Get away from these demons.

But I hadn't done anything wrong. Why should I be the one to leave?

I wanted revenge.

I needed to rethink my beliefs and the way I saw things. There was nothing wrong with being sincere and kind. I was a good person.

The next day was the rehearsal. I went home early.

By the time Aidan came to pick me up, I had composed myself. But he still noticed my swollen eyes.

"Did you cry last night?" he asked, leaning in to gently kiss my eyelids.

A wave of nausea washed over me. "I was just missing my mom and dad."

Aidan smiled and knelt to help me change my shoes. "Your parents will be blessing us from heaven."

I looked at the crown of Aidan's head and suddenly had the urge to ask him: If you can't be faithful, why did you want to mate with me? Don't you know I can't tolerate betrayal? When you and Chloe were hooking up behind my back, did you ever think about how devastated I would be if I found out?

In the end, I clenched my jaw and swallowed the words.

Aidan had been ecstatically announcing to everyone that he was going to throw a grand mating ceremony for me.

And I was going to turn this grand ceremony into a spectacular tragedy.

Aidan would be the clown at the center of the stage.

The ceremony rehearsal finished in the afternoon. As we were leaving, I told Aidan and Chloe to wait for me in the car. I went to find my assistant. She was in charge of managing this multi-million dollar ceremony that I had designed. After our talk, she looked troubled, wanting to say something but holding back.

I ignored her. I knew my request was unreasonable. Making such a change at the last minute would affect everything. But I had managed hundreds of weddings and dealt with brides far more demanding than me. Why couldn't I be a demanding bride for once?

When I got back to the car, the driver was gone. Aidan was in the passenger seat, and Chloe was in the back. The atmosphere was as awkward as ever.

I looked mockingly at Chloe's slightly swollen lips. So this is what it looked like when they were blushing… from the excitement of making out behind my back. And I used to naively think they had been arguing.

I slid into the back seat and closed my eyes wearily. "Where's the driver?"

"He went to the restroom," Aidan said. "I'll call and hurry him up."

I hummed softly in response. Aidan turned around and handed me my insulated mug. The scent of soothing pear tea filled the air.

"Tired?" he asked gently. Then he looked at Chloe. "Chloe, you sit up front."

"Oh, don't bother," I said, opening my eyes. I grabbed Chloe's hand and smiled at her. "I have a lot of secrets to tell Chloe."

Aidan frowned. "What secrets could you possibly have that I can't hear?"

My smile widened. "It's all about you, of course. If you heard, you'd probably kick Chloe out of the car."

Aidan snorted. "Listen, Miss Vance, I don't care how unhappy you are with this ceremony. Lia and I are finally getting mated. You should try to be supportive."

Chloe seemed to sense something was wrong and didn't fire back like she usually would. Her face was stiff, and she looked at me with guilt in her eyes.