Wedding Day, I Ditched Him For Another

Chapter 3

The second "happy wedding" landed, the other end went quiet. Then Zach's low, husky voice, with a teasing edge. "Anna, what stunt are you pulling now? Without me, who're you going to marry?"

He said it like he was sure of it—like I couldn't possibly manage without him. He'd always been that confident, certain I'd wait right where he left me, forever.

"You don't need to come."

The next second, Vivian's panicked voice broke in. "Zach! The ring's gone! We're about to go up and exchange rings!"

Zach's attention snapped away, and the call was already dead.

When I looked up, I met Tyler's apologetic eyes. "Just now—Zach texted to borrow the ring off your finger. Just for a sec."

Before he could get through the explanation, I'd already slid the ring off. "Wish them a happy wedding for me."

I looked down at that ten-carat ring. Zach had hit every jewelry store in Chicago picking it out. Said I deserved the best. He'd overseen every detail of this wedding himself, too. Did all of it to perfection, flawless. And he was the one handing his first wedding to somebody else.

My ring finger felt bare, just the faint dent from the band still pressed into my skin.

The phone buzzed again. A message from Vivian. In the photo, Zach was down on one knee, sliding a diamond ring onto her finger. Then a close-up of the ringed hand.

Vivian: Anna, Zach has such good taste, the ring's gorgeous! You must be so bored over there by yourself—why not come hang out? I even saved you the bouquet.

I didn't answer. I'd finally seen the two of them clearly—and all that was left was disgust.

Then f*******: updated. Vivian had posted a photo grid. Zach was in every single shot, the two of them looking exactly like a real married couple.

Caption: Thank you for giving me the perfect wedding. Some things are just meant to end up here.

The comments blew up. Mutual friends piled in.

A: [Whoa—is this the wedding?]

B: [You finally went public? I always thought you two were the real couple. I asked you once and you denied it!]

Someone tagged our names. "Isn't Anna getting married today too? I thought it was today?"

I opened my own page and typed a few words. Wedding starts in 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, the cheering from the next hall hadn't let up. Zach had just clinked glasses with Vivian and drunk, then gotten hoisted up by the groomsmen for a groom's game. Vivian laughed so hard she doubled over, filming it on her phone.

Then Tyler suddenly handed Zach a phone. On the screen was the post I'd just put up. Derek leaned in for a look and said, quiet, "Zach—Anna couldn't actually be getting married, could she?"