Chapter 2

"Relax. She's just helping you with the marks. Come the actual wedding day, you'll be front and center."

Derek said it to me, but his eyes—and half his body—were already aimed at the door. Riley was taking her sweet time, lingering by the exit, waiting for him to chase after her.

"Alright, I'm driving Riley home. Grab a cab for yourself today."

I kept smiling. "Okay. Drive safe."

Derek finally tossed me a look of approval, then shot a wink at his groomsmen. They gave him thumbs-ups.

"Man's got his girl trained."

They left. The groomsmen gave me a dismissive glance and followed. Then the wedding crew packed up and cleared out.

I stayed. Didn't move.

Derek had forgotten—ever since Riley's car got a flat tire months ago, he'd never driven me anywhere again. He also never bothered to notice I'd learned to drive myself.

Last month, Riley said her apartment had a leak. Derek moved her straight into our newly renovated house—the one we hadn't even spent a night in together—and put her up in the master bedroom.

Now it was basically "Riley's place."

My phone buzzed with a message stating that the marriage license appointment was canceled.

I also received another message: a text from someone else, with a screenshot of a new appointment confirmation.

[Three days. County clerk's office. See you there.]

I smiled. Genuinely this time.

Me: [Yeah. See you there.]

The ballroom lights went dark, and I walked out slowly into the blackness.

They could keep the "unforgettable" wedding.

…

The next morning, I got a call on my way to the house.

"Ms. Powell, we really can't get the dress back to the original fit in time…"

The voice on the other end was full of apologies.

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. No need to fix it."

I hung up and tapped the steering wheel.

That dress was a custom piece from a top bridal designer. Three separate fittings just to nail my measurements. But before I even got to see the final product, Derek had secretly handed it over to Riley for a try-on—and had another designer alter it to her size.

By the time I found out, the sixty-thousand-dollar gown was a wreck.

I'd been furious. Derek got defensive.

"The wedding's five days away. The dress is just sitting there. What's the harm in letting her wear it for a minute?

"Don't look at me like that. Riley's thinner than you. Lose a few pounds and it'll fit. If you can't, we'll have it changed back before the big day."

He didn't care that it was my dress. He didn't care if it could even be salvaged.

He just wanted Riley to wear it—to give her the one thing she'd never had in two years of MCing other people's weddings: a bride's moment.

I reached the house and punched in the code. It remained locked.

Good thing I'd handled the renovation myself. I still had the physical key.

I let myself in.

Riley was sitting at the vanity in my getting-ready robe, dabbing on lipstick. She glanced at me in the mirror and nodded toward the bathroom.

"Looking for Derek? He's had a long night. He's in the shower."

I stepped over the mess of women's underwear and men's boxers on the floor, knelt down, and pulled a small suitcase from under the bed.

Inside was the gift I'd planned to give Derek after the wedding. Two hundred thousand dollars' worth. Since there was no wedding, I might as well return it.

"Just picking something up. Not looking for him."

I started dragging the suitcase out. Behind me, Riley let out a soft laugh.

"Pathetic. Your own man sleeps with another woman, and you can't even ask a single question—just turn tail and run."

My fingers dug into the handle. My back went rigid.

Derek's voice from the proposal echoed in my head, 'I swear on my life I'll never betray you, Megan. If I ever break that vow, let me die alone—or worse.'

I'd never planned on getting married. As the least-favored Powell daughter, I was going to focus on making my floral design studio succeed first. Derek's sincerity had changed my mind.

I'd agreed to marry him before chasing my career.

But one month after those vows, Riley came back from abroad.

And ever since, I'd been the awkward third wheel in their unrequited love story.