Chapter 4

The next day, I called Maren. She picked up after the very first ring. Her voice was filled with concern, flawless enough to fool anyone.

"Renee! You finally called! Are you feeling better? I've been so worried about you!"

I smiled, though there wasn't a trace of warmth in my eyes. "I'm fine now, Maren. Next month is Isaiah and my third wedding anniversary. We're throwing a party, and as my best friend, you have to be there."

There was the briefest pause before she answered, her voice carrying a hint of strained restraint, "Of course. Just send me the date. I'll definitely be there."

"Great." My tone stayed light, while my gaze turned ice-cold. "Maren, make sure you dress up. After all, there's going to be a very big surprise that day."

After hanging up, I tossed my phone onto the table and closed my eyes in exhaustion.

A month later, in the grand ballroom of The Langford Hotel, the city's most luxurious hotel.

Isaiah had rented out the entire top floor. The ballroom looked like something out of a fairy tale, decorated everywhere with white roses I'd once casually mentioned I liked.

And yet, the guest of honor, the woman everyone was waiting for, was sitting twenty miles away in the airport VIP lounge.

On my phone, my parents were livestreaming everything for me.

On the screen, Isaiah, dressed in a perfectly tailored custom suit, moved gracefully through the crowd with a champagne flute in hand. However, the way he kept checking his watch betrayed the anxiety he was desperately trying to hide.

Not far from him, beside the dessert table, stood Maren. She wore a champagne-colored gown with a loose, flowing silhouette. Though she'd deliberately chosen it to hide her pregnancy, after another month, the slight curve of her belly was beginning to show.

The two of them kept their distance from one another, staying careful and doing everything they could to avoid attracting suspicion.

I glanced at the time in the corner of my screen.

It was almost time. The show was about to begin.

A second later, the massive carved doors of the ballroom swung open. The once lively room fell instantly silent.

Every head turned toward the entrance.

The woman of the evening wasn't there.

Instead, Dad walked in first, wearing a tailored black suit, his face dark with fury. Beside him was Mom in an elegant pantsuit, her expression razor sharp. Following behind them were four bodyguards dressed entirely in black.

Isaiah froze for a split second before immediately putting on his practiced smile and hurrying over. "Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?"

He looked past them, his brow tightening. "Where's Renee? Why isn't she with you?"

Standing near the back of the crowd, Maren also walked over. "Victoria, where's Renee?"

Mom ignored her completely and didn't answer Isaiah either. She couldn't even be bothered to fake a polite smile.

Dad said evenly, barely containing the rage beneath his voice, "Isaiah, Renee had something come up today."

For the first time, Isaiah seemed to realize something was terribly wrong. The smile on his face slowly stiffened. "Dad, did something happen?"

"No rush." Mom let out a cold laugh before striding straight to the ballroom's control booth in her high heels and picking up the microphone.

"I'm sorry to everyone here today. I know you're all friends of Renee and Isaiah's." Her voice rang clearly through every corner of the ballroom. "Unfortunately, Renee won't be joining us tonight."

A murmur spread through the crowd.

"But she did ask me to bring everyone a surprise."

She reached over and pressed the play button. The giant LED screen, which had been looping our wedding photos moments before, flickered.

The music cut off.

Then a high-definition photograph filled the massive screen without warning.

In it, nineteen-year-old Maren and Isaiah stood in each other's arms, smiling sweetly at the camera. They looked completely, hopelessly in love.