Chapter 2

The next day, my lawyer sent me the divorce papers he'd prepared.

After I found Julian, I was just about to talk to him about it when he grabbed my wrist.

"Come on," he said anxiously. "Penelope's mom is already waiting for us back at her place. We're supposed to join them for dinner."

Penelope suddenly appeared behind him and held onto his arm. "Hey, Jen. I'm borrowing Julian for the day so he can pretend to be my boyfriend. You haven't forgotten about that, have you?"

Blushing, she turned to Julian and said coquettishly, "Honey…"

Julian grinned and patted the back of her hand. "Yes, dear? When we were younger, you were always chasing me around and making me play along with your silly games. Who would've thought that we'd end up here?"

Upon hearing this, Penelope smacked him.

The two of them burst into laughter, completely leaving me out of the conversation.

I opened my mouth to speak, but my voice sounded frighteningly hoarse. "You want me to come with you to her parents' and watch you act like her boyfriend?"

Julian shrugged. "You missed your flight, and you can't spend Thanksgiving alone. Samuel and the rest of the gang will be there too. It'll be more fun with everyone around."

He paused. Then, he took a step away from me.

"But I'm supposed to be Penelope's boyfriend today. Don't forget about that, okay?"

My fingernails dug into my palms.

Quietly, I said, "Okay. We're just friends."

Upon hearing me, Julian frowned.

"Jennifer, you—"

Before he could finish, Penelope threw herself at him. "Let's go, honey."

…

When we got to Penelope's parents' house, Penelope's mother, Elizabeth Rand, greeted the happy couple at the door with a smile. But the moment her eyes landed on me, her smile froze.

"Who's this?" she asked.

Julian stepped forward to explain, his voice slightly stiff. "She's a friend of mine. She was going to spend Thanksgiving alone, so I brought her along with us."

Elizabeth replied with a noncommittal "Oh."

As I stepped through the doorway, she muttered, "Homewrecker."

Her voice was just loud enough for me to hear.

I stopped. Turning to her, I asked, "What was that, Mrs. Holt? I didn't quite catch what you said."

Her face stiffened. She clearly hadn't expected that response from me.

Just then, Julian's friends poked their heads out from the inside of the house.

"She's our friend, Mrs. Holt!" they told her.

Their eyes darted between Julian and me, their expressions brimming with amusement.

"She's Penelope's future maid of honor! She's practically family."

My chest felt painfully tight. As it turned out, the identity Julian had given me was the maid of honor at his and Penelope's wedding.

At the dinner table, Penelope's father, Thomas Holt, had two glasses of wine. Chuckling, he said, "My beloved daughter is finally going to marry Julian!"

Elizabeth looked at Julian expectantly. "I heard you've already picked out the wedding venue and a wedding dress."

Then, she pulled out a small box from her pocket, and my breath hitched in my throat.

She was holding the wedding rings Julian and I had left with the wedding planner.

She opened the box and revealed the matching rings inside. "I decided to bring the rings home ahead of schedule. Once I see the two of you wearing them, I'll finally be able to put my mind at ease."

I snatched the rings away from her.

"These are mine—not your daughter's!" I shouted.

The entire table fell silent.

Julian's friends immediately started sending messages in the group chat.

"Come on, Jennifer. Stop being so petty. Just play along to make the old folks happy."

"You've already got Julian tied down with a marriage license. It's not like he'll run off with another woman."

"This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Don't ruin it for everyone."

Thomas suddenly slammed his hand against the table. Elizabeth pointed a finger at me and launched into a furious tirade.

"I knew it! I knew you were up to no good!" she barked. "You're trying to steal my daughter's man and be a homewrecker!"

All sorts of ugly accusations were directed at me. I instinctively looked at Julian, but he subtly averted his gaze.

"I promised Penelope I'd give her a wedding," he said coolly.

My chest ached, and all my strength drained from my body. As a result, Elizabeth snatched the rings back with ease.

She slipped one of the rings onto Penelope's finger. To my disbelief, it fit perfectly.

"See? This is my daughter's ring! It fits her perfectly."

My heart shattered.

As it turned out, Julian had planned to give my wedding to Penelope all along.

Tearing up, I clenched my jaw and pulled out the divorce papers I had kept in my bag. In front of everyone, I slammed the papers down on the table and declared, "Let's get a divorce, Julian."