Chapter 3

There was a warning in his voice now.

"What are you trying to say this time?"

"She's been married before."

"So?"

My fingers froze.

He knew.

"Her ex-husband is scum. I know that better than you do."

"Have you met him?"

"No need. I've seen the scar on Bee's leg."

Suddenly I remembered half a year ago, the first time Damien brought Bianca to meet me.

She was the new administrative assistant. She'd knocked over a coffee and scalded her calf.

I took her to the hospital myself that day.

Damien even blamed me for making a young girl do the job of fetching tea and coffee.

So it turned out that scar had another story behind it too.

I swallowed the nausea rising in my throat.

"What if she's still not divorced?"

"Enough!"

Damien's voice suddenly shot up.

"She's carrying a child, and you still want to smear her?"

I heard Bianca sobbing on the line.

"Damien, forget it. If she tells people, how am I supposed to face anyone ever again..."

Damien was breathing hard.

"Tomorrow, in front of the guests, you're going to make it clear that you didn't want to get married, and you asked Bee to go through the ceremony in your place."

I almost laughed out loud.

"You think anyone will believe that?"

"That depends on how you say it."

I pressed save on the recording.

"Are you sure you want to hand me the microphone?"

"Vivian, that five million wasn't free."

I hung up and sent the recording to Adrian.

He didn't reply for a long time.

I went to the wedding hotel.

When the planner came to meet me, her eyes were still red.

"Miss Sinclair, Mr. Grant just told us the bride has been changed. The growing-up video we made for you two has to be replaced too."

I asked, "Replaced with what?"

She turned the laptop toward me.

It was a file Damien had just sent.

The first photo was taken outside the hospital's obstetrics department.

He was down on one knee, slipping a ring onto Bianca's finger.

I had been at that hospital that day too.

My mom was dying. She kept calling his name, saying she wanted to see her son-in-law one more time.

He told me he was stuck in traffic on the freeway.

He never came, not even by the time my mom closed her eyes.

In the bottom right corner of the photo, the date was perfectly clear.

There had been no traffic that day.

He was in the same building, proposing to another woman.

The planner reached out to close the photo.

I stopped her.

"Keep all of it. Play it the way he asked."

She looked at me, about to say something, then didn't.

I sent her some files from my phone.

"Have these ready as well. I'll tell you when to play them."

She checked the files and nodded.

I didn't sleep again that night.

At dawn, Adrian sent me his boarding pass.

Landing time: 10:20.

The wedding started at eleven.

I replied: "I'll be waiting for you."

At nine, I walked into the dressing room in my bridesmaid dress.

Damien was helping Bianca put on her earrings.

When he saw me, the first thing he did was check the time.

"At least you kept your word."

Bianca, though, was staring at my ears.

I was wearing the pearl studs my mom left me.

"Vivian, could you maybe not wear any jewelry today? My ears are a little sensitive, I can't wear anything heavy, and like this you look more like the bride than I do."

I didn't take them off.

"Then wear a different pair."

Her smile froze.

Damien was about to say something when the door was pushed open.

Eleanor Grant came in with two relatives. When she saw the wedding dress on Bianca, she stopped short.

"What is going on here?"

Bianca lowered her head, and Damien stepped in front of her.

"Mom, Bee's pregnant. She's doing the wedding today."

Eleanor's face changed several times before her eyes landed on my bridesmaid dress.

"Vivian, you agreed to this?"

I looked at her.

She didn't ask how the baby came about. She didn't say one word against her own son.

I nodded.

"I agreed. I've already received the five million."

The two relatives exchanged a look.

Embarrassment crossed Eleanor's face, and she pulled me over by the door.

"Don't go around telling people about the money. We all know how you and Damien feel about each other. Once the baby's born, I'll still think of you as my daughter-in-law."

She patted my hand.

"Every man has a foolish moment out there sooner or later. You can't throw away six years over this."

"Mrs. Grant, is that how you got through it when you were young?"

Her hand stopped in midair.

I pulled my hand back and walked over to Bianca.

"Fix your veil. The groom's coming to get you soon."

Bianca looked at me and finally gave a smile that seemed genuine.