Chapter 3Already Married On Your Wedding Day

Stung by my words, the last of his carefully maintained composure shattered. His eyes flared with a humiliated, vicious rage. "Fine, Clara. You want to play tough?" he spat, letting out a bitter laugh. "Let's see how long you can keep this little act up."

"Go ahead. We both know you'll come crawling back to me soon enough."

With that, he spun on his heel and stormed out of the bedroom. A second later, the front door slammed shut so hard the windows rattled.

The apartment fell into a profound, heavy silence.

I stood there for a long time, letting the quiet settle around me. Then, I leaned down and zipped up my suitcase.

The next morning, I called a real estate agent and put the apartment on the market.

We had chosen this place together, but I had paid nearly seventy percent of the down payment, and I had spent months managing the renovations myself. Since the relationship was dead, there was no reason to keep the house.

Shortly after I hung up with the agent, my phone buzzed with a text from Fiona.

Clara, you need to see this.

It was a video file.

The footage was dark and noisy, filmed in some upscale downtown bar.

Austin was sitting at the counter, disheveled, several empty cocktail glasses clustered around him. Amber was pressed close to his side, whispering into his ear with a pout on her lips.

"That ring she’s wearing is so obviously fake. Who is she trying to fool?" Amber’s voice carried over the bass. "You didn't text her for three months, so she panicked. This is just a pathetic attempt to force you into a proposal."

"I knew there was a reason she refused to be a bridesmaid in Jessica's wedding. She’s been planning this dramatic little stunt all along."

The camera shook slightly—Fiona had clearly filmed this from a booth across the room. She followed the video with a barrage of angry texts.

Austin is a total idiot. I cannot believe he falls for her toxic, manipulative garbage.

I watched the video, staring at the smug, self-satisfied look on Amber’s face.

Over the years, nearly every major argument Austin and I had could be traced back to her.

If they crossed boundaries, it was because I was "too uptight."

If she made a cruel comment, it was because she was "just honest and blunt," and I needed to stop taking things so personally.

And Austin always stood right in the middle, telling me to be understanding, reminding me that Amber’s family had deep ties with his, and claiming that once we got married, I would need Amber to help smooth things over with his mother.

But his mother had never wanted me. She had wanted Amber all along.

Thinking about it now, I didn't even feel angry. It was just exhausting.

I closed the video, opened my chat with Fiona, and sent her the digital wedding invitation I had prepared weeks ago.

Underneath, I typed:

Looks like our weddings ended up on the exact same weekend.

I leaned back against the sofa, a soft, genuine smile gracing my face.

This time, I was truly stepping into my own future.

Planning a wedding was far more exhausting than I had anticipated.

The venue, the catering, the guest list... every detail required a dozen tiny decisions.

Fortunately, my partner was incredibly hands-on. He took care of the heavy lifting, ensuring everything was organized to perfection.

Meanwhile, Austin’s life seemed to be continuing without a hitch.

Amber posted constantly on her social media.

Glamping trips, rooftop bars, weekend road trips.

Austin was in almost every single photo.

I glanced at them briefly and swiped past, entirely unaffected.

But today was different.