Chapter 1

After we got back together, Adrian Moretti stopped liking my Instagram posts.

Because six months ago, I caught him cheating with my best friend Lily at a hotel. And I slit my wrists on the top floor of the Moretti Group building, making enough of a scene that the entire family found out.

After that, even our mutual friends stopped paying attention to my posts.

But my wedding to Adrian was getting close.

I told myself it was just a small, meaningless change.

Until a notification popped up on my phone screen.

It was Lily's X account.

She was getting married.

Her page was filled with wedding preparations.

But under every single post, a very familiar profile picture had left a like.

Adrian.

The comments were full of faces I recognized too.

"Ten years of love finally coming to fruition. Adrian, wishing you and your bride happiness forever!"

"Adrian liked this diamond-studded wedding dress? He actually picked this one, haha, he really does know women."

"The venue's already booked? We'll definitely be there!"

So that was it. People had stopped caring about my posts not because they were busy.

They were all busy caring about Lily's destination wedding.

In that moment, I finally understood.

Adrian hadn't betrayed their world.

I was the outsider who'd barged in.

The one who should have left was never Lily.

It was me.

I kept scrolling through Lily's page.

Her wedding to Adrian was in Bali.

My finger froze on the screen.

I stared at their engagement photo, the two of them locked in a kiss, and all that was left on my lips was silence.

That was the place I'd begged Adrian about for three years.

I'd told him that if we ever got married, Bali was where I wanted it most.

But Adrian turned me down every time.

He said Moretti family weddings had to follow the rules. The ceremony could only be held locally. Moretti wasn't an ordinary name. Every step had to be approved by the Don.

That was the answer he gave me three years ago.

But Lily's engagement post was dated four years ago.

So it wasn't that he couldn't say yes.

He just hadn't said yes to me.

Even before Adrian and I were together, he and Lily were already engaged in Bali.

It was so absurd I almost laughed.

Because Lily wasn't the other woman.

I was.

I sat in silence for a while, then kept scrolling through her posts.

The earliest one went back over a decade.

It was a childhood photo of the two of them together. A young Adrian had his arm around Lily, who was beaming with joy.

Beneath the photo was a single line.

"From childhood to forever, it's always been you."

My friendship with Lily, over a decade of it, shattered in that moment.

My chest felt tight, and nothing made sense anymore.

Adrian was someone Lily had introduced to me.

When Adrian and I got together, it was Lily who'd quietly pushed us toward each other behind the scenes.

But now I knew they'd been engaged the whole time.

So why?

Why would she do this?

I couldn't find the answer anywhere in her posts.

I stared at her grayed-out contact photo in my phone, full of questions, but all I could do was sit in silence.

After I found out about them six months ago, Lily and I had a massive falling out and deleted each other's contact information.

The front door lock clicked.

I turned off my phone and quietly walked out.

Adrian was home from work.

He came through the door in the black overcoat he always wore. On the shoe cabinet sat a small cake he'd brought me.

He smiled when he saw me. "You actually came out to greet me today?"

I didn't give him the cold shoulder like I usually did.

I walked up to him gently and took his coat. "I just worked through a few things in my head."

"Is that right? Ready to let me back in?"

He stepped quickly behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

His breath was warm against my ear, making it tingle.

He murmured with a smile, "Not going to answer? What are you thinking about? Emma, we're getting married soon. Isn't this what you've always wanted? You should be happy. I brought your favorite cake. Want to try it?"

The news that he was simultaneously planning an overseas wedding with Lily flashed through my mind.

I gently pushed him away.

As confusion slowly crept into his eyes, I turned to face him. "Did they say they'd come?"

"Who?"

"Our friends. And your parents."

"Emma, don't put me in this position." His tone turned uncomfortable. "I asked. But last time you... lost control, you lashed out at them. They're not ready to be around you just yet."

"As for my parents, you know how they feel. They never approved of me marrying you. They want me to find a woman with the right background, someone who can hold the family alliance together. So we can only keep the wedding low-key, let alone..."

"Adrian."

I said his name and cut him off.

He frowned at me.

I didn't break down and make a scene the way I always did when this topic came up.

I just wrapped my arms around him, gently.

Around this man I'd loved for four years.

His body went rigid, as if caught off guard.

He seemed almost uncomfortable with my tenderness.

"Emma?"

Before he could react further, I let go and steadied myself.

Then I said softly:

"Let's cancel the wedding."