Chapter 1 My Fiance and My Best Friend

At 10 at night, I unlocked the door and stepped into the house at Derry Garden Residences. As I flipped the light switch, the crystal chandelier in the living room turned on. It cast a soft glow and bounced my reflection onto the floor-to-ceiling windows.

After tonight, this enchanting space was to be our marital home. Liam Mercer, my dashing fiance who worked as a manager, had a kindness in him that left me smitten. I was lucky to be blessed with such a loving man. But according to tradition, we were forbidden from sharing a bed on the eve of our wedding. Liam honored this, opting to stay here while I stayed at the home of my best friend, Summer Hunley.

As I was running through a mental checklist for tomorrow before turning in for the night, a feeling of dread washed over me. I had forgotten my bridal veil. I then decided to sneak into our new place without telling Liam to pick it up and surprise him.

I pondered the journey that lay ahead of us and smiled. A lifetime of happiness awaited, and I was brimming with anticipation. Slipping into my house slippers, I entered the living room just as a woman's moan cut through the silence. Startled, I froze. The bedroom door was cracked open, and the sounds within drifted through the air.

A surge of emotion erupted in my chest. Although my legs felt like lead, a force propelled me toward the source of the noise. Standing by the bedroom door, every intimate sound seemed amplified, hitting me like a sledgehammer.

The door was barely ajar, but with a mere nudge, it swung open.

A jumble of beige high heels and women's belongings lay scattered across the floor. My mind sprinted, piecing together the story these objects hinted at. Burning with suppressed anger and panic, I looked toward the bed, and my heart plummeted. It was as if a dagger had sliced through my soul.

Julia Brooks, my college best friend and the roommate I spent four years with, was tangled in the sheets with Liam, my soon-to-be husband. Her eyes met mine, taunting me, as her moans escalated.

The room seemed to close in on me, and every inhale of breath was agonizing. The man I was about to marry was making love to another woman. Anger and shame rose inside me. I clenched my fist, wrestling the urge to burst in and end their sick affair.

With bedroom eyes and her fingers artfully caressing Liam, Julia asked in a voice that dripped with allure, "Baby, you and Serena will be getting married tomorrow. Don't you feel guilty doing this?"

"Why would I? It's just another night for us. She'll be none the wiser," Liam answered with a low voice.

"What if she finds out? What if she walks in and sees us having fun? Do you think she’ll still marry you?" Julia teased while shooting me a sly smirk.

"She won't come here. And even if she does find out, it's not the end of the world. I’ll just call off the wedding. I don’t want to get married this soon anyway," Liam said nonchalantly without even a pause in his thrusting.

"Then why marry her? We won't be able to see each other as often once you're married.”