Chapter 1

While I was trying on my wedding dress, Julian’s best friend suddenly tagged me on Snapchat:

"Stella, the invitations are shipping the day after tomorrow. Have you noticed the bride’s name isn’t yours yet?"

Looking at myself in the mirror, draped in the pure white gown, my mind went entirely blank.

The next second, a voice note from Julian’s childhood buddy, Carter, popped up in the group:

"I bet Julian a grand that you wouldn't notice until you got the physical invite. He changed the bride's name to Melody."

"You’re way too carefree, Stella. Tell Julian to change it back quick, or are we still having a wedding?"

I slowly unzipped the wedding dress, feeling a sudden wave of nausea wash over me.

Melody Evans was Julian’s first love—the legendary "one that got away" in their elite social circle.

Yet, marrying me was a vow Julian had made solemnly in front of both of our families.

And now, during the wedding prep, they were using my self-respect as a pawn for their bets.

"Julian, you’re wicked. I bet she’ll be crying and begging you to take her back once she finds out."

"I bet she won't even dare to lose her temper. Whoever loses pays for next month's yacht party."

Then, a special notification buzzed on my phone.

Melody had posted a photoset on Instagram, wearing a limited-edition wedding gown.

[Thank you for giving me my dream wedding dress, Julian~]

Beneath it, Julian had commented with a red heart emoji.

I calmly tapped the "like" button on her post.

Then, I deleted the Snapchat wedding planning group and booked a one-way ticket to Alaska.

The wedding was off. I’d rather go freeze in the mountain wind to clear my mind and wash the dirt from my eyes.