Chapter 1
Claire's POV
The second the wedding ring was yanked off my finger, dead silence slammed down over the entire wedding venue.
Just a moment later, the buzz of guests gossiping exploded in my ears.
"I heard ages ago the groom never wanted this marriage. He only agreed to hold the wedding after the bride tried to kill herself."
"Really? So they haven't even registered their marriage yet?"
"Yep! That means the groom never loved the bride at all. And she's just as bad, forcing him to marry her against his will."
So even total strangers could see how little he loved me.
I watched Sam walk straight toward Princess, then took the microphone from the officiant's hand.
"Sam, if you go through with this today, we're done. Have you thought this through?"
Sam frowned at me, and the blame burning in his gaze drove a knife straight into my heart.
"Claire, I told you I'd marry you. We're just pushing it back two weeks. Stop being so unreasonable. I lost a game to Princess, and a loss is a loss. You can't expect me to go back on my word and make me a liar, can you?"
I stared hard at his face, and for a second, everything felt fuzzy and unreal.
Did all the promises he made to me mean nothing at all?
He was the one who said he loved me, who said he wanted to build a home with me. He was the one who got down on one knee and begged me to marry him, swore he'd love me for the rest of his life.
But ever since his childhood sweetheart, Princess, came back from studying abroad, I no longer existed in his eyes.
On my birthday, Sam lost a round of their stupid game to her, and he filled our whole house with Casablanca lilies, the flowers I was deathly allergic to. I almost suffocated to death that night.
On our dating anniversary, the man who could outdrink a whole bar couldn't outdrink Princess. He let her text me from his phone, lured me out, and then she drove straight at me. I ended up in the hospital, almost paralyzed for life.
And now, even my own wedding became their stupid little game of truth or dare.
I couldn't hold back my rage any longer. A sharp, mocking smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.
"Sam, ever since Princess came back, you two play these games every single day. Have you ever won once?"
"Do you think I'm blind? Can't you see I know you're losing on purpose, letting her hurt me over and over and over again?"
Sam's brow drew even tighter, like I'd just stabbed him right where it hurt. Annoyance blazed in his eyes.
"Claire, what nonsense are you spouting? I've told you a hundred times, Princess's like my little sister. Why do you keep suspecting me and her?"
Princess's eyes glistened with unshed tears, and she choked out, "Sam and I are just childhood friends, that's all. If there had been anything between us, we would have gotten together ages ago."
I opened my mouth to snap back, but a sharp gasp cut me off. Princess clapped a hand over her mouth, and ugly malice shone bright in her eyes, she didn't even bother hiding it.
"Oh, right, Sam! You lost that game a while back, and you promised I could punish Claire however I wanted. You haven't forgotten, have you?"
Sam reached out to ruffle her hair, a soft smile tugging at his lips. "Of course not. My word is always good with you."
Then he turned to face me, the same warm smile he used to wear when he was coaxing me spreading across his face.
"Claire, you don't want me to break my promise, do you? Just think of this as an apology for falsely accusing Princess earlier, okay?"
"Don't worry. She's just got a playful, childish personality. She'd never actually hurt you."
A sweet, innocent smile spread across Princess's face. She stepped off the stage to the guest dining table below, paused for a split second, then walked back up to the stage with both hands hidden behind her back.
"C'mon, Claire. Sam already promised me this. You wouldn't embarrass him by saying no, would you?"
The words barely left her mouth before she snapped her hands forward. I only then caught sight of the unopened bottle of wine in her grip, and she brought it crashing straight down toward my head.
Turns out when you were staring danger dead in the face, your body would unleash a strength you never even knew you had.
Right now, I couldn't even tell you how I managed to yank the bottle straight out of her grip.
Shocked gasps and shrill cries erupted all around the room, and I twisted the bottle in my grip, swinging it straight back at Princess's head.
