Chapter 1

At the wedding reception, my bride was suddenly dragged into a corner by her childhood friend. He ripped open her wedding dress.

The guests gasped, a ripple of shocked whispers spreading through the room.

My mother, furious, collapsed.

I lunged, grabbing that jerk, Brandon, by the collar, ready to smash his face in. But my wife, Chloe, blocked me.

"Liam, what the hell is wrong with you?! He's just having an episode; I'm saving him!"

"What kind of episode needs you to take off your clothes to 'save' him? Have you no shame?"

Chloe shot back, her voice dripping with indignation:

"You clueless bumpkin, you don't even know what 'skin hunger syndrome' is, and you're so petty. How could I have ever married a man like you?"

I pulled off my wedding ring and flung it at her face.

"Fine! Then don't!"

The wedding, thanks to that little incident, became an even livelier affair.

"Hahaha, I've never seen anything so ridiculous in my life."

"Did you guys see it? I almost caught a glimpse of the bride's... you know."

"If Liam had any guts, he would have slapped both of them right then and there."

The humiliating chatter in my ears grew louder, my anger soaring higher and higher.

*Smack!*

"How dare you be angry? If you hadn't been so impulsive, everyone wouldn't have found out about Brandon's condition."

"You made him lose face!"

Just as I was on the verge of exploding with rage, Chloe not only showed no remorse but raised her hand and slapped me.

I touched the stinging red mark on my cheek, a bitter, desolate laugh escaping me.

She could care about Brandon's feelings, but never mine.

What was I even doing with a woman like this?

My dignity, my face, she had trampled it underfoot, grinding it into the dirt.

From this moment on, everyone in the city would know that I, Liam, had been publicly betrayed by my own wife at my wedding.

I tore off my groom's suit and flung it onto Brandon, who had just managed to stand up.

"Since you can't ever forget him, fine. I sincerely wish you two an eternity together. I'm making way for you."

"What are you talking about?"

Chloe clutched Brandon tightly, glaring at me with cold fury.

If she understood why I was angry, she wouldn't be holding Brandon so intimately right now.

His hand was still wrapped tightly around her waist.

And Chloe didn't seem to find anything wrong with it, tacitly approving his shameless behavior.

I realized then that this probably wasn't the first time something like this had happened.

I knew they'd grown up together, but this "friendship" had clearly crossed every line imaginable.

I would never, ever accept a woman who used her body to "save" a man suffering from "skin hunger syndrome."

"Can't you tell? I'm letting *you* have the wedding!"

"Your love is just *so* touching. Even as adults with your own families, you're still ridiculously devoted to your 'friend.' If I don't back out, I'm a pathetic fool."

I glanced at Chloe's darkening face. Her hands instinctively balled into fists.

That was her signal of displeasure. Usually, when she made that gesture, I'd compromise.

"So you're trying to publicly humiliate me, huh?"

Before I could react, she snatched a wine glass from the table and hurled it at my head.

I couldn't dodge in time. The glass smashed against me, leaving a throbbing welt.

"You're disgusting! Utterly heartless..."

"You say I'm heartless? Fine. What would you do if I publicly embraced another woman?"

"You can worry about Brandon, but what about me and my mother? She's passed out because of you!"

"And you've utterly shamed me!"