Chapter 2
The more they talked, the nastier their words got, until I couldn’t take it anymore and shouted:
“Shut the hell up!”
Grudgingly, they lowered their phones.
But not before one of them sneered, “Trista Ayla, even if you schemed your way into this wedding, you’ll never take Darlene’s place in
Luciano’s heart!”
“Exactly,” another chimed in. “If I were you, I’d call the whole thing off. Have some dignity, girl. Just go home!”
I scoffed. “And let Darlene win? Not a chance.”
They all thought I’d forced Luciano to marry me. But the truth? Couldn’t be further from it.
THE
He was the one who begged me to be his girlfriend. He chartered an entire cruise ship for our anniversary, just to make me happy. He set off nine hundred and ninety–nine fireworks along the riverfront in New York.
”
4
He proposed to me eighteen times, each time more extravagant
than the last.
And on the last one, even though he’s terrified of heights, he jumped from the tallest bungee tower in the world.
Because I once said, “If you have the guts to jump from there, I’ll marry”
All those grand gestures… now just gossip fodder for others to laugh at.
br
I opened the passenger side of a random car and climbed in.
A
ミ
A familiar voice beside me said, “You’re really gonna go through with this? Even after they wouldn’t let you ride in the lead car?”
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三井
I turned my head. It was Paul Anderson, who’s my childhood best friend, the boy who used to run around naked in the backyard with
me when we were kids.
“What? You here to mock me too?”
Back when I got engaged to Luciano, Paul had been furious. We fought about it more than once, badly enough that we nearly cut ties for
good.
“I don’t have time to gloat,” he muttered.
Then after a moment of silence, he added, “Say the word and I’ll drive you out of here right now.
“To the wedding venue.”
He snapped, “He’s already treated you like crap today and you still want to marry him?”
“Just drive, Paul.”
”
He slammed his palm against the steering wheel, hard. But he still started the engine and pulled onto the road.
We were halfway there when, out of nowhere, a small sedan swerved straight into our lane.
Paul jerked the wheel in time, and we clipped the side. But it could’ve been way worse.
The car that cut us off came to a screeching stop, and a girl in a tight miniskirt jumped out, stomping toward us and banging on the
window.
“What the hell is wrong with you people?! You hit my car! Nobody’s leaving until you pay for the damage!”
Paul threw me a look. “Stay here. I’ll handle it.”
She looked so familiar… but I couldn’t quite place her.
Chapter 2
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Just then, my phone rang. Luciano.
“Where are you? Everyone’s been waiting. Why aren’t you here yet?”
“I was just in a car accident.”
I heard a girl’s voice in the background, loud and chirpy:
“Oof. A car crash on the big day? Sounds like a bad omen to me. Maybe the universe doesn’t want this wedding to happen!”
“Don’t say things like that,” Luciano snapped at her before turning his attention back to me.
Trista, just call a cab and get over here. Don’t miss the auspicious hour.”
I clenched my jaw. “I was just in an accident, and all you care about is being on time?”
He laughed lightly, like I was being silly. “C’mon, babe, I know you’re fine–you’ve always been lucky like that. Everyone’s waiting. Just get a ride and hurry over.”
Then he hung up.
I opened the door and stepped out, only to be grabbed hard by the wrist.
“You can’t leave! No one in this car is going anywhere until we settle this!”
It was the girl who’d crashed into us.
And as she got close, I finally realized who she was.
Chapter 2
