Isla Simmons's POV
My phone vibrated all night long. I didn't answer any calls, just stared numbly at the ceiling. The first rays of dawn spilled in. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, but right now, there was only coldness.
Urgent knocking came from the door. Then, the sound of a key turning in the lock.
Harding pushed the door open, leading a team of florists and makeup artists. He was wearing a brand-new white shirt, acting as if nothing had happened last night.
"Isla, what are you doing?" he asked impatiently. "The makeup artist will be here any second, you need to get ready."
I slowly sat up from the bed. "Harding, I told you last night. The wedding is canceled."
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Stop messing around! You can't break the contract a few hours before the wedding. You have to think about the guests, the expenses, and our reputation!"
"Your reputation?" I scoffed. "Didn't you lose your reputation when you cheated with my best friend for four years and had a baby with her?"
"That's not fair! It's complicated. Camilla is in poor health, and she just had a baby." He raised his volume.
"So I should just pretend nothing happened, marry you, and fulfill this ridiculous fairy tale?"
"We will fix this! You're just too emotional right now." He took a step forward, stubbornly insisting.
Just then, the main door was pushed open violently. Camilla stood there panting, pale-faced, hair messy, wearing loose casual clothes. Her eyes were red and swollen, and a frantic desperation filled her gaze.
"Isla!" She rushed over, trying to grab my hand. "Please listen to me, it's not what you think!"
I dodged her touch with disgust. "Then what is it? You slept with my fiancé and had his child. What else am I supposed to think?"
"No! It was a terrible mistake!" she cried and begged.
"A four-year mistake? Camilla, is that newborn baby at the 'Serenity Postpartum Care Center' a mistake too?"
She jerked her head up, shocked that I knew such specific details, while Harding stood to the side, looking guilty.
"How long have you been lying to me? Was there ever a single ounce of truth in our friendship?"
She couldn't make a sound, only shaking her head through her tears.
At that moment, I caught sight of the gold bracelet on her wrist. It was exactly the same as the one Harding gave me for our fifth anniversary—he had sworn it was a one-of-a-kind design.
I suddenly remembered two years ago, when Harding lost the leather bracelet I gave him and replaced it with a new one. Right now, on his other hand, he was wearing the matching couple's bracelet to Camilla's.
It turned out he had already built a parallel reality for them long ago, and I was nothing but the smokescreen.
Camilla was sobbing and trembling all over. Harding immediately walked over and pulled her into his arms, gently stroking her hair. He didn't dare look at me, but his eyes were full of heartache for her.
My gaze fell on the expensive limited-edition diaper bag on Camilla's shoulder.
"Harding, how much money have you spent on this secret life?" My voice was freezing, almost broken. "Am I just the cheap spare tire you kept around for stability?"
"Enough, Isla!" Harding finally roared at me. "You're going too far! Camilla is very fragile right now, and you're agitating her!"
"I'm agitating her?" I laughed out of sheer anger. "You two betrayed me, and somehow I've become the villain?"
I stood up, forcing my trembling legs to walk toward the door. I had to leave this suffocating room.
Just as I reached the entryway, the door was pushed open again. Karen Frank stood there in an elegant suit. She glared at me sternly. "What is going on here? The wedding cars will be here any minute, why aren't you dressed yet?"
"There won't be any wedding cars, Karen. The wedding is canceled."
Karen's eyes widened in disbelief. "Did you just say you canceled the wedding? Do you have any idea how much of a scandal this will cause for Harding?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she finally noticed Camilla, who was sobbing and trembling, curled up in Harding's arms, looking weak and in pain.
Karen's anger vanished instantly. She walked right past me, her eyes full of concern for Camilla.
"Camilla, sweetheart! Why aren't you resting at the retreat center?" Karen exclaimed, then turned to scold Harding. "Why is she so heartbroken? What did Isla do to her now?"
Watching this utterly absurd scene, my heart turned completely cold. Harding, Camilla, his mother—they were all accomplices.
