Chapter 1

"Are you sure you don't want the wedding dress? You spent five months designing it."

The bridal consultant looked confused as she glanced toward my fiancee, Leona Sampson, who was sitting on the couch by the entrance.

We had set our wedding date six months ago. I'd put so much thought into the wedding that I even designed Leona's wedding dress myself.

She had always patiently come with me to work out the little details of the dress, even rubbing my shoulders whenever I got tired.

The staff at the bridal shop had always seen us as the perfect couple. But after what happened during the earthquake the day before, I couldn't even stand to look at the dress anymore.

Leona claimed that she had just been showing the new intern, Matt Ryder, the ropes when the earthquake hit. Everyone was panicking, and someone had accidentally torn her blouse in the chaos. So Matt had lent her his jacket.

I knew that it was a lie.

We used to be so in love, but her heart had started to stray. And all I could do was pretend not to notice.

While I was lost in thought, Leona walked over and slipped her arm through mine. "Patrick, the dress looks perfect," she said warmly. "Stop stressing over the little details. You're going to wear yourself out."

Noticing the consultant holding back a comment, I said flatly, "Fine. No more changes."

Once we finalized the design, we left the shop. I was about to head to the bakery to pick up my birthday cake when Leona pulled me back.

"Patrick, something came up at work," she said, looking apologetic. "I have to get back to the office and work late tonight, but I'll make it up to you, okay?"

This would be the first time she had ever missed my birthday. We always took two days off work in advance to celebrate our birthdays together.

I glanced down at her phone as the screen lit up with a text from Matt. They had a reservation for a candlelit dinner at a steakhouse.

That was when I realized that Leona's heart no longer belonged to me.

Seeing that I wasn't saying anything, she leaned into my chest, acting soft and affectionate like she always did.

Normally, I would pull her close and tell her not to worry about it. But this time, I couldn't even force a smile.

"Sure," I said quietly.

Leona didn't get back until midnight that night. She handed me a beautifully wrapped box, her eyes bright with feigned excitement.

"I rushed back as fast as I could after wrapping up work. Thank goodness I made it in time! Open it up and see if you like it."

I untied the ribbon and opened the box.

Inside lay a silk tie in my favorite shade of navy blue. The tie itself was nice, but it clearly didn't match the fancy box it came in.

Any other day, I would have hugged her in appreciation. But the night before, I had found two ties in her bag. One was a designer tie worth over a thousand dollars. The other was the cheap one I was holding. She had simply swapped the boxes.

I had to give her credit. She had put real effort into deceiving me.

Leona took the tie out and tied it around my neck.

"It looks great on you. Definitely worth the money I spent on it." Then she leaned in and kissed my cheek.

What seemed like a sweet gesture made my stomach turn. I gently pushed her away and lied, "Let me check it out in the mirror."

When I walked into the bedroom, I called the bridal shop.

"I've decided to cancel my order for the dress. You don't need to refund me."

The consultant was stunned and asked if there was an issue with the dress.

"The dress is fine," I replied calmly. "It's just that the person I designed it for isn't worth it anymore."

I wasn't about to waste the rest of my life on a lie. It was time to walk away.