Chapter 2I Helped My Fiancé’s Female Best Friend Become the Bride

I didn’t stop packing.

Since I was giving my wedding to Jenna, I figured I should clean up. I took down all of our engagement photos and dumped them in the trash.

As I was leaving with my suitcase, the fight next door had reached a fever pitch.

Jenna’s father was screaming. “Sponsorship? Alex, you bastard, who do you think you are, offering to be my daughter’s sugar daddy?”

“You either marry her, or you get the hell out of my house! Stop making things worse!”

Jenna’s mother spotted me and rushed over, forcing a smile. “Cara, you’re just in time! Come help us talk some sense into Alex! He’s supposed to be marrying you tomorrow, and now he’s talking about sponsoring Jenna. Isn’t that ridiculous?”

She had to know her daughter was in love with Alex. I was done playing her game.

“He’s going to marry her tomorrow,” I said flatly. “I wish them a long and happy life together.”

My directness caught her off guard. The smile had already faltered when she saw my suitcase, and now it collapsed into a mask of contrived sadness.

“Cara, what are you talking about? Isn’t Alex marrying you?” she stammered. “I mean, yes, Jenna has followed him around since they were kids, and they always played house together. We all thought they’d end up married, but… well, now Alex is getting married and Jenna’s still single. Her father and I are just worried sick…”

It was always the same routine. Every time my parents came over to discuss wedding details, Jenna’s parents would start a loud, dramatic fight. Jenna would then run off, orchestrating some new crisis. And her mother would show up at our door, begging for Alex’s help, effectively derailing our plans.

Once or twice might have been a coincidence. But every single time? I wasn’t an idiot.

I was tired of my parents being disrespected. I had decided to break up with him before, but Alex had shown up at my parents’ house with extravagant gifts, literally kneeling and begging for my hand in marriage. He had sworn he would never let me down again.

That was less than two months ago.

I stared at Jenna’s mother, my voice sharp. “Aren’t you all tired of this act? Your daughter is getting married tomorrow. You should go home and decorate.”

Her eyes met mine, and for a moment, she was speechless. But as I turned to leave, she suddenly collapsed onto the ground, crying out in pain.

“Oh, my back! It hurts so much!”

The shouting next door stopped instantly, as if on cue. The three of them rushed out and surrounded her. Alex’s face was a mask of panic, and I remembered how calm he had been when my own mother was in the hospital after a real car accident.

He loved them like his own. He clearly cared more about Jenna’s mother than mine.

I had no interest in their soap opera. I kept walking.

But then, Jenna’s mother pointed a trembling finger at me. “Alex, go get your fiancée! I was just wishing her well, and I don’t know what I said, but she got so angry she pushed me over… Oh, I think my back is broken!”

A family of world-class manipulators. Every last one of them. And Alex fell for it every time.

He lunged at me, his fingers digging into my arm. “Cara, have you not caused enough trouble?”