Chapter 2

2.

I swallowed my tears and continued the photoshoot.

If I had not taken this photography gig, I might have lived my entire life blind to Cyrus's treachery.

I held in my heartbreak and completed the full set of photos.

When Cyrus stepped over to review the previews on my camera monitor, his eyes sparkled with delight.

"These look stunning," he said, pulling Whitney close. "Whitney, we really are the perfect match."

"Not like Rayna," he continued with a sneer. "Standing next to her always felt wrong. She is way too tall, and walking beside her just feels suffocating."

I was indeed tall, standing almost shoulder to shoulder with him.

Whenever we went out in public, strangers often mistook us for siblings.

He had constantly complained about it, saying, "I hate shopping with you. People cannot even tell we are a couple."

Whitney, on the other hand, was a petite woman who barely reached his collarbone.

Standing side by side, they certainly looked like the conventional couple he craved.

I clenched my jaw and kept my mouth shut, letting the storm rage inside me.

Whitney cast a smug glance in my direction before wrapping her arms around Cyrus's neck.

"So, Cyrus, who do you really love more? Me or Rayna?"

Cyrus stood on his tiptoes slightly, planted a swift kiss on her lips, and smiled tenderly. "I flew across the Atlantic just to take wedding portraits with you. Who do you think I love? Or did I not make it clear enough in bed last night?"

A deafening roar erupted in my head, as if a grenade had detonated in my skull.

They had already crossed that line.

Cyrus had already slept with her.

Rage and devastation collided inside my chest, nearly shattering my composure completely.

Whitney pinched his cheek with a coy smile. "Then why are you still going through with marrying her?"

"We have been together for so long, and my parents keep breathing down my neck about settling down," Cyrus sighed. "I had to agree just to shut them up."

"My plan is to leave Chicago entirely in a few weeks. I will disappear without a trace, and I definitely will not show up at the wedding."

"Honestly, I should have never let my parents set us up on that blind date years ago. I would not have had to settle for someone like her for so long."

As he uttered those last words, sheer disgust flashed across his face.

That look pierced straight through my soul.

Eight years. Eight whole years of my youth, and he called it settling.

Whitney burst into soft laughter. "Just ghosting her sounds boring."

"Why don't you pretend to go along with the wedding plans, and then stand her up right at the altar? That will teach her a lesson for clinging to you for so many years."

I fixed my eyes on Cyrus, waiting to see if he would actually agree to such cruelty.

We had built a life together over eight years; I foolishly hoped a shred of human decency remained in him.

To my horror, he did not hesitate for a second.

"That sounds brilliant, Whitney," he chuckled. "You always have the best ideas. Rayna will lose her damn mind."

"Of course," Whitney purred, leaning in to whisper against his ear. "I am the mastermind, remember? Now, Cyrus... I want you. Let's head back to the hotel suite."

Cyrus's ears instantly flushed bright crimson.

"B-but... we haven't finished all the photo locations yet."

"Who cares? We paid her a fortune anyway. We can finish tomorrow. Let's go have some fun first."

"You are impossible," Cyrus teased, his gaze dripping with adoration.

A loud clatter echoed on the cobblestones as my camera slipped from my trembling hands and hit the ground.

Tears streamed beneath my mask, soaking into the collar of my shirt.

"Hey! What is your problem?" Cyrus snapped, glaring at me.

"You dropped your own camera, so do not even think about billing us for the damage."

Whitney rolled her eyes at me and tugged on his arm. "Forget about her, babe. Let's get back to the room."