"Help me?" he scoffed. "Tracie, this isn’t some little problem. Do you have any idea what this really means? This is beyond anything you can fix. You don’t have the resources. You don’t have anything."
His words felt like a slap in the face, but I refused to let him see my hurt. I shrugged, forcing a cold, indifferent smile. "Fine, Daniel. Do what you have to do."
Without another word, I turned and walked away, leaving him standing there, lost in his own mess.
The bar was dimly lit, the low murmur of conversations blending with the clink of glasses. I sank into a corner booth, nursing my drink, trying to numb the ache in my chest.
How had I let it get to this point? How had I given so much to someone so blind, so self-centered?
I swirled the ice in my glass, the soft clinking filling the silence. The betrayal. The lies. The years I had wasted with him... Then, my phone buzzed.
Expecting nothing more than a message or spam, I checked it—and my grip on the glass tightened.
A wedding invitation.
From Ginger Massey.
My stomach churned as I opened it. The elegant script mocked me as I read. The wedding would be grand, lavish—everything her family could provide. And she had sent this to me directly.
We all went to the same high school years ago. Ginger always had her sights on Daniel, but back then, he had chosen me. She’d hated that, lost to someone like me—someone they thought was nobody. But they didn’t know the truth of who I was.
Now, she was shoving her victory in my face. She had finally claimed him, and she wanted me to see it.
Anger surged through me, a fire that burned hot and wild. If they thought they could get away with this, I’d make sure their wedding was destroyed.
I arrived at the wedding fashionably late, making sure to grab everyone’s attention the moment I walked in.
"Is that a wedding dress?" someone whispered.
"It can’t be," another voice murmured.
"Wait... look at her neck! Is that... the Cartier necklace?"
"The limited-edition one? There were only three made!"
"The last time anyone saw it, the Lady of the Whitaker Clan was wearing it. Who is she?"
"Sorry I’m late," I said, smoothly making my way to the front where Ginger and Daniel stood. I tilted my head slightly, meeting Ginger’s glare with a small, knowing smile. "Wouldn’t miss your big day for anything. Wishing you both the best."