Chapter 4

For the next two days, Chloe kept sending me pictures of her and Tyler together. In a hospital room. At a fancy restaurant. In the passenger seat of his sports car.

In every single one, Tyler was looking at her like he adored her.

I didn't reply once.

The night before the wedding, I got a text from Kyle.

Viv, Tyler's just being stubborn. You're still the one he really loves. Come to the Larkspur tomorrow. He's got a big surprise for you. He wants to make it right and give you another wedding.

I snorted and typed back, Sure. I'll be there.

Why wouldn't I be? Dominic and I were getting married at the Larkspur too.

Chloe must've been annoyed that none of her photos got a reaction out of me, because she sent a video next.

In it, Tyler's friends were laughing and hooting.

"Your fiancée's so ungrateful, man! Ugly as sin and she still has the nerve to throw a fit?"

"For real. She's got nothing on Chloe. Chloe's sweet and hot."

The camera swung to Tyler. He was holding a glass of wine, his face red from drinking. He smirked. "I only put up with her because she was easy to handle. Now she wants to act up? Fine. Tomorrow I propose to Chlo, and Viv gets a front-row seat. Let's see if she still has an attitude after that."

"That's how you do it! Put her in her place, Ty!"

Everyone cheered and started yelling for Tyler and Chloe to feed each other cake.

I didn't watch the rest. I just blocked Chloe's number.

The next day, I sat by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the VIP suite on the top floor of the Larkspur.

The makeup artist wiped away the fake breakouts and dull foundation, layer by layer. When the last of it came off, the woman in the mirror looked almost unreal. She was so beautiful it was hard to look away.

I changed into the gown Hughes had brought. More than a thousand tiny diamonds were sewn into it.

Meanwhile, down on the second floor, Tyler had turned an entire hall into a fairy tale for his proposal. There were so many red roses you could barely see the floor.

All of it was for Chloe. Even so, his eyes kept darting to the door. He couldn't sit still.

Chloe hung on his arm and cooed, "Relax, Ty-baby. She'll come. She always does."

But an hour went by, and I never showed.

The eagerness on his face turned into irritation. He was about to snap when the hotel manager rushed in, sweating.

"Mr. Rhodes! I need you to wrap this up as fast as you can! The Kane family booked the whole top floor for Mr. Dominic Kane's wedding.

"It's the wedding of the year. Every big name in Westbridge is here! If any of those guests get bothered, we're all finished."

Chloe froze for a second, then tugged on his arm. "Why don't we go up and take a peek, Ty-baby? What if Viv was telling the truth the other day? We should at least say congrats."

Tyler scoffed. "No chance. Fine. Let's go see for ourselves."

He led Chloe and his friends up to the top-floor ballroom. On the way, he sent me a voice message.

"Quit the tantrum, Viv. Dominic Kane is getting married today, so now I know you lied to me. Get here in ten minutes, and I'll forget all the stupid stuff you've pulled."

The second it sent, the big double doors in front of him swung open.

Under the bright lights, I stepped forward, holding up the hem of my glittering gown, and walked slowly down the aisle.

My face was there for everyone to see.

Just outside the ballroom, Tyler looked like he'd been hit by a truck. His eyes locked onto a figure he knew far too well.

His mind went blank. "V-Viv? No... No way. That's impossible!"

Like a madman, he tried to charge down the aisle toward me. He didn't even get within arm's reach before a few bodyguards in black slammed him to the floor.

A cold voice came from behind me. "Who the hell is this trash, and why is he trying to stop my wife from walking down the aisle?"