Chapter 1

That was supposed to be one of the most anticipated days of my life—the wedding of my best friend, Sarah.

But when I put on my bridesmaid dress, she called me a bitch.

"Get out." Sarah looked at me like I was trash.

"I don't want to see you at my wedding."

I stood frozen in place, staring down at the broken Cartier bracelet she had given me, now lying scattered on the floor.

——

"Chloe! You made it!" Sarah waved excitedly.

"Hurry, go to the back room and change into the bridesmaid dress! I can't wait to see how it looks on you!"

Thrilled, I stepped into the fitting room and slipped into the expensive, champagne-colored silk gown.

Sarah and I had picked it out together—its cut was understated and elegant.

To match it, I grabbed the Cartier bracelet Sarah had personally clasped around my wrist at the rehearsal dinner last night, carefully adjusting its position.

Even though a severe bout of seasonal allergies had left me with practically zero sense of smell lately, I still reached for my perfume out of habit, spritzing a little on my wrists.

"Ready, Sarah? Ta-da—"

I pulled back the fitting room curtain and stepped out with a beaming smile.

Sarah turned around, her eyes instantly lighting up.

"Oh my God, Chloe!" She clasped her hands over her chest, not holding back her praise. "You look absolutely gorgeous in that dress! Come on, give me a twirl!"

Delighted, I lifted the silk hem and did a gentle spin on the spot.

"Perfect. It is so absolutely perfect." Sarah's smile was radiant.

I stopped spinning and, without hesitation, opened my arms wide, stepping forward to give her a massive hug.

But the second I got close to her, her smile instantly froze.

She violently recoiled, her back slamming hard against the vanity table. Several bottles of foundation tipped over with a heavy clatter.

"Sarah? What's wrong?" I froze in place, my open arms hanging awkwardly in the air.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed, thoroughly hysterical.

"Get back! Chloe, get the hell back!"

The makeup artist, who had been fixing the veil nearby, whipped her head around at the noise.

In almost the exact same second, her face twisted into the identical expression as Sarah's—pure terror and extreme repulsion.

Turning ashen, the makeup artist dropped her brush on the floor and scrambled backward into the furthest corner of the room. "Oh my God..."

I was completely dumbfounded. My mind went blank.

I rushed over to the full-length mirror nearby, staring hard at my own reflection.

No stains. The zipper was perfectly intact. There wasn't even a noticeable wrinkle on the silk skirt.

What exactly was wrong? Why were they reacting so violently?

But my dress was clearly understated... Was it this gold Cartier bracelet? Was it too flashy? Had I crossed the line and stolen the bride's thunder?!

"Sarah, are you feeling sick?" I forced down the rising panic and hurriedly reached to undo the clasp on my wrist. "Is this too much? If it's the bracelet, I'll take it off right now. I just wore it because you gave it to me yesterday..."

"I told you to stay away from me!"

The Cartier bracelet dropped onto the carpet.

But Sarah's defensive posture didn't relax in the slightest. Instead, tears of sheer fury spilled out of her eyes. She practically cowered against the edge of the vanity, staring at me as if she were looking at some horrifying monster.

From out in the hallway, the faint, melodic notes of an organ drifted in. The bells to start the ceremony were about to ring; we were running out of time.

"You think this is about a damn bracelet?!" Sarah was shaking all over, glaring daggers at me. "You know exactly what sick thing you did!"

"What? What are you talking about?" I was hyperventilating now, a helpless, choking panic gripping my heart. "I have no idea what riddles you're playing at! Sarah, we've been best friends for ten years—"

"Security! Get security in here!"

The bridal suite door violently swung open, and two burly security guards barged in.

"Sarah, you can't do this! The wedding is about to start!" I struggled desperately, reaching out to grab the hem of her dress. "I'm your only bridesmaid, how can I not be at your wedding?!"

"Throw her out! Right now!" Sarah didn't show even a fraction of a second of changing her mind. She pointed an accusing finger at me, her voice cracking into a hoarse shriek. "I don't want to see her at my wedding for another second!"

The two guards clamped down on my arms tight, one on each side, forcibly dragging me out the door.

As we reached the entrance of the main chapel, one of the guards shoved me hard out the doorway. He instantly let go of me, aggressively wiping his palms down the sides of his uniform pants as though he had just touched something infectious.

"Get lost," he spat through gritted teeth. "Absolutely disgusting."

Those were the last words I heard as I was dragged out of the church.

I was tossed out the heavy doors like a bag of trash.

Fully dressed in my elegant gown, I tumbled onto the freezing stone steps, scraping my knees raw.

The arriving guests hurried their steps, giving me a wide, wide berth as they walked past.