Chapter 1

I used to follow a low-profile, cozy couple's account online.

It documented all the little moments between the guy and his girlfriend.

They would bicker over sharing a single bowl of takeout noodles, only to laugh and call each other overgrown toddlers.

They would hold each other tight under a starry sky on a mountaintop, wishing time would freeze right there.

Even though the creator never showed his face, I found myself genuinely moved by his captions.

Until the day before my wedding, when the account posted an update.

[Ten years of loving each other ends today.]

[From now on, she’s his wife, and I’m just his best friend.]

[This account won't be updating anymore. Wishing my best friend and the woman he loves a lifetime of happiness.]

Attached was a photo showing the backs of my fiancé and me.

That picture was taken last week at the bridal boutique.

Ethan was adjusting my tuxedo collar, rambling on and on with a smile on his face.

In the mirror, he looked even happier than I did, as if he were the one walking down the aisle.

"Liam, man, you clean up so nice. That's my boy."

His voice cracked slightly. "Chloe is one lucky girl."

Chloe was sitting a few feet away, adjusting her veil.

Hearing her name, she looked up and offered a soft, gentle smile.

Yet, for some reason, that smile felt strained.

"You're being dramatic," I said, swatting his hand away playfully.

"If you hadn't dragged me here, I probably would’ve just rented whatever off the rack."

"No way!" Ethan's eyes went wide.

"This is my best friend's once-in-a-lifetime wedding! You can't just settle!"

He turned to Chloe. "Right?"

Chloe set down her veil, walked over, and naturally slipped her hand into mine.

"Of course he can't. My Liam looks amazing in everything."

"Though this one really does suit you perfectly."

She looked me up and down, her voice sweet and shy, her eyes glowing with admiration.

Before we headed out for the venue photoshoot, Ethan suddenly snapped a photo of us.

The shutter sound echoed in the room. I turned to look at him, but he just laughed and said he wanted a candid memory.

The night before the wedding, at my bachelor party, I got completely wasted. Ethan immediately stepped in to take care of me.

When Chloe arrived to pick me up, he was gently dabbing my forehead with a cold, damp towel.

"Leave Liam to me," he told Chloe. "Tonight's his bachelor party. The bride-to-be shouldn't be crashing this."

Chloe stood by the doorway, not taking another step inside.

Her gaze rested on Ethan, heavy and unreadable.

I leaned back on the couch, watching them through a drunken blur.

"Chloe..." I mumbled her name.

Only then did she look at me, walking over to wrap her arms around me. "Why did you drink so much?"

Ethan grinned. "Because he's getting married! He's happy!"

"Back in college, Liam always swore that whenever he got married, he'd get completely trashed at his bachelor party. Tonight, he finally made it happen."

I had indeed said that, while watching a romantic movie with Ethan years ago.

Back then, we promised we’d be each other's best man.

When I started dating, that promise never changed.

Chloe gently helped me up and looked at Ethan. "Thanks for taking care of him."

"Always," Ethan's voice dropped, barely audible. "After all... this is the last time."

I was so drunk that I didn't catch the hidden weight in his words.

It wasn't until the next morning, waking up with a splitting headache in the hotel, that my phone buzzed with an Instagram notification from that couple's account.

I groggily tapped on the post.

In that exact second, my hangover vanished into ice-cold shock.