Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

Chapter 1

I saw it—Gideon Salton taking cash from his buddies, one after another.That was when it clicked: I was just the punchline in some bet.The ones who lost laughed first, then rolled their eyes like I was the idiot."Madison Montclaire, do you even get how much I lost 'cause of you? Use your brain for once.""We've told you a million times—Gideon's way outta your league. You really thought he'd marry you?""He's played you, what, eight, ten times? And you STILL fall for it? You're hopeless."I bit my lip so hard it stung, fingers digging into my own skin.Gideon, done raking in the cash, strolled back like nothing."What's wrong, Madison? Not happy?"Then he turned to his crew."Hey, chill out. It's Madison's big day. Don't pick on the birthday girl."For a second, I almost thought he grew a conscience.Then he fished a bill from his pocket and held it out."Thanks for the thousand, babe. Here—five bucks. Go get a cupcake or something. Happy birthday."The group cracked up

Chapter 2

The dress I picked hit right at my ankles. My fiancé helped me choose it.Lifting the skirt, I stepped around Gideon and headed toward city hall.He grabbed my wrist. "Drop the act. Who do you think you're fooling? If you're that thirsty to get married, go grab some rando and get the papers signed. Just leave me out of it."I looked at his face—and felt nothing but disappointment.No fight. No anger. Just done.The Gideon who once chased a guy down eight blocks to make him apologize for trash-talking me? Gone.I shook my head and tried pulling my hand back.That's when Olivia showed up. "Gideon!" she called out.He instantly dropped my wrist, then—trying way too hard—pulled out an alcohol wipe and scrubbed the hand that touched me, like I was something gross.Olivia walked up. "Gideon, what are you doing here?Madison, are you actually getting married? You even wore the dress."Gideon glanced around, clearly too scared to admit the whole thing was a setup.Panicking, he gra

Chapter 3

Just then, my phone buzzed.I picked up, nodded through the call. "Second floor? Got it. I'll grab a number first."Gideon was still frozen. "I'm in a wedding dress because my fiancé booked a photographer," I said. "He wanted to capture the day we register. This one's the lightest of the seven I picked—easiest to move in. Since you're all here, I'll hand these out now. Wedding's on the tenth next month. You're invited."I pulled out white invites, passing them around.When I got to Gideon, he didn't take one.The others started whispering."Wembley Hotel? That's the nicest spot in the city. Did Madison marry rich or what?"Gideon sneered, eyes full of judgment. "You always loved a dramatic entrance, huh? Invitations? Wembley? This whole act's embarrassing."He barely touched the invite—just flicked it aside like trash.Olivia glanced at it and sighed. "Sorry, Madison. But no photo of you two? It doesn't exactly scream legit."We didn't have photos because we hadn't taken th

Chapter 4

His voice was low and smooth, right by my ear.My heart jumped. I didn't even dare turn around.He must've noticed how stiff I was, because he let out a quiet laugh, patted my shoulder, then stepped in front of me."Hey everyone," he said casually, "today's a big day. My fiancée and I are getting married—help yourselves."Right on cue, his assistant popped the car trunk and came back with a huge gift bag.Inside? Premium chocolates, and lots of them."Dang," someone whispered. "Just this must've cost a ton.""He's so put-together, and she's gorgeous. Total power couple.""She wasn't lying. Who's the clown that called her a side piece?"The crowd turned, no longer here for the drama—now they wanted answers.Bruce saw it coming and bolted. Which only made him more obvious."That guy!" someone shouted. "He called the bride a side piece on their marriage registration day! Nearly caused a huge mess!"Henry Hartwell—my groom—stood in front of me, calm and sharp. He shot a glance

Chapter 5

Up on the second floor of city hall, I handed over the paperwork.Even when the staff gave us our marriage certificate, it still didn't feel real.Just like that, I was married.Not to Gideon—the guy I spent years chasing—but to someone I barely knew."Alright, bride and groom, smile for the camera."The photographer snapped a photo of us post-registration.Henry must've picked up on how out of it I was. He turned to the photographer."One picture's enough. Just need something to show my family."I mumbled something about using the restroom—really, I just needed a second to breathe.As I passed a second-floor window, voices floated up from below—and when I peeked out, I spotted them.Gideon. His friends.Gideon was smoking, his crew gathered around him.Through the haze, someone asked, "You really think Madison's getting married?"Another scoffed. "That guy's totally an actor. Be real—a guy like that would NEVER go for Madison."Gideon flicked his cigarette to the ground

