Chapter 1

“Vivienne, can I borrow your ruby necklace? You have so much jewelry today. You won’t miss this one.”

The dressing-room door had not been fully closed, and Chloe Bennett’s voice carried clearly through the gap.

She did not wait for my answer.

She simply opened my jewelry case and reached inside.

I turned to look at her.

She was wearing an extravagant white engagement gown with a sweeping train. The crystals along the skirt sparkled even more brightly than the ones on my dress.

Anyone who did not know better would have assumed she was the one getting engaged today.

“Put it down.”

I watched her through the mirror, my voice perfectly flat.

Chloe’s hand froze in midair.

She pursed her lips, and her eyes immediately turned red.

“Vivienne, you’re not really going to be this petty, are you?” She bit her lower lip, looking wounded. “I just thought the necklace would go perfectly with my dress. I only wanted to try it on for you and see how it looked.”

Then she added, almost casually, “Besides, Adrian always says we don’t have to be so formal with each other.”

I turned around, walked over, and took the necklace from her hand.

“It’s my engagement necklace.” I placed it back in the case and locked it. “And are you sure that dress is appropriate for this occasion?”

Before Chloe could respond, the dressing-room door opened.

Adrian Cole stepped inside in a tailored black suit, his brows drawn together.

“What’s going on? I could hear you two arguing from outside.”

Chloe immediately slipped behind him.

“Adrian, it’s nothing. I’m the one at fault.” Her voice turned soft and shaky. “I just thought Vivienne’s necklace was pretty and asked if I could borrow it. Maybe she thinks I’m clumsy and might damage it.”

Adrian looked at me with clear disapproval.

“Vivienne, it’s our engagement party. Why are you making such a big deal over something so small?”

He stepped closer, reaching automatically for my hand.

I moved aside.

His hand fell empty, and his expression darkened.

“It’s only a necklace. Chloe likes it, so let her wear it for a while. She can give it back before the ceremony starts.”

I looked at the man who was supposed to become my husband and almost laughed.

“Adrian, your mother gave me that necklace for our engagement. Are you seriously asking me to let another woman wear it around in front of everyone?”

“What other woman?” Adrian snapped, clearly losing patience. “Chloe is my best friend.”

“Can you stop being so sensitive? She’s straightforward. She doesn’t think the way you do. There’s nothing complicated about this.”

Chloe peeked out from behind him and timidly tugged at his sleeve.

“Adrian, don’t blame Vivienne. It’s my fault. I should’ve known better.”

The more she acted like that, the more unreasonable Adrian believed I was.

“Okay, Chloe. Go touch up your makeup. I need to talk to Vivienne for a minute.”

Adrian gave Chloe’s shoulder a familiar pat.

Chloe nodded obediently.

As she passed me, a taunting smile touched her lips.

The door shut behind her.

Only Adrian and I remained in the dressing room.

“Vivienne Hart, what is going on with you today?”

Adrian tugged at his tie, his tone sharp.

“The guests are right outside. Do you really have to make a scene now?”

“Am I making a scene,” I asked, “or does your best friend have no sense of boundaries?”

I looked at him coldly.

“Is she here as a bridesmaid, or to hijack our engagement party?”

Adrian sighed, as if he were patiently explaining something to a child.

“I picked that dress for her. Chloe usually dresses too casually, and today is a big day for us. I wanted her to look presentable too.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“What? You’re jealous over that now too?”

He stepped closer and placed both hands on my shoulders. His voice softened.

“Vivienne, you're the one I'm marrying. Chloe is like a little sister to me. Can you be more understanding and stop making things difficult?”

The look of helpless frustration on his face made my stomach turn.

I did not pull away.

I just looked at him.

And remembered the first sign I had found a month earlier.

That day, Adrian told me he was leaving town for a business trip. I stayed at our new house to sort through a few things.

Out of habit, I opened the smart-home app on my phone to adjust the temperature in the master bedroom.

My thumb slipped.

I tapped into the sleep report from the smart mattress.

Adrian had insisted on replacing it the month before, claiming it might help with my insomnia.

The report showed two sets of heart-rate data in the master bedroom on the second night of his so-called business trip.

From eleven at night until two in the morning, there were two distinct spikes.

Nothing like the data from the nights I slept there alone.

And I knew exactly where I had been that week.

At my parents’ house.

I stared at the report.

I did not call Adrian.

I did not confront him.

I took screenshots and saved everything.

Then I opened the cloud backup for his dash cam.

I had created the account for that car myself.

That night, his car had been parked on a winding mountain road outside the city for three full hours.

The engine had stayed on.

And the in-car audio had captured every word.

I put on my headphones and listened to it once.

Then I listened again.

My hands never shook.

From that day on, I began collecting evidence.

Dash-cam audio.

Hotel check-in records.

Bank transfers.

I hired a private investigator. I also used my administrator access to his company’s system to save every piece of proof onto a black USB drive.

I would wait until the moment he felt most proud of himself.

Then I would make him choke on every lie.

“Fine,” I said, forcing a faint smile. “I’ll be understanding.”

Adrian exhaled in relief.

“That’s more like it. Touch up your makeup. We’ll be greeting guests soon.”

He turned toward the door, then paused with his hand on the handle.

“Oh, and Chloe will be standing with us at the entrance. She knows a lot of people here and can help welcome everyone.”