Bachelor partyChapter 1
At my bachelorette party, the night before my wedding, I saw my fiancé passionately kissing another woman.
The woman was someone I knew well. She was the same girl who had been moved to tears at our wedding rehearsal when my fiancé and I embraced each other.
"Really? Does comforting her childhood sweetheart require such a sacrifice?"
Tomorrow was supposed to be my wedding day with James Kushner. According to tradition, we weren't supposed to see each other tonight.
We had agreed to each invite a few close friends and have separate bachelorette and bachelor parties to celebrate our last night of freedom.
We chose the same place for our parties in a weird twist of fate.
Trusting that we would respect each other's space, I didn't think much of it until I had too many drinks and turned around to see James making out with another woman. My first reaction was to slap myself awake, hoping it was just the alcohol.
When the woman's face became clear, I recognized her as James' childhood friend and our wedding planner, Emily Cline.
Suddenly, memories of our wedding rehearsal flashed through my mind. James' tie was crooked, and Emily's lipstick was smudged when she tearfully said, "It's so beautiful. I'm so moved."
No wonder James was so picky about changing planners until Emily was brought on board. No wonder the decorations didn't include his favorite baby blue but a plain sky blue. The floral arch didn't feature the lilies he liked, but common perfume lilies. And when his favorite comedian couldn't be the host, he didn't mind Emily stepping in.
With clarity returning, I pulled out my phone and messaged the bar owner, asking him to save tonight's surveillance footage. I had to thank all the business connections I had made.
When I looked up again, Emily raised her glass in a distant toast to me.
"What nerve she has," I said inwardly.
"Oh, Emily, you should have come back sooner. James has been waiting for you for so long," one of James' friends, now a coworker, said with a smirk.
"Exactly, everyone knew about the beautiful couple from our college days," another chimed in.
"It's a bit of a shame, James' getting married, and the bride isn't Emily," yet another added.
These guys were James' juniors and now worked at the same company. They always respected me before.