Chapter 2

"Julian, I already know my place. I don't want to marry you anymore. My wedding is in three days. Be sure to come for a drink."

With that, I pulled an invitation from my bag and dropped it onto the table.

He chuckled arrogantly. "Fiona, you really will stoop to anything just to force me into marriage, won't you? You think pulling a cheap stunt like this is going to fool me?"

"You're obsessed with me. Do you really expect me to believe this?"

Looking at his smug, confident face—so sure that I would never stop loving him—a wave of bitter cold washed over me.

The Julian who once drove fifty miles in the middle of the night just to light up the city skyline with fireworks for my birthday was gone. He had vanished into thin air along with those fleeting sparks.

I stayed silent.

There was truly nothing left to say between us.

The room fell dead silent.

Suddenly, a sweet, high-pitched voice chimed in from behind him. "Julian! I knew you'd be here!"

Everyone turned around. The moment Julian saw Rachel, his eyes lit up.

Rachel's gaze landed on the invitation on the table. "Were you guys talking about marriage? Julian, are you and Fiona getting married?"

"Rachel, don't be silly. If I were getting married, you'd be the first to know."

Julian took Rachel's hand and patted her head affectionately, completely ignoring me, his actual girlfriend.

"How could that be? Even if you did, Fiona would definitely be the first to know, not me."

"Hey, Rachel, that's not true," one of Julian's friends spoke up, picking up the invitation. "Fiona claims this invitation belongs to her. She says she's getting married in three days, but none of us knew anything about it."

"Fiona, you're getting married?" Rachel put on a delicate, concerned expression. "I mean, as Julian’s friend, I should congratulate you. But you're still Julian's girlfriend. Isn't this totally humiliating for him? If word gets out, how is Julian supposed to show his face?"

In the past, I would have immediately defended myself, terrified Julian would think I betrayed him. But now, all I felt was relief. Relief that I had seen through him before making the mistake of a lifetime.

I looked at Rachel with icy eyes. "Does he even care about his dignity?"

"Everyone in our circle knows he has a girlfriend, yet he’s always flirting and tangled up with another woman. You want me to give him face? Did he ever give himself any?"

Rachel’s expression froze, her face draining of color.

The room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Suddenly, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

It was an unknown number.

Looking at the last few digits, I recognized it as the number my mother had sent me for my arranged fiancé.

My heart skipped a beat.

Taking a deep breath, I answered. "Okay. I'll head over to City Hall right now."

The moment I hung up, the room burst into mock applause and laughter. "Fiona, wow, you're really committed to the act! Tell us, how much did you pay that fake caller?"

"I'm not joking with you. You have the invitation. Whether it's fake or not, you'll see in three days."

Julian still didn't buy it. He picked up the invitation, inspecting it closely. "Pretty realistic. Looks just like the real deal."

Just then, his buddy pointed at the card. "Julian, look! The venue on the invitation... isn't that your family's property?"

"The Crescent Hotel! It really is!"

"With her background, how could she ever afford to book The Crescent Hotel without you?"

"Julian, she's trying so hard to get us to show up. Don't tell me she's planning to trap you there and force you into a wedding in front of everyone's parents!"

Julian's brows furrowed, his face darkening with disgust. "Fiona, if you're going to fake something, at least use your brain. Booking my family's luxury hotel and dropping a blank invitation to lure me there? Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"Let me tell you, the more desperate you act, the more disgusted I feel. I would never marry someone like you just to make myself sick."

Rachel chimed in softly, playing the innocent victim. "Fiona, you can't rush these things. If I made you feel insecure and pushed you to do something so extreme just to marry Julian, then I apologize. Please don't pressure him. I promise I'll keep my distance from him from now on."

"Rachel, this has nothing to do with you," Julian cut her off firmly. "She's just throwing a tantrum. You don't need to apologize to someone like her."