Chapter 1

My best friend just got dumped. I was at the bar with her, trying to drown her sorrows, when I saw my own fiancé cheating.

Under the dim neon lights, I saw him holding a young girl. They were locked in a kiss so intense they seemed inseparable.

I wondered if he even remembered our wedding. It was supposed to happen in exactly two weeks.

Later, he would beg me with bloodshot eyes. He would say, "Maya, please give me one more chance."

I would just hold my new fiancé's arm and smile. I would hand him a gold-trimmed wedding invitation.

"Mr. Jenson, I'd love for you to attend my wedding," I would say.

...

The bar was pulsing with energy late that night. The bass from the dance floor vibrated through my chest.

My best friend, Shana, was wasted. She clung to me, sobbing loudly over her recent heartbreak.

"Maya, why did he do it? I gave him everything," she wailed.

She slumped against my shoulder, her voice slurring. "I'm so jealous of you and Grant. You guys have been together since high school, right? Nearly ten years?"

Thinking of Grant brought a soft smile to my face. We were childhood sweethearts.

After a ten-year marathon, we were finally about to walk down the aisle.

"It's all about timing," I whispered to her. "Maybe your real soulmate is..."

I didn't finish the sentence. A roar of cheers erupted from a VIP booth nearby.

"Thirty seconds! Not a second less!" someone shouted.

"Come on, Mr. Jenson! Don't be shy, the girl already said yes!"

"Do it! A bet is a bet!"

The commotion drew everyone's attention. I turned my head toward the noise.

A familiar figure slammed into my field of vision. It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck me.

My body went rigid. My mind went completely blank.

I couldn't believe it. The man who told me he loved me this morning was kissing a young girl in a bar.

They were lost in each other while the crowd cheered. Grant had his eyes closed.

His face was flushed with genuine passion.

"Maya, why are you shaking?" Shana asked, her voice muddled. "Are you cold?"

I pulled out my phone with trembling hands. I dialed Grant's number.

The ringing interrupted their kiss. The girl blushed and looked down, wiping her lips.

Grant saw my caller ID. He frowned, a flicker of guilt crossing his features.

He started to stand up, but a man across from him grabbed his shoulder.

"The timer isn't up yet, Jenson. You can't run away now."

Grant shook his head and pointed at his phone. The girl's eyes caught my name on the screen.

Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. The crowd went wild.

I saw Grant's brow furrow. He looked conflicted.

But he didn't push her away. I watched them for as long as they kissed.

It was pure self-torture. I watched until the call timed out and went to voicemail.

I clenched my fists so hard my nails drew blood.

I should have marched over there and slapped him. I should have screamed and asked why he betrayed me.

But I didn't move.

...