Chapter 1

The day I tried on my wedding dress, I stepped out of the fitting room and found my younger sister, Chloe, straightening my fiancé's bow tie.

Adrian Westwood, the heir to Westwood Group—was looking at Chloe with a tenderness I knew all too well.

I had just opened my mouth to say, “I'll do it,” when the makeup artist smiled and went straight to Chloe.

“Right this way, bride.”

I froze where I stood.

Adrian offered no explanation. The corner of his mouth simply lifted.

Chloe lowered her eyes with a shy little smile and leaned into him.

Oliver, my childhood friend, raised his camera and started taking shot after shot of them.

“Don't move. That's a great pose.”

I stood there awkwardly, clutching the skirt of my gown, watching them like an outsider.

Most of Oliver's shots were of Chloe and my fiancé. There were barely any of me, the actual bride-to-be.

Chloe sounded so natural, as if she were the bride.

“Emma, could you bring me that bouquet?”

When Adrian saw I wasn't answering, he came over and took the bouquet from my hands himself.

“Emma, go pick out the invitation design. I'll come find you after we're done with the photos.”

“What about the dress?”

“Let Chloe choose it for you. The one she's wearing looks good.”

My gaze dropped.

Adrian handed the bouquet to Chloe.

Oliver lifted his camera and glanced at me from behind the viewfinder.

“Emma, move a couple of steps to the side. You're blocking the light.”

I moved away without a word and stood in the corner.

In that moment, I finally understood how unnecessary I was.

Quietly, I went back into the fitting room, took off the wedding dress, and set it aside.

When I reached the door, I looked back once.

Chloe was twirling in front of the mirror. Adrian stood behind her, adjusting the bow at her waist.

Oliver lifted his camera.

“Yes, yes, that's the angle.”

A small, bitter laugh slipped out of me.

If this wedding didn't need me, then I wouldn't be there.

I turned and walked out of the bridal boutique.

The moment I got into the car, my phone lit up.

It was a message from the wedding planner.

“Miss Lawson, have you decided on the invitation design?”

My finger hovered above the screen when another message popped up.

“Or you could have your sister help you choose. She has a great eye. Take a look at these two options she picked.”

Two invitation samples appeared in the chat.

There it was again.

Let Chloe choose for me.

My fingers tightened around the phone.

I loved the ocean. Once, when I suggested to Adrian that we hold the wedding by the sea, Chloe wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“What's so great about a beach wedding? The waves are loud, and it feels too casual. A Westwood wedding belongs in a grand church filled with roses.”

Adrian hadn't hesitated for even a second.

“Chloe is right. The beach is too casual.”

Sitting in the car, I snapped back to myself and replied calmly.

“Whatever.”

In the end, Adrian would listen to her anyway.

The reply came almost instantly.

“Understood.”

When I got home, messages started popping up one after another.

Oliver was uploading photos to the wedding group chat.

I tapped one open.

In the photo, Adrian wore a sharply tailored black suit, while Chloe stood beside him in a white dress.

They were smiling at each other as if she were the one he was about to marry.

Tears slipped down my face.

I stood, tore the sticky note off the fridge—the one that said “Seven days until the wedding”—crumpled it into a ball, and threw it in the trash.