Chapter 1

Twenty minutes later, Natalie and Benjamin returned with their marriage certificates.

Their friends crowded around them, cheering and making a fuss.

Veronica said, "Now that's what you call a real goodbye to being single."

Kayden held up his phone to take pictures, grinning from ear to ear. "Natalie, you two standing together look even more convincing than a couple in a wedding trailer."

I stood nearby with nothing but a pair of underwear covering me from the waist down. The bar's air conditioning blasted against my bare legs, and I shivered from the cold.

But Natalie took off her jacket and draped it over Benjamin's shoulders.

He immediately tugged it lower around himself and laughed. "Hey, don't give this to me. I'm tough as nails. Logan might see us and get the wrong idea."

Despite what he said, he made no move to give the jacket back.

Natalie laughed and scolded him, "You just threw up. Why are you still trying to act tough?"

Benjamin gave her a playful punch. "Fine, fine. You're such a nag. Just remember to comfort your soon-to-be hubby later. Don't let him think I'm stealing his woman."

Everyone around the table burst out laughing. The tip of my nose suddenly burned, and I could only turn my head away and pretend to look at the lights on the stage.

Three winters ago, I had accompanied Natalie while she handled the mortgage paperwork for our new home. It had been so cold that my fingers had gone numb.

She had merely glanced at the time and said, "Logan, hang in there a little longer. It'll be over once we're done."

So it wasn't that she couldn't tell when someone was cold. She just couldn't see it when that someone was me.

I turned to leave, but Natalie grabbed me. "It was just a game. Don't ruin everyone's mood the night before the wedding."

I looked at the marriage certificate in her hand.

She followed my gaze and glanced down at it before saying casually, "It's just a piece of paper. Benjamin and I can get it annulled in a matter of minutes."

I stared at her in disbelief, almost convinced I'd heard her wrong.

When something became absurd enough, you didn't even have the strength to cry. All I felt was humiliation.

The woman who was supposed to marry me the day after tomorrow had gotten a real marriage certificate with another man tonight, yet she talked about it as casually as if she'd accidentally picked up the wrong movie ticket.

I finally couldn't hold it in anymore. "So is the wedding with me just going through the motions too?"

Natalie's expression instantly turned cold. "Logan, do you really have to say something like that right now?

"You know what Benjamin is to me. He's been by my side all these years. If there were really something between us, don't you think we'd have gotten together a long time ago? Would there even be a place for you?"

Benjamin quickly patted her arm. "That's enough. Don't be so hard on your hubby. It's normal for him to feel uncomfortable."

But after saying that, he looked down at the jacket draped around his shoulders and still didn't take it off.

I didn't argue anymore. I just said I needed to use the bathroom.

When I came back, the door to the private room wasn't fully closed, and the laughter inside came through loud and clear.

Veronica said, "Logan's face went completely pale just now. He really can't take a joke."

Kayden immediately chimed in, "He's always been like that. Whenever everyone else is having fun, he thinks they're all picking on him."

My older sister, Hannah, lowered her voice. "As long as nothing goes wrong at the wedding the day after tomorrow. And you guys should tone it down with Benjamin too. Don't actually push Logan over the edge."

Benjamin sighed. "I really wasn't trying to take his place. If there were something between Natalie and me, we'd have gotten together ages ago. Would there even be a place for him?"

Veronica laughed. "True. With the way you two are, who wouldn't say you're closer than most couples?"

Benjamin continued, "If he's still bothered by it, I can just keep my distance at the wedding the day after tomorrow. I'm not picky. I can sit anywhere, as long as I don't get in the way of you two getting married."

Natalie finally spoke. "Don't worry about him. He just overthinks everything."

That was when my tears fell. I raised a hand and wiped them away. My fingertips were cold. Every laugh from inside felt like another reminder that I was the biggest joke of all tonight.