The night before our wedding. After I showered, Liam dried my hair for me, just like he always did. As his fingers brushed through my ends, he let out a soft chuckle. "Elena, I don't think I've ever seen you dye your hair. Don't you think black is a little... boring?" I opened my eyes and looked up at him. "What color do you think would look good?" I asked softly. His hand paused, and a dreamy look washed over his face. "Auburn. It really complements the skin tone." 1 Cold water dripped from the ends of my hair onto my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. I sat up abruptly, dodging his hand. Liam’s breath hitched. He snapped back to reality. Realizing what he had just said, panic flashed in his eyes. His Adam's apple bobbed nervously. After a heavy silence, he awkwardly changed the subject. "Why did you sit up? Your hair isn't dry yet." I lowered my gaze. Even though my hands were trembling uncontrollably behind my back, my voice remained steady. "It's dry enough." "It's getting late. You should go shower." He hesitated, then stood up obediently. Habitually, he reached out to pat my head. Once he confirmed my hair was mostly dry, he finally left the room, looking relieved. A moment later, the sound of the shower started. Suppressing the nausea rising in my chest, I picked up Liam’s phone with shaking hands and entered the passcode. Five seconds later. The words [Passcode Incorrect] on the screen shattered my last shred of hope. I tried my birthday, Liam’s birthday, our anniversary... nothing worked. [Passcode Incorrect. You have 1 attempt remaining.] The cold, mechanical warning made my world collapse. For years, I never thought to check Liam’s phone. Because until today, his password had always been my birthday. Because he promised me that if I ever wanted to look, I could. But the joke was on me. In the year I trusted him the most, he changed it, and I had no idea. What’s even funnier? Tomorrow is the day Liam and I are supposed to get married. Our custom-made dress and tuxedo are hanging right over there. Just seconds ago, he was nervously confirming the seating chart with me. I didn't want to believe it. But a voice in my head was screaming: Liam is cheating. I curled up in the corner of the sofa. My hands were shaking so hard I could barely hold the phone. The water stopped. Liam walked out. Seeing me, he smiled, that gentle, doting look on his face. "Elena, why aren't you asleep? You said you wanted to be the most beautiful bride tomorrow..." He stood in front of me. But when he saw what I was holding, the words died in his throat. He was close. Close enough that I saw his pupils constrict and the sheer panic flit across his face. I stared at him and extended the phone. "Why did you change your password?" 2 He forced a stiff smile. He took the phone, pretending to be calm. His fingers paused for a second before he skillfully entered a code and unlocked it. "Remember I broke my old one? The sales guy set a random code on this new one. I’ve been so busy I forgot to change it back." He handed the unlocked phone back to me. "Look. Check whatever you want." His confidence almost threw me off. Maybe he was betting I wouldn't actually look. When I reached for it, his hand instinctively flinched back. I pretended not to notice. I took the phone and scrolled, casually making up an excuse. "My phone died. I just remembered I need to call my mom about something." His contacts were clean. His messages were wiped. Everything was perfect. Too perfect. But his shifting eyes and the sweat on his brow made my heart turn to ice. I suddenly lost the energy to play detective. I handed the phone back. "Never mind. It's not important. I'll ask her tomorrow." He let out a breath he’d been holding. He chuckled. "I thought my wife was getting cold feet and wanted to interrogate me." I looked him dead in the eye. "If I really wanted to check on you, would you be scared?" He froze, then dropped to one knee in front of me, looking more sincere than I’d ever seen him. "Of course not. We made it this far, Elena. How could I ever betray you?" "I swore to you. If Liam ever hurts Elena, may he lose her forever." "You know losing you would be worse than the end of the world for me." I stared at his familiar face, which suddenly felt like a stranger's. I asked myself: Yeah, how could he? He’s Liam. He’s loved me for eight years. I wanted to lie to myself one last time. But the transaction notification for a $400 charge at a luxury salon was still sitting in my phone notifications, because he used my card. 3 Liam went to the salon today. He spent four hundred dollars. He probably forgot the membership was linked to my number. When the text came this afternoon, I made excuses for him. Maybe he took his mom. Maybe a cousin needed a touch-up. But while he was showering, I made a call. No one in his family had seen him all afternoon. On the busiest day before our wedding, Liam ghosted everyone to take a woman I didn't know to get her hair done. And she dyed it auburn. It must be a beautiful color. Beautiful enough that Liam, usually oblivious to fashion, suggested I dye my hair the same shade. I closed my eyes, fighting back tears. "Go to sleep," I whispered hoarsely. "I need to go over some details." He thought I meant wedding details. He ruffled my hair. "Silly girl, don't be nervous. Tomorrow will be perfect." His phone pinged. He glanced at it, locked the screen, and said, "Don't stay up too late. I need to reply to a work email." He went to the study and closed the door. Minutes later, he came out changed, car keys in hand, looking apologetic. "Elena, there's a crisis with the project. I have to go fix it tonight." "Don't wait up. I promise I'll be at the altar on time." He didn't wait for a response. He just left. The sound of his engine faded into the night. I looked at the closed door. This kind of "sudden overtime" had happened a few times this year. I used to believe the photos he sent of his office. But tonight, I finally saw the truth. I stood up numbly. I tore down every "Just Married" decoration in the apartment. Then I sat on the floor amidst the ruin and wept until I couldn't breathe. Liam, there is no tomorrow. 4 Dawn broke through the blinds. I stood up from the wreckage. I washed my face and drove to that salon. While Liam blew up my phone with calls, I sat in the chair, listening to a stylist recommend trendy colors. I glanced at the caller ID and muted it. Thirty minutes later, I sent him my location. When he arrived, he looked like a ghost. He stood at the glass door, trembling, too scared to come in. I stood up. I grabbed the color ring of auburn swatches and walked over to him. I held them up to his face. "Pick one. Which auburn looks the best?" His face went sheet white. His lips quivered, but no sound came out. I raised a brow. "None of these? Should I check another brand?" He tried to reach for me but was too weak. I turned to leave. He grabbed the hem of my shirt. "Elena, I'm sorry." "But today is the wedding. Everyone is waiting at the hotel." "Let's just do the ceremony. Afterwards, I'll beg for forgiveness. You can hit me, scream at me, whatever you want." I tilted my head. "Did you really go to work last night?" His hand slipped off my shirt. I smiled. I took the heavy book of color swatches and slammed it into his chest. He didn't even dodge. I sat back down. He knelt beside my chair, whispering, "Are you feeling better now? We're running late..." I closed my eyes. I didn't know where he got the audacity. Did he really think there would still be a wedding? I ignored him. I told the stylist to chop it all off. The long hair I had grown out for a year for this wedding fell to the floor in clumps. Liam watched, paralyzed. When I saw my reflection with a pixie cut, I felt a strange sense of relief. Turns out, short hair suits me best. Things that don't fit, don't fit—no matter if you try for a year or eight. I walked out and got into his car. "Drive," I said. "You need to explain to everyone why there's no wedding."
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