Chapter 1

I was standing in a wedding dress when Braxton's best friend tagged me in the group chat.

"Cielo. Invitations go out day after tomorrow. You still haven't noticed the bride's name isn't yours?"

I stared at my reflection. White lace. Fitted bodice. My mind went blank for a second.

Then Braxton's childhood friend jumped in with a voice message.

"I bet Braxton you wouldn't figure it out till you saw the invite. He switched the bride's name to Kinsley."

"Cielo, babe, your head's way too far in the clouds. Tell him to fix it. Or is this wedding not happening?"

I pulled the dress off slowly. A cold wave crawled up my spine.

Kinsley was Braxton's first love. The untouchable dream girl of their circle.

But marrying me—that was the vow Braxton swore in front of both families. He pushed for it. Promised it.

And somewhere between booking the venue and choosing the flowers, my dignity became their bet.

"Braxton, you absolute bastard. I bet she breaks down."

"I bet she pretends she didn't see it. Loser covers all the booze for next month's yacht party."

My phone lit up with a notification. Special follow.

Kinsley had posted photos in a limited-edition wedding gown.

*Shoutout to someone who pulled three all-nighters and called in every favor to get me my dream dress. You made my wish come true.*

Braxton replied with a heart emoji.

I tapped the post. Liked it.

Then I deleted the wedding planning group, climbed into my secondhand Jeep, and pointed it west.

No wedding. Time to see what was out there.

***

The cold boutique lights glared off the mirror. I gathered the skirt carefully and handed it back to the shop assistant.

She was already walking toward me with the alteration clipboard, her professional smile freezing mid-step.

I looked at the white fabric in her hands. "No alterations. The wedding's canceled. Give the dress to the next bride."

The assistant stood there, clutching the contract. "Miss Cielo, cancellation means a thirty percent penalty. And the deposit is non-refundable."

I pulled my card from my bag. Pressed down on the pen. "Charge whatever you need to. Don't contact Braxton again. Don't contact my parents."

I walked out. The sun hit so hard my vision went white. My phone buzzed. The wedding planner. Asking about the flower wall color scheme.

I leaned against the guardrail and started canceling. Hotel. Planner. Makeup artist. Car service. Penalty after penalty stacked up. Nearly five thousand dollars gone.

The planner's voice went hesitant. "Miss Cielo, does Mister Braxton know? He called us this morning. Asked us to switch the bride's name card to Miss Kinsley. Said it was just a joke."

I stared at the confirmation screen. Spoke quietly. "He likes games. Let him plan his own wedding."

My mother's call shoved its way through.

She kept her voice low but couldn't hide the pride leaking through.

"Cielo, Braxton sent over these luxury gift baskets. All my friends are dying of jealousy."

"He says he's going to give you a wedding you'll remember forever. Stop being so stubborn. Men go wild before the wedding. It's normal. What matters is he's marrying *you* in the end. Don't you go making me lose face."

I asked her, "Mom. What if the invitation doesn't have my name on it?"

She paused. Her voice dropped hard. "Don't talk nonsense. A man like Braxton choosing you—do you know how lucky you are? Don't blow this up over something small. Don't make this impossible to fix."

I smiled a little. "Got it. Make sure you keep those gifts safe."

I hung up and called Braxton.

The second he picked up, Kinsley's soft giggle slid into my ear first.

Someone shouted in the background. "Braxton, Cielo's checking up on you. Better sweet-talk her fast. Don't let her talk the wedding into a grave."