Chapter 3

That bedroom had the set of white silk wedding sheets I’d spent an entire afternoon steaming by hand. Our couple's portrait hung on the wall, and the wedding gift Jasper had given me sat right on the nightstand.

Now, everything I had so painstakingly prepared was turning into nothing more than a backdrop for their little hookup.

The camera only captured the living room, but that red thread had already shown me how the rest played out.

Even though I’d prepared myself for the worst, watching them kiss made my chest feel so tight I could barely draw a breath. Tears streamed down my face without warning, heavy droplets falling right onto the blurred figures tangled together on my phone screen.

The screen dimmed to black. Staring back at me from the dark reflection was a twenty-eight-year-old woman. She was the exact same age my mom was when she found out my dad was cheating.

The only difference was that my mom endured it, but I wasn't going to.

With the evidence saved on my phone and stored in the cloud, I wiped my tears, put my foot on the gas, and drove straight back to my mom’s house.

The second I saw her, I broke all over again.

“Mom, I want to call off the wedding tomorrow.”

At 11 p.m., Mom had just finished watching the video, her fingers trembling uncontrollably.

“Aria, this clip didn’t capture them actually going into the bedroom.”

“But yesterday, the red thread was already tied between them.”

My mom snapped her head up. “You saw it clearly?”

“Crystal clear.”

When I was ten years old, I asked my mom why the neighbor downstairs and the woman living across from us on the third floor had a red thread connecting their heads, asking if they had slept together. My mom slapped me across the face, assuming I was picking up trash talk from somewhere.

Six months later, when both families dragged each other to court over an affair, she finally realized what I could see.

From that day on, she made me promise never to tell a soul about this ability of mine, warning me to stay far away from trouble. She knew better than anyone why I had been so hesitant to get married.

My mom closed her eyes tightly. “Why did it have to be the day before the wedding?”

“It wasn't just yesterday. They’ve been emotionally cheating for a year or two now. Last night was just when the thread finally tied itself together.”

My mother stayed silent for a long moment before pulling out the guest list.

“I’ll notify every single family member right now. As for his side, let Jasper handle it himself. Aria, you’re not making the same mistakes I did. I’ve got your back.”

I dialed Jasper’s number. It rang seven times before he hung up on me.

Five minutes later, a text popped up from him.

[Aria, did you make it to the hotel yet?]

[Get some sleep early. You’ve got to wake up early tomorrow for makeup.]

Staring at those fake words of concern, I texted back, [Where are you?]

The status at the top of the chat flickered back and forth as he typed for two solid minutes. Finally, he sent over a photo of the guest bedroom in our new home.

[I took care of all the arrangements for my relatives. The hotel was fully booked, so I’m crashing in the guest bedroom at our new place tonight.]

He lied so flawlessly.

If it weren't for that red thread or the living room camera, I probably would have spent all day feeling guilty and worried about how exhausted he must be from running around.

Without saying a word, I sent him a screenshot straight from the home security feed. Right there in the frame, Jean’s dress was tossed casually across the sofa.

Then I sent one final message,

[You two don't need to hide anymore. Cancel the wedding tomorrow, and let's keep what little dignity we both have left.]

Jasper didn't reply.

A minute later, the man in the video burst out of the master bedroom, his eyes locking onto the camera on the wall.

Jean rushed out right behind him, wrapped tightly in my bathrobe.

“What do we do? Did she see us?”

Jasper reached up and ripped the camera down.

Right before the screen went completely black, I heard him say in a calm, steady voice, “Don't panic. I'll handle it.”

Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, it turned out his idea of "handling it" was to force me to go through with the wedding.

Jasper told everyone coming for the wedding that I had come down with a sudden high fever and that the ceremony was delayed. Then, Jasper's mom, Charlotte, showed up at the hotel where I was supposed to get ready, bringing over a dozen relatives with her to block my door.

“Aria, you are coming downstairs right now! Backing out at the last minute makes you a total fraud!

“Aria, if you don't come out this instant, I’ll make sure the whole city knows you lost your mind right before your wedding! Let’s see who’ll ever marry you after this!”

Outside the room, Jasper didn't bother to stop her. He just stood there, speaking through the door in a low voice.

“Aria, put on your dress and let me take you to the venue. Once today is over, you can punish me however you want.”

When my bridesmaids woke up that morning, they saw my apology text about canceling the wedding, but couldn't find me anywhere. As they searched frantically for me, they bumped right into Jasper and Charlotte throwing a fit outside my room.

My friends immediately recorded a quick video and secretly sent it over to my phone.

Watching the footage, my hands and feet turned ice-cold.

I thought I had given him a clean way out so we could part ways peacefully. Instead, he chose to drag things into the gutter, using the full weight of the Cooks' social power to force me to swallow this bitter pill.

I picked up my phone and called Jasper. “Stop harassing my bridesmaids. I’ll go straight to the venue at eleven.”

I walked over to the closet, pulled out a black formal dress I had worn to a funeral, and grabbed a black veil hat to hide the heavy dark circles from staying up all night.

Then, with my mom by my side, I headed straight for the wedding venue.

When Charlotte spotted me standing there in full black, the hand she had extended to collect gifts froze mid-air.