Chapter 2Wearing My Rival's Ring

“You know what? I’ll tell you what we’ll do,” Blake continued, a cruel grin spreading across his face. “Gus can marry you. Yeah. That way, we can all still hang out sometimes. Keep you from going crazy when you can’t see me.”

He shoved a short, heavyset guy with a face full of acne forward. “He’s a man, isn’t he? You should be grateful anyone wants you. Stop pretending you have options.”

He watched me then, his eyes alight with a sick curiosity, waiting for my reaction. So, he knew. He knew how I felt, and he was using it to wound me.

I recognized the man—Gus. One of Blake’s sycophants. He’d just gotten out of jail a few days ago, served a few years for what he did to that girl from state college. And Blake, in some twisted attempt to prove his loyalty to Chloe, was trying to pawn me off on him.

My fists clenched at my sides.

“No, thank you. My fiancé is on his way.”

For a second, they were all stunned into silence. Then, a wave of derisive laughter broke over the plaza. Gus laughed so hard that tears streamed down his pimpled cheeks, looking at me like I was a lunatic.

Blake waved the drones closer, directing them to focus tightly on my face. “Everyone get a good look! Remember this face. This is our city’s one and only Desperate Bride.” He shook his head, feigning pity. “Ava, are you delusional? Has wanting to get married finally broken your brain?”

I saw Gus holding up his phone, the camera pointed at me. A live chat was scrolling rapidly on his screen, a torrent of digital venom.

[OMG, this is so cringe. Showing up in a dress and ring to force a guy’s hand?]

[Anyone in the chat wanna claim her? If you like ‘em easy, here’s your chance.]

[This kind of girl is too much drama. Pass. Maybe for 100 bucks a night to help her out since her family’s broke lol. Support small business!]

Gus grinned, flashing a set of yellowed teeth as he read the comments aloud.

The humiliation was so public that even my father saw the news from the county jail. He called, his voice a furious rasp through the phone.

“Our family would rather starve to death than pull a stunt like this! What is wrong with you, going to City Hall and making a spectacle of yourself? Have you lost your mind?” he yelled. “Chloe has a real, respectable career! What do you have? How dare you even think you can compete with her!”

I’ll admit it. At first, my reason for wanting to marry Blake was tied to my family’s situation. That’s why I had let him humiliate me, time and time again. Even when I knew his marriage proposals were just ploys to appease Chloe and give her material for her sensationalist stories, I kept showing up.

In the beginning, I would get angry.

“It’s just a joke, Ava,” he’d say, his eyes cold. “Don’t be so sensitive.”

Eventually, I just went numb.

I always knew his friends looked down on me, saw me as a desperate clinger. In the past, Blake would have defended me, ready to fight anyone who said a bad word. Now, he was the one leading the charge, orchestrating my mockery for Chloe’s amusement. And this time, as if the private cruelty wasn't enough, he’d invited the whole city to watch.

The irony was, I’d known Blake longer than he’d known Chloe. The three of us grew up together, and for years, Blake couldn’t stand her. He used to say she was a phony, too calculating. But somewhere along the line, that changed. He started choosing her, over and over again, leaving me behind.

Last year, for his birthday, I took time off work and flew in from out of state to surprise him. I spent three days and three nights in the freezing cold, setting up a huge outdoor party. My hands were swollen and raw by the end of it. But then, in the middle of the party, Blake got down on one knee in front of Chloe and declared his undying love for her.

I stood in the snow, the tears freezing on my cheeks. Everyone cheered for them, a happy, roaring crowd. I was just outside the circle of their warmth, a lonely joke on the edge of their joy.