Chapter 2

2 The next morning, I made breakfast. Mark barely touched it, grabbing his keys and rushing out.

"Aren't we supposed to go look at wedding dresses this morning?" I asked.

"This afternoon is fine," he threw over his shoulder. "Something came up."

I knew exactly what �C and who �C had "come up." Ashley had married rich, but her husband, Jason, was a cheating, abusive jerk. She loved the money and the image too much to leave him, though. Until this morning, when she posted: "Worst hangover ever. My head is pounding." I knew exactly who Mark was rushing off to comfort.

That afternoon, Mark called me downstairs. Ashley was in the passenger seat.

"Ran into your sister downstairs," he said. "She offered to come help you pick a dress."

There was a small cut on his lip. Ashley's lipstick was smudged.

"Yeah," she chirped. "I thought I'd give you my expert opinion."

"Sure," I said flatly. "You're experienced."

Seeing my lack of reaction, she added, "I get carsick easily, so the front seat is best. You don't mind, right?"

Before I could answer, Mark jumped in. "What's to mind? A seat's a seat, right, Sarah?"

"Sure."

On the drive, Ashley casually dropped the bomb. "Oh, by the way, some good news! I got divorced."

Mark slammed on the brakes. I lurched forward. His voice was hoarse. "You…got divorced?"

Ashley smiled. "Yep. Couldn't make it work. Ready for a fresh start."

Mark stared at her, the two of them locked in some dramatic moment. I finally broke the silence. "Are we going or what?"

The tension in the car was thick as we finally arrived at the bridal shop. I tried on a dress, emerged from the fitting room, and found Mark still engrossed in conversation with Ashley. He didn't even notice me until the saleswoman gushed about how beautiful I looked.

"Beautiful, beautiful," he mumbled. "Looks great. Let's get this one."

I clenched my fists. "This one?"

Ashley flipped her hair. "Come on, Mark, that's so dismissive. Try on a few more!"

Suddenly, the doors burst open. Jason, Ashley's ex, stormed in, grabbing her wrist. "You tricked me into signing those divorce papers last night when I was drunk! How dare you!"