Chapter 1

1.

At my best friend's wedding, she leaned in and teased me. "So, when are you finally getting hitched?"

I answered without hesitation, "In a month."

At the exact same time, my boyfriend, Merrick, spoke up. "Let's wait a while longer."

We stared at each other. His eyes were filled with resentment and a silent accusation.

"Is it fun for you, Maren? Constantly pressuring me like this?"

That very night, he disappeared. He claimed it was a "bachelor night" for his buddies, but he stayed out until dawn with his childhood sweetheart.

It turned out he never had any intention of marrying me.

I didn't beg him to stay or cry. I simply pulled out my phone and gave a single command.

"The wedding proceeds as scheduled."

Luckily, the man I wanted to marry wasn't him anyway.

…

At midnight, a video arrived in my inbox.

It came from an unknown number. I tapped play.

The footage showed a crowd of people grinding on a neon-lit dance floor. Merrick's skin, which I had spent years pampering with high-end products, looked startlingly pale under the strobe lights.

He was moving wildly to the rhythm, looking like some cheap club promoter.

A girl pressed her body against his. He didn't push her away.

Instead, he pulled her closer, letting her hands roam over his waist.

As the beat dropped, the girl grabbed his chin.

He smirked and leaned down.

They kissed right there in the middle of the club, completely uninhibited.

I knew that girl. Everyone in our social circle did.

She was Yara, Merrick's first love.

I'd heard stories about them. They were the "golden couple" back in college, always seen inseparable on campus.

For some reason, it had ended abruptly back then.

I hadn't thought much of it at the time. I dismissed it as a simple case of puppy love.

She was the childhood flame, sure, but I was the one by his side now.

Now, as I watched the screen, the last spark of hope in my heart flickered out.

Merrick's face looked distorted and ugly in the video.

I called him, but he didn't pick up.

The sender of the video sent a provocative text right after.

"Even if you force him to marry you, so what? I'm the one he truly loves."

I didn't bother replying. I just blocked the number.

After a moment of silence, I called one of Merrick's best friends.

When he answered, I didn't waste time on pleasantries.

"Merrick is with you, isn't he? Who's the girl?"

The line went quiet. He was clearly feeling guilty.

In the background, I heard Merrick's voice, slurred and loud.

"Your turn to drink! Who are you talking to?"

"Work stuff," the friend whispered into the phone. "Look, I gotta go. My battery is dying."

"One thousand dollars," I stated my price.

"No way! What kind of person do you think I am?"

"Five thousand. I want everything you have on that girl."

"Fine… just don't tell him it was me."

I hummed in agreement.

The money was sent, and my phone began buzzing incessantly with notifications.

He sent me the link to Merrick's secret Instagram account.

It was an account I never knew existed.

I scrolled through it and realized he posted almost daily.

What he ate, where he went, what books he read―everything was there.

And under every single post, there was a comment from Yara.

Merrick: "Finally finished it. Hand-knitting a scarf for my favorite person."

Yara: "Got the scarf. Too bad she's home, so I can't come over to pick it up."

Merrick: "Hmph, forget it then!"

It was a pink scarf. Merrick had given it to me for my birthday last year.

I remember being so touched by the gesture.

Now I realized it was just a piece of trash that Yara didn't want.

I kept scrolling until I found a post that turned my heart to ice.

It was from Valentine's Day during the peak of the pandemic.

I had been stuck in a hotel for work and couldn't celebrate with him.

He had acted so angry and hurt for weeks.

But on his secret page, he had posted a mirror selfie of him and Yara kissing.

The background was a messy hotel bed.

Ding―

A new notification popped up.

Merrick had just posted something new.

The caption read: "Saying goodbye to my youth."

Yara commented: "I hope she treats you well."

I silently closed my phone and rubbed my temples.