The night before Valentine's Day, my fiancé texted me that our wedding had to be postponed again. [Babe, I’m sorry. Something came up with the team before the hockey game. We’ll have to postpone the wedding again.] Then I looked up. Right there at the arena entrance, Liam had Chloe, his cheer captain, pinned inside his open jacket. He lost patience, pressed Chloe against the wall, and devoured her mouth. "Just to keep your little game going, I've stood Ava up six times," Liam said. "This is the last time. Next year, no matter what, I'm marrying her." Chloe was laughing against his mouth. "I heard your new bed's ready. I think I’ll try you out in it first." "Don't thank me. Call it an early wedding gift." I dug my nails into my palm and called Liam's parents. [Mr. and Mrs. Carter, can you gather everyone and come to the apartment tonight? Let's get it ready early.] [Yes. I want to surprise Liam.] If this was how he wanted to play, I would make sure he regretted it. ...... [Don't tell Liam we're all in the city yet.] [Perfect. I'll meet you all downstairs.] After I hung up, I opened the security app on my phone. The footage showed everything — from the front door all the way to the master bedroom. On screen, they tangled together from the moment they entered, kissing their way down the hallway, hands everywhere, until they disappeared into the bedroom. I saw the custom team mascot charm I'd had made with his jersey number. It was lying on the floor in the wreckage. I stood still and let the cold go through me. Both families arrived before long. My parents reached me first. "Did you find him, Ava? Did you see Liam?" "Don't worry — your dad already called the team's front office. Nobody is pulling Liam into a meeting this weekend. The wedding goes ahead." I held everything down and made myself smile. "Good." "Ava, weren't you going to surprise him? Stop standing there — let's go up." I looked at the red balloons and streamers in everyone's hands. My nose stung. The tears came anyway. Liam and I had known each other ten years. Together for eight. The wedding had been pushed back six times. Six years ago, one month out — he said he was going for team captain. I agreed to delay. Three years ago, one week out — closed playoff camp. I agreed again. This year, as I got older, my parents couldn't wait any longer. Three days ago, they arrived in our city with a whole group of relatives, ready to help me prepare for the wedding. But I never imagined that the apartment I had spent six years decorating with hope, every piece of furniture I chose, every inch of flooring, would be occupied by another woman. She settled in like she belonged there. My stomach turned. I made it to a trash can and stayed there for a while. I wanted to tell them everything. Half an hour ago, Liam texted me personally to say the wedding was being pushed back another year. I wanted to tell my parents he had been cheating. That every time he called off the wedding weekend, he was with Chloe. But I found that my throat had been seized by something invisible. Not a single word came out. In the elevator, I forced down a mouthful of cold water. "Liam. It's time you found out what it feels like to be the one made a fool of."
Everyone stepped off the elevator and stopped. A lace bra. Men's boxers. A hockey jersey. Scattered across the hallway floor. I kicked them toward the wall and pretended to be embarrassed. Liam's mother covered her mouth to hide a smile. She unlocked the door. From the master bedroom came unmistakable sounds — a woman's breathless moaning, shameless and wild. "Big boy — you're so strong — feels amazing —" "When you're here with your wife — will you think of me?" "Every time you see the furniture she picked out — will you remember today?" The room froze. Nobody moved toward the bedroom. Nobody said a word. I made my legs move. I walked to the bedroom door and stopped at the threshold. I bit down hard. I tasted blood. "Liam. Get out here. Right now." "Did you hear me?" "You betray my daughter and you think you're standing there?" My father charged toward the bedroom. Both fists hit the door. Just as he drew his foot back to kick it in, Liam squeezed out through the gap wrapped in a towel. "Mr. Hayes — Mom — Dad — Marcus —" "How did you all — why didn't anyone —" He didn't finish. My father's fist landed on his face. "You disgusting piece of work. Ava waited six years for you." "Six years. Is this what she was waiting for?" Before Liam could recover, my mother had already come back from the kitchen with a knife. "Where is she. Where is that girl. She thinks she can touch my daughter's fiancé." "I'll deal with her myself." Liam tore the knife away and threw it on the floor. "Mr. Hayes, Mrs. Hayes — this is a misunderstanding." "I had just planned to come home early to surprise Ava." "I'd just gotten out of the shower when you all showed up." My cousin Marcus had already pushed into the bedroom. "Liam — don't you dare betray my sister." He stopped. The bed was made. Tight, clean, untouched-looking. He checked every corner. No second person. Liam's mother exhaled and spoke first. "See? Liam would never do something like that." "We all jumped to conclusions." "Ava, sweetheart — next time just wait upstairs with him instead of bringing everyone up." She picked up the jersey from the floor and threw it at her son. "And you — watching porn on your phone. Look at this mess you made." Liam's younger cousin jumped in. "Honestly though — did you two already hook up and just throw your clothes everywhere without cleaning up?" "That's a bit much, man." Liam pulled his clothes on fast, trying to cover his tracks. "Talk about bad luck. What kind of person gets busted watching porn in their own apartment?" He fake-coughed, trying to steer the conversation away. "Since everyone's here — should we go out for dinner