Chapter 1

On the eve of our wedding, I heard my fiancé's conspiracy on the dashcam.

He said marrying me was just to spite my ex, and that he planned to publicly call off the wedding during the city-wide live broadcast, utterly ruining me.

He thought I was still kept in the dark, eagerly looking forward to being the most beautiful bride.

Little did he know, I had already swapped the wedding reception's VCR video with that very recording—along with all the evidence of his infidelity.

In seven days, I was going to marry Austin Miller.

Word in our social circle was that I had hit the jackpot, going from Julian Rivers's desperate simp to Austin Miller's cherished darling.

Even I had started to believe it.

Over the past few years, Austin had treated me like royalty.

He would drive halfway across the city through torrential rain just to bring me hot porridge, and he would cancel nine-figure business deals to stay by my side when I had period cramps.

He once said, "Shannon, I'm going to give you a wedding of the century to shut everyone up."

I believed him.

Until ten minutes ago, when I received a text from him.

[Babe, I had someone drop off the dashcam SD card at home. Could you export the fender bender footage and send it to the insurance company for me?]

Immediately after, a voice message followed: "Thanks for the hard work, Mrs. Miller. I'll take you out for French cuisine tonight."

Smiling, I replied with an [Okay], inserted the card into my computer, and loaded it up.

I quickly found the video.

After dealing with the accident, Austin hadn't headed to the office; instead, he had picked up two of his childhood buddies.

Just as I was about to close the window, a teasing laugh came through the speakers.

"Austin, that female driver's eyes were practically glued to you back there. If your wife-to-be found out, wouldn't she blow a gasket from jealousy?"

My hand paused over the mouse.

I expected to hear Austin's usual doting defense.

"Jealous?"

Austin's voice was as cold as ice, accompanied by the crisp flick of a lighter. "Her head is completely filled with thoughts of being the most beautiful bride. She doesn't have time to be jealous."

The smile froze on my face.

The conversation inside the car continued, every single word cutting like a knife.

"Just to piss off Julian, is dropping millions on this wedding really worth it?"

"What if Shannon refuses to let go of you when the time comes? After all, you two have been sleeping together for four years."

On screen, Austin exhaled a ring of smoke, blurring his handsome profile.

But it didn't blur the sheer callousness in his eyes.

"Spending a few million to see Julian looking like he's at a funeral? That's a bargain."

He gave a soft chuckle, as if discussing some worthless trinket. "The higher you hoist someone, the harder they fall. On the day of the wedding, I'll announce game over in front of the entire city."

"Julian's face will be priceless."

A malicious burst of laughter erupted from the men in the car.

"Then what about Shannon? Getting jilted on a city-wide live broadcast—won't her life be completely ruined?"

Austin flicked his cigarette ash, indifferent:

"It's an adult game. She's the fool here. Who else can she blame?"

The video abruptly ended.

Dead silence fell over the study.

I sat paralyzed in my chair, the blood in my veins turning to ice.

So those four years of devotion were nothing more than an elaborate, premeditated pig-butchering scam.

My stomach churned violently.

I rushed into the bathroom and dry-heaved over the toilet, but nothing came up.

Tears splashed onto the floor, only to be wiped away viciously.

*Shannon, don't cry.*

*He's a piece of scum. He's not worth it.*

I splashed cold water over my face and stared at my pale reflection in the mirror.

If thrills are what you want, I'll give you everything you asked for.

I walked back to the computer. My hands were still shaking, but my eyes had turned freezing cold.

I backed up the five-minute conspiracy in the car, along with the accident footage, onto my cloud drive.

Then, I clipped only the accident portion and sent it to the insurance adjuster.

[Ms. Vance: Sent it over.]

The adjuster replied instantly: [Received! Wishing you and Mr. Miller a very happy marriage!]

Happy marriage?

Ha.

My phone screen lit up, Austin's message popping up:

[Babe, did you send the video? I'm coming home to pick you up soon. Wear that red dress tonight, you look gorgeous in it.]

I stared at that familiar avatar, my knuckles turning white from clenching the phone.

Finally, I texted back two words:

[Sent it.]

Putting down my phone, I walked into the walk-in closet.

The red dress hung in the most prominent spot, air-shipped by him from Paris just last week.

He said that only my fair skin could do justice to such a vibrant red.

Memories instantly flashed back to that stormy night four years ago.

Julian Rivers had tossed the birthday gift I bought him straight into the trash, mocking me in front of everyone: "Shannon, do you not understand what 'get lost' means? Looking at you makes me sick."

The whole room burst into mocking laughter. I was humiliated, standing there like a clown.

It was Austin Miller who stepped out from the corner, draping his suit jacket over my shoulders and shielding me from those humiliating stares.

"Come with me," he said. "I'll take you home."

That night, I thought he was my salvation.

Only now did I realize that every single bit of it had been a lie.