship and that she would still marry me tomorrow.

I knew checking her messages would be an invasion of her privacy, and I shouldn't do it. But her behavior today pushed my suspicions past the point of restraint. In the end, I clicked open the chat window with Julian.