Chapter 4

I'd already made up my mind not to hold the ceremony. The dress was just going to hang there.

Might as well use it to do one last thing for Cade.

But my generosity didn't sit well with him.

"Celine, quit being petty."

"If you give the dress away, what are you wearing in three days?"

His voice went cold for the first time as he turned to Leah. "And you, stop with the kicked-puppy act. You're putting Celine in a tough spot."

"I'll get the best designer to make you a new one. End of story."

Cade pushed the dress back toward me. I didn't take it. I played it light. "It's fine. We go back years. I trust you."

"Even without a dress, you wouldn't drop me. Right?"

Cade nodded without a beat of hesitation.

"Of course not."

"Celine, in this lifetime, you're the only wife I'll ever have."

Then he handed the dress to Leah.

"Since Celine said it's okay, take it."

"But don't take advantage of her kindness. Stay here tonight, and don't cause her any more trouble."

Leah nodded sweetly.

I thought that was the end of it.

I underestimated how far people would go.

That night, crashing and banging came from Leah's guest room.

I rushed over. Before I could ask a word, she shoved a torn strip of fabric into my hands.

Right on cue, Cade arrived. Leah threw herself into his arms, shaking.

"Cade, Celine lied to us. She never stopped being angry."

"The second you left, she smashed the engagement gifts the Russell family sent, dragged the wedding dress across the floor and stomped on it. She said she'd never let me have what I wanted."

"Cade, I don't need the Winston name anymore. Just take me away from here."

I hadn't even opened my mouth when Cade snapped.

"Celine, I never thought you'd turn this petty!"

"Agreeing to my face and sabotaging behind my back? How small can you be?"

"I already explained everything. You put up with it for years. You can't handle a few more days?"

"Forget it. I'm taking Leah. No more trouble for you."

I suddenly didn't feel like explaining.

My whole life, I'd lived honestly. Nobody had ever had a bad word to say about me.

And the person who knew me best just called me petty.

The irony was real. The hurt was real. And the refusal to defend myself was real too.

I waved my hand, exhausted. "Think whatever you want."

Watching them leave, Nina was seething.

"Sis, what is wrong with that girl?"

"You already let her use the Winston name. You gave her the dress. She could walk into that ceremony with her head held high. What's the point of this stunt?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. But I've never done anything to her. She wouldn't frame me for no reason. She's after something else."

Sure enough, the next morning, Cade came to find me.

He still reeked of alcohol. His eyes were full of guilt he couldn't explain.

He stammered for a long time before he finally got the words out.

"Celine, I did something terrible."

"After I took Leah from your place last night, I brought her back to the hotel where she'd been staying for the engagement. I was only going to have a few drinks with her, calm her down."

"But then..."

I understood instantly. I finished the sentence for him.

"You slept with her. Right?"

Cade turned red to his ears.

"Celine, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"We were both drunk. But it happened. I can't pretend it didn't."

"The Carters already know. They're calling off the engagement. Leah's the talk of the town now. I need to deal with this first. Can the ceremony... wait one more time?"

That sentence hurt more than every time he'd left me at the altar.

But it also set me free.

Cade did love me. But I wasn't irreplaceable.

And now there was someone willing to go this far to be with him. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

If Leah could scheme this hard to stay by his side, she probably did care about him. In her own way.

She'd take care of him. She'd stay.

That was enough for me.

So I stopped hiding. My voice was calm.

"Cade, you've already slept with Leah. She lost her engagement with the Carters because of it. If all you do is smooth things over with them and leave her hanging, that's not enough."

"If you've decided to take care of her, then be with her."

"I'm willing to step aside."