Chapter 1

A few days before Kelsey and I were supposed to get married, I discovered she had already registered a marriage with someone else.

After ten years of devotion, I had become the ultimate fool.

When I went to the county clerk's office to check, I learned the marriage certificate Kelsey gave me was completely fake.

Meanwhile, Kelsey was whispering in the bathroom. "You have no idea. With Damian's body and his face, how was I supposed to say no?"

"What about Caleb? Honestly, I don't even know how to face him."

The words hit me like a lightning bolt. Did Kelsey really not realize that without me, she was nothing?

...

1

While helping Kelsey organize her closet, my fingers brushed against a red marriage certificate booklet.

That made no sense because our license was supposed to be in the safety deposit box.

I pulled it out, and my mind instantly went blank.

Kelsey's name was printed right there on the document.

Yet the booklet looked completely different from ours.

The other name on the certificate was Damian, Kelsey's childhood crush.

Panic surged through me as I grabbed our marriage certificate to compare them.

Ours lacked the official state seal, but theirs had an authentic, raised stamp.

My head spun in disbelief.

We had been together for ten years, so how could she have registered a marriage twice?

I forced myself to calm down and put the booklet back where I found it.

Maybe this was just a sick prank.

I decided I would go down to the county clerk's office tomorrow to find out the truth.

Hearing the shower running in the bathroom, I tiptoed toward the door.

Kelsey had actually left it cracked open!

Through the gap, I heard her talking on the phone over speaker.

"Summer, have you ever lied to your husband? Or... cheated?"

Summer's voice immediately turned sharp on the other end.

"Kelsey, don't scare me. You didn't cheat, did you?"

"Caleb is one in a million, so don't throw your life away!"

Kelsey sighed heavily. "I know. Caleb treats me like a queen."

"But you don't understand. It's Damian. His family just took over a massive conglomerate in New York."

"Plus, after all these years, he still has that incredible face and body. I just couldn't resist."

Summer went silent for a long moment before answering slowly.

"Kelsey, I can't defend you on this."

"Your wedding is in a few days, and you chose now to cheat and legally marry Damian behind Caleb's back?"

"Even as your best friend, I can't take your side."

Kelsey rushed to stop Summer from hanging up.

"Summer, please don't tell Caleb. We still have to go through with our wedding."

"He loves me so much, and I can't bear to break his heart. I need to marry him too."

"You're my best friend, so you can't betray me on this."

...

Listening to their conversation, my throat went completely dry.

Was this real, or was Kelsey playing some twisted game?

Was she testing my loyalty?

My mind was a complete mess.

I had loved her for ten years, so she couldn't really betray me like this, right?

I kept lying to myself just to buy a few seconds of peace.

Yet my racing heart refused to calm down, flooded with memories of our past.

"Babe? Why are you sitting out here? Go take a shower."

Kelsey walked out in her bathrobe and nudged my shoulder.

I snapped back to reality and forced a weak smile.

When Kelsey leaned in to kiss me, I instinctively pulled away.

She looked confused. "What's wrong, babe?"

"Nothing," I stammered. "Just getting nervous and excited since the wedding is so close."

Kelsey took my hand gently.

"We've been together for ten years. It wasn't easy getting to this point, so we have to cherish it."

"Don't worry. No matter what happens, I will always marry you."

"You feel the same way, right?"

Was she testing me? I looked at her with a knot in my stomach.

In the end, I didn't answer and just turned to head into the bathroom.

I stayed under the hot water for a long time, trying to clear my head.

When I finally came out, Kelsey was already fast asleep.

I didn't disturb her and spent the night alone on the couch.