Chapter 4

Under the pitying and surprised gaze of the receptionist, I dragged my heavy gown back to my hotel room.

I washed off my makeup and struggled out of the wedding dress.

Collapsing onto the bed, I stared at the blank white ceiling, feeling completely detached.

How did everything fall apart so fast?

Just last night, in this very bed, I was too excited to sleep.

I opened my phone. Lily had just posted on her Instagram.

"Just to make sure certain people don't get triggered again, here's a quick video for everyone! This is purely a fun practice run. Ethan and I did absolutely nothing out of line!"

The video was a clip of the ceremony.

Like a masochist, I clicked play.

I watched Lily, dressed in a gorgeous white gown, walking gracefully toward Ethan amidst the applause of friends and family.

They stood before the officiant, vowing to never part, until death do them part.

Then they exchanged rings, locking their fingers together.

I let out a bitter, hollow laugh.

They did everything except kiss.

And yet, they had the nerve to tell me they didn't cross any lines.

Lily's Instagram updates came fast and furious.

They showed her raising a glass to his parents, receiving welcome-to-the-family checks, pouring the champagne tower, and listening to the parental speeches...

Without realizing it, they had gone far beyond the "simple walk down the aisle" Ethan had promised me.

Only after the bouquet toss did Ethan finally send me a lazy text.

"Are you at the hotel? Wait in the dressing room for a bit. Lily was having so much fun, so she ended up doing the rest of the ceremony too."

"Don't be mad. Just think of this as your apology for making her cry earlier."

The dressing room was literally two doors down from the main ballroom.

Yet, he didn't even bother to walk over and check on me.

I didn't reply.

Instead, I took a screenshot from the corner of Lily's video. It was a picture of a smashed, ruined wedding cake. I sent it to him.

"Why did you let her touch my cake?"

"It's just a cake, Hazel. Don't make a big deal out of it. I'll have the hotel buy another one."

I bit my lip until it went pale.

"Did you forget everything you promised me?"

Why? Why did my heart still hurt so much when I was already this disappointed?

My dream wedding dress, which I had visited over a dozen boutiques to find, was ruined when Lily secretly tried it on and ripped the seams. Ethan said, "It's just a dress, let's get another one."

The beautiful garden chapel I had picked was secretly changed by Lily into a fantasy-themed indoor ballroom. Ethan said, "Let's go with her choice, she has better taste."

Near the end of the wedding planning, my only demand was that I make the wedding cake myself.

As a pastry chef, this was my ultimate dream.

Back then, Lily hadn't returned to the country yet.

Ethan had stood in front of my newly opened bakery, gently pinching my nose.

"My girl is so easy to please."

"Fine. On our wedding day, I'll personally make sure every single guest finishes their slice and writes a 500-word review for our master chef."

I had laughed and thrown myself into his arms.

"Shut up!"

I kept rewinding the video, watching that short clip.

The cake I had spent days preparing at the hotel kitchen was hacked into pieces.

Before I could even have a single bite, Lily had smashed a handful of it onto the face of one of Ethan's friends.

The crowd roared with laughter, playfully smearing frosting all over each other.

My dream was trampled to the ground, smeared on the walls, and thrown into the trash.

Ethan's reply paused for a few seconds.

When the next message popped up, it stabbed right into my heart.

"Hazel, don't be so ungrateful."

"It's just a cake. Why are you being so petty? None of your family members even showed up today. Lily had to ask her own friends to be your bridesmaids just to save you some face."

The old scar was ripped wide open.

I tapped my screen so hard it almost cracked.

"Why my parents refused to come? Aren't you the one who knows why best?!"

He went silent.

The pain I had buried deep inside rushed back, settling heavy in my lower abdomen.

I remembered that day. The floor covered in bright red blood. The tearing, agonizing pain.

In my panic, I had dialed the number of the person I trusted most.

The moment the call went through, a loud, bratty female voice shrieked on the other end.

"Hey, Mr. Busy Man! You promised to spend the whole day with me today! Turn off your phone, no taking calls!"

Then came the loud music of the amusement park parade, followed by a sharp click.

He hung up on me.

And I lost my baby.