Chapter 2

Even after the video ended, I just stared.

I kept rewinding the last part, over and over—

Jacob's final "okay."

Like some idiot clinging to hope, I tried to twist that word into something it wasn't.

By the thirteenth replay, a tear smacked the screen.

I wiped my face fast, only just realizing I was already crying.

Was I heartbroken?

Not really.

Sad?

Kinda.

Then why the tears?

I hit the bathroom, splashed cold water on my face. Looked up.

Didn't recognize the girl in the mirror.

Hair? Wrecked.

Skin? Dull.

Eyes? Puffy and red.

I didn't look like this this morning.

Guess you really can lose yourself for love.

I'd loved Jacob for years. With the wedding coming up, I thought we'd finally made it.

Didn't see it was already falling apart.

I took a deep breath, tried to shut down the spiral, and grabbed my phone.

[Short one groom for this wedding. Anyone want the job?]

Friends jumped in fast, filling the comments with jokes.

Everyone knew I was head-over-heels for Jacob.

No one took it seriously.

I stared at the laughing replies, gave a crooked smile.

Then my phone lit up.

The name made me squint.

Seth Stratford.

We'd grown up together—childhood friends, kinda.

Not exactly tight. We bickered a lot.

Back then, he'd always toss an arm around me and shout that he had my back.

From elementary to high school, same energy.

Used to call me his "little bro."

We drifted after graduation. Different colleges, different cities.

Didn't even text anymore.

Honestly, I was the one who pulled away. Got too caught up chasing Jacob.

So why was Seth calling now?

I hesitated, then picked up.

"Yo, what took you so long?"

His voice—teasing and familiar—cut through the fog in my head.

I smirked. "What's up? Why the sudden call?"

He paused, which wasn't like him. Then, serious: "That post on your feed. Were you being serious?"

I didn't catch the shift in his tone. Just laughed. "Why? You want the 'job'?"

"Yeah. Is that a problem?"

I froze.

Now that I thought about it, if I really was swapping grooms... Seth made sense.

Good family.

Shared history.

After a beat, I said, "Sure. But tell me why."

"Why? Because I like you, duh." Seth's voice was back to bold. "I've liked you for a long time. I've dreamed about marrying you. You made the first move—no way I'm letting that slide."

I let out a half-laugh. "This is marriage, not a joke."

"I know." He chuckled. "That's why I don't just wanna marry you. I want you to love me more than you ever loved Jacob."

More than Jacob...

I wasn't sure I had that in me.

But maybe that didn't matter anymore.

"Okay," I said. "Once I wrap things up here, I'll call you."

Seth didn't push. He never did. He'd always been sharp—knew when to ask, when to let it go.

After we hung up, I deleted the post, pinned him to the top of my chats, and changed his contact name to "Hubby."

Jacob picked someone else to have a kid with.

So I picked someone else to marry.