Chapter 1: The Cruelest Joke

It was the day of my wedding.

I woke up at four in the morning to wait for the makeup artist.

By seven o'clock, no one had shown up.

Panic set in. I called my best friend, Tatum Rhodes.

A burst of laughter came through the receiver.

"Briar, how can you be so clueless?"

"The bachelorette party last night got canceled at the last minute. Everyone went straight to the hotel."

I grabbed my wedding dress and rushed toward the venue.

Sweat soaked my back by the time I arrived.

The hotel was completely empty.

My phone rang again.

It was Tatum.

She stifled a laugh.

"Just pulling your leg. Don't tell me you actually went to the hotel?"

"Destination weddings are the trend right now. We changed the venue to Hawaii ages ago. Everyone is waiting for you at the airport."

I dragged the heavy garment bag and sprinted from one terminal to the next.

I searched the entire departure hall.

I couldn't find a single trace of them.

Right then, a video call popped up from Tatum.

She was laughing so hard she could barely breathe.

"You're way too slow. We went ahead without you!"

"There is no destination wedding. We just wanted to spend a week in Hawaii. We'll throw you a makeup wedding when we get back."

The camera panned.

My fiancé, Hudson Shaw, was pulling her suitcase.

My parents stood right behind them.

Their smiles were brighter than in any family portrait.

Mom noticed my pale face.

She frowned.

"It's just a joke. Why the long face?"

"Tatum is so much fun. Unlike you. You've been a killjoy since you were a kid, always making a mountain out of a molehill."

Hudson draped his jacket over Tatum's shoulders.

He looked into the camera.

"Be a good girl and go home."

"I'll marry you after the trip."

I stared at the smiling faces on the screen.

Suddenly, even asking questions felt pointless.

No anger.

No sorrow.

Only a hollow numbness echoing in my chest.

I typed a message to the wedding planner.

Canceled the entire event.

From now on, I was done playing their twisted games.

The second the call ended, an announcement echoed through the airport.

All flights were grounded due to the hurricane.

Hudson, Tatum, and my parents walked out of the first-class lounge.

Their island getaway had been canceled, too.

Tatum spotted me clutching my wedding dress.

She doubled over with laughter.

"You actually dragged your dress all the way to the airport?"

"Briar, how are you still so gullible?"

My parents chuckled along.

As if waking up at four in the morning, hauling a heavy gown between a hotel and an airport, was just a harmless prank.

Tatum suddenly touched her stomach.

She leaned in with a secretive smile.

"Actually, there's another reason we had to delay your wedding by a week."

"I'm pregnant with Hudson's baby."

The blood drained from my face.

A deafening roar filled my ears.

Tatum kept smiling.

"Almost three months now."

My eyes darted to Hudson.

He didn't deny it.

He just stood there calmly.

Mom even let out a sigh.

"What's done is done. Don't blame Tatum."

"The baby is innocent, after all."

My head buzzed.

I clenched my fists.

My hands shook uncontrollably.

"So, you canceled my wedding to let them get married?"

A brief silence passed.

Then Tatum burst out laughing.

Hudson's lips twitched into a helpless smile.

Even my parents laughed until they gasped for air.

"How did you fall for that again?"

Tatum patted my shoulder.

Tears of amusement formed in her eyes.

"I don't even have a boyfriend. Whose baby could I possibly be carrying?"

"Briar, the look on your face! You looked like you were about to pass out. It was hilarious."

Hudson reached out and tapped her forehead lightly.

"Stop teasing her with things like that."

A tiny sliver of hope sparked in my chest.

Then he frowned at me.

"And you."

"You know Tatum loves to joke around. Why do you take everything so literally?"

Mom waved her hand impatiently.

"Who are you giving that attitude to?"

"You never could take a joke."

"Everyone was having a good time, but you just have to act like a victim."

They knew these words tore me apart.

That was exactly why they never clarified right away.

They wanted to sit back and enjoy my misery.

Just like the past ten years.

The year I took my SATs, Tatum lied and said my testing center had been changed.

I rushed across town in a torrential downpour, only to find out the real location was my original school all along.

The police had to drive me back with sirens blaring.

I sprinted into the exam room at the very last minute.

After the test, everyone crowded around me, laughing.

Mom even lectured me.

"Tatum just wanted to help you relax. Don't ruin the mood."

Even Hudson played along once.

He and Tatum staged a photo using forced perspective to make it look like they were kissing.

When I rushed over in tears, they had already set up a camera to record my reaction.

Every single time, I had to wipe my tears and force a smile just to prove I wasn't a buzzkill.

Slowly, everyone gravitated toward Tatum's fun personality.

They saw me as dull, boring, and overly sensitive.

I used to think that if I just smiled wide enough, I wouldn't be left out.

Today, I finally understood.

Their happiness was entirely built on my suffering.

I pressed a hand to my chest.

Strangely, it didn't hurt anymore.

When disappointment reached its absolute limit, the tears simply stopped.

I just didn't want any of it anymore.