Chapter 2

Sienna’s tone carried a gentle reprimand laced with amusement, like she was scolding an unruly toddler.

Everett just knitted his brows in genuine confusion. "What's the big deal? I'm just telling her to get us drinks."

What was the big deal?

I chewed on those words over and over in my head until they left a foul, bitter taste in my mouth.

Sienna was Everett's ex. They had a turbulent, off-and-on year together before calling it quits over fundamental personality clashes.

Then came me. I had been with Everett for five years.

Five years, and I still hadn't managed to erase a single memory of Sienna from his mind.

He still remembered her cycle, that she couldn't handle anything cold, her favorite drink, and which camera angle made her look best.

Today was the first day of my period, too.

He had probably completely forgotten.

I skipped the convenience store and hailed a taxi straight home.

The second I sank into the backseat, my phone buzzed with a social media notification.

A new post from Sienna.

It was the photo set from today. In the main picture, she and Everett were leaning in close. He was looking down at her, and she was gazing up with a glowing smile. They looked like the perfect golden couple, infuriatingly picture-perfect.

Our mutual friends were already swarming the comments:

[Holy crap, are you guys getting back together?!]

[I always knew that the other girl wasn't right for you, Everett.]

[You two just can't stay away from each other, can you?]

The dull rumble of the taxi's engine hummed in my ears, making it suddenly hard to breathe.

Sienna had replied to a comment:

[Cut it out, guys! I'm just helping the bride try on wedding dresses! My bestie is getting married, so nobody say anything stupid!]

Her exclamation points practically radiated righteous indignation.

Then, Everett dropped his own comment below hers.

[Leah hasn't said a word about it. You're being way too sensitive.]

I stared at the screen, my mind going completely blank. I was just about to close the app when Everett's face flashed across my screen in a FaceTime call.

The moment I hit accept, Everett snapped at me.

"Leah, where are you? Sienna is practically dying of thirst."

I wanted to tell him that we should just call off this wedding but before the words could form, Sienna's frantic voice cut through from the background.

"Everett, get over here! The zipper is jammed; I can't zip it up!"

Everett took a long stride toward the dressing room, reaching his hand out toward the curtain.

"Everett, stop!" I called out, stopping him in his tracks.

"Are you seriously going in there to zip her up?"

Everett glanced back at the camera, his eyes fixing on me like I was throwing an unreasonable temper tantrum.

"What's the problem?"

"Everett, I'm your fiancée."

He let out an irritated sigh and rolled his eyes.

"What else am I supposed to do? You're taking forever to get back, and I can't just leave her stuck in there alone."

The screen flickered and froze right as his hand yanked the curtain open.

The line went dead. I stared at the black screen for a long time, completely speechless.

The taxi driver had overheard the entire exchange through the speakers. He didn't say much, just let out a heavy sigh.

"Lady, you picked the wrong guy."

I pressed my lips together and remained silent.

When I unlocked the front door and kicked off my shoes, my eyes fell on a pair of plush slippers sitting in the entryway. They were too small for me.

Everett had ordered them. He bought Sienna's size by mistake.

He ended up ordering a new pair for me right away, but he told me to keep the small ones in the closet. He said we could just leave them there so Sienna would have slippers to wear whenever she came over.

Five years ago, when Sienna broke up with Everett, she cut ties cleanly and brutally. It sent him into a tailspin that lasted two straight months.

I was the one who pulled him through that dark stretch.

Sienna saw right through me. She knew I had a thing for him.

She just smiled and told me, "Go for it, Leah. Everett is actually really easy to win over. He acts tough, but he's a total softie on the inside. Just stay by his side."

She rooted for us harder than anyone else.

When she brought us together, Everett didn't refuse.

He just stared into Sienna's eyes and said, "Sure."

That single "sure" trapped me for five years.

For five years, every birthday present Everett gave me was Sienna's favorite perfume, accompanied by a casual "Sorry, grabbed the wrong box."

Every anniversary dinner was booked at Sienna's favorite restaurant because he was "just used to going there."

The pajamas he bought me were a size too small, and he would just brush it off, saying Sienna was probably that size anyway, so he'd just give them to her instead.

Even my engagement ring was a size too small. Everett claimed that since it was already paid for, he might as well give it to Sienna so it wouldn't go to waste.

It was always the same drill.

A quick, breezy apology, followed by that innocent tone of his: "Won't happen next time."