Chapter 6

Before we left city hall, Henry knelt down and adjusted my dress.He gently untangled my veil and wiped the dirt off the hem where people had stepped on it."Sorry," he said softly. "I just really wanted to see you in a wedding dress, so I asked you to wear it today. Maybe I should've just picked you up, even if you said no."His voice was low and warm, and his words made my face flush.He talked like we had history.But we'd only met once.I avoided his eyes, mumbling, "It's fine. I insisted on taking a cab. Not your fault."Henry let out a soft laugh and held out his hand. "Then... can I hold your hand now?"I knew Gideon and his crew were downstairs, waiting for a scene.So I placed my hand in his—firm, steady.But there was still this tightness in my chest, like something awful was waiting to happen."Henry," I said quietly, "if you hear anything nasty... don't take it to heart. Just ignore it."He gave my hand a light squeeze and smiled. "Still calling me Henry? That's

Chapter 7

Heart pounding, I followed Henry to the Wembley Hotel.He opened the car door, gave this smooth little gesture for me to step out.But Gideon and his crew were already there, standing around like they owned the place. All smirks and smug glances. Olivia sighed and gave me that look—like I'd let her down again.They were all waiting for the crash.I couldn't bring myself to move. Just sat there, frozen in the seat, dreading the moment everything would fall apart.Henry met my eyes, steady and sure. "Don't be scared. I really brought you here for your birthday."Should I believe him?Gideon once promised me the biggest, most unforgettable party for my twentieth.I showed up all dressed up, heart racing—only to watch him turn and hand the bouquet to Olivia.Right there, in front of everyone, my birthday party turned into a full-on love confession."Olivia, will you be my girlfriend?"Gideon was charming, sincere. Olivia looked shocked, glowing. The crowd erupted in applause.A

Chapter 8

We stepped onto the red carpet together, heading toward the hotel entrance.Staff lined both sides, confetti tubes ready. A few pops later, glitter and ribbons came raining down."Happy birthday, Ms. Montclaire—and congrats on the wedding!" they cheered.I didn't bother looking back at Gideon—I already knew exactly what face he was making.The doors to Ballroom A swung open, and a spotlight hit Henry and me dead-on.Inside, I spotted my friends in the guest seats... and even my parents.They smiled and waved like it was the happiest day of their lives."Madison, Henry, congratulations on your marriage, and happy birthday, Madison!"We were soaking it all in when a voice behind us sliced through the air, shocked and thrown."Mr. Montclaire? Mrs. Montclaire? What are you doing here?"My mom saw Gideon—and her smile vanished.She used to root for us. But after everything he put me through, that faded fast.Her voice turned ice-cold. "Oh, it's you, Gideon. Here for Madison's bi

Chapter 9

Henry shoved him hard. Gideon stumbled, hit the floor—and still crawled toward me."I was wrong, okay? I messed up!" he cried. "I'm apologizing, I'm begging—just don't marry someone else!"I looked down at him, cold. "Haven't you humiliated me enough, Gideon? You really had to ruin my birthday too? What do I even owe you, that you'd come here like this—like it's payback?"He crawled forward again and latched onto my leg. "You don't owe me anything. I'm the trash. I didn't even like Olivia. I just wanted to make you jealous."I'm sorry, Madison! After we got to college, you started shining, and I freaked out. I thought you'd outgrow me—that I'd disappear from your life. So I acted out, made bets, did all that crap... just to prove to everyone you still loved me. That your love for me... no one else could ever touch it."His eyes were red, face wrecked, waiting—hoping—for something.I looked straight at him and said, calm and clear, "But I don't love you anymore."Then I shoved Gi

Chapter 10

After that birthday mess, I braced for impact. I figured Henry would be furious—maybe even done with me.Anyone watching could see the history between me and Gideon ran deep.But Henry? He didn't flinch. Treated me just as gently as he did from the start.His parents had been there too—and they had plenty to say about Gideon—but Henry stepped in first, smoothing it all out before I even had to.I finally asked, "Why are you so good to me?"He flicked my forehead. "Seriously? Still haven't figured it out?"Then he made a circle with his fingers near his eyes, like fake glasses.I blinked, confused—then it hit me."Oh—it's you!"Henry grinned, finally satisfied. "That's right. It's me."I couldn't help laughing. The one who'd always been there for me... it was him. All along.Just like Gideon once said—back when I started college, I was the star. Solid grades, easy to get along with, people liked me.There was this quiet freshman with thick glasses who always hovered nearby,

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