Just as I was about to call Claire, one of the giant decorative posters nearby came loose and crashed down on me.
The call connected at that exact moment.
Hearing my cry of pain, Claire’s voice immediately grew anxious.
"Ethan, what happened? Are you hurt?"
I touched the spot where I’d been hit and felt the blood on my forehead.
"Nothing serious. Just a loose decoration that fell."
"Claire, can you come over right now? I need to talk to you about something."
I wanted to tell her face to face, end things cleanly. There were so many guests here today—it would give her some dignity.
"Okay. Where are you? I’ll come right away."
But before she could hang up, I heard a soft, breathy moan on the other end.
Then Ryan’s voice came through, the two of them switching to French so I wouldn’t understand.
"Where are you going? You look stunning in that wedding dress. You know, I’ve never had you while you were wearing it before."
His words were explicit, heavy with implication.
"Claire, you’re about to get married. You two will have plenty of time to talk later, but we don’t have that luxury. Don’t you want one last wild time? Right here, in this dressing room—wearing that dress?"
My heart pounded. I waited, hoping Claire would choose to come to me.
If she came, we could still part on decent terms.
I had loved her, after all. I didn’t want to humiliate her.
But her next words crushed what little hope I had left.
"Can’t we talk later or over the phone? I’m in the middle of getting my makeup done. I want to look perfect for you—I want to be the most beautiful bride in the room."
Her voice was breathless, as if she was already giving in to temptation.
My heart sank completely. Whatever last bit of hope I’d been holding on to was gone.
To Claire, I was just a safe, convenient choice. A man who made her feel secure—nothing more.
When I stayed silent, she assumed I’d hung up.
And then, with no shame at all, she and Ryan went right back to each other.
Between moans, they talked about what life would be like after I married her.
"Claire, even after you’re married, you can’t forget about me. I’ll come by every week. You won’t mind, right?"
"Well, Ethan isn’t from New York. For him to afford a condo here, he must have emptied his whole family’s savings. I should definitely make the most of it."
Her voice came through, broken but smug.
"It’s just a condo. If I want something, he won’t dare refuse. I’ll get him to sign the deed over to me soon. Once I’m the official owner, I can tell the building management to let you in whenever you want."
My jaw clenched so hard it ached.
I didn’t say a word. I just hung up, patched up my wound as best I could, and went to find the wedding planner.
This time, I had an additional request.
