Chapter 2

A red carpet ran from the door all the way to the stage, and red wedding decorations covered everywhere.

They'd even booked the same ballroom I'd used, with the same staff working it.

Cheering went up inside.

Colin escorted Mallory in, walking slowly and gracefully.

I spotted the suit at once. I’d spent the better part of a year commissioning this custom‑tailored piece.

I had planned to wear it for my wedding, but at Mallory’s request, it had been remade in green.

Colin faced her parents and patted his chest firmly.

"Mr. Voss, Mrs. Voss, don't worry. I'll take good care of her."

I watched Sharon Voss's eyes redden as she wiped the corners of them.

Two weeks ago, she'd been lying in a hospital bed crying the same way, thanking me for traveling across the country to secure a suitable heart donor for he.

Gary Voss put a satisfied hand on Colin's shoulder.

A few months earlier, after I'd quietly emptied my savings to clear his loans, he'd thanked me exactly like that.

Every warm little scene in front of me had already happened once, at my wedding.

The only difference was that Mallory hadn't smiled like this then.

Two of the waitstaff were whispering nearby, and it carried to me.

"She's really something. Married three years ago, and she's already remarrying?"

"That's not it. She never filed for a license the first time. She had a fake one made to fool the guy."

I stood there.

I remembered driving Mallory to the county clerk's office, and how she'd been careless and left her ID at home.

By the time I'd brought the car up from the garage, she was pulling two marriage certificates out of her bag.

Then she stuck her tongue out at me.

"I was messing with you! Surprise!"

I'd shaken my head and tapped the end of her nose.

That was her. She loved a joke.

Every time she caught me standing there stunned, she would giggle and say, "Silly, I fooled you.”

So what about this?

Maybe this was another one of her jokes.

Maybe she'd talked every person in this room into playing along, just to surprise me.

I looked down and texted her again.

"Honey, I'm almost home. You must be worn out. I'll bring dinner by your office in a bit."

Mallory picked up her phone and froze.

The next second she gathered her skirt and ran for the door.

Colin's eyes went wide, like something had clicked, and he went after her.

"Mallory, where are you going?"

She didn't look back once before she was gone.

The room broke into murmuring behind her.

I let out a breath. Then I opened the camera feed at my apartment, and my fingers went unsteady.

Clothes were scattered across the living room. There were stains on the floor.

Even the wedding portrait on the bedroom wall had been swapped for a photo of the two of them.

I ground my teeth and watched Mallory come through the door and start cleaning in a panic.

When she finally let out a long breath, I timed it and pushed the door open.

I ignored the sour smell hanging in the air and made myself look surprised.

"I thought you were working late. How'd you beat me home?"

She ran over and threw her arms around me, sweet as ever.

"You know me. I lied. I wanted to surprise you."

I used to think I knew her.

To marry me, she'd stood up to her own parents until they stopped speaking to her for a year.

So I could leave for an assignment with a clear head, she'd smile me out the door and swallow the crying until I was gone.

So I wouldn't be distracted, she'd gone through the miscarriage alone and never told me.

But the men's cologne on her now made her a stranger to me.

On the table, Mallory's phone lit up.

Before she could flip it over, I'd read it.

"Mallory, the ceremony's starting. Are you backing out?

"Fine. I'll go tell everyone this was all one-sided on my end."

Her pupils shrank. She grabbed the phone and made for the door.

"Adrian, my boss needs me. It's urgent."

I caught her wrist, and for the first time in my life I heard myself beg.

"It's our anniversary. Can't you tell him it'll wait until tomorrow?"

She hesitated for a heartbeat.

Then she pried my fingers off one by one.

"Adrian, don't start. I really have to go. We'll do the anniversary tomorrow."

And she shoved past me.

The door slammed shut in my face.

Whatever was left in my chest broke apart with the sound.

I turned around and took the photo of Mallory and Colin down off the bedroom wall.

Then I opened my phone and put the rest of my groomsmen into a group chat.

"Guess what — Colin got married behind all our backs. You guys want to help me put together a surprise?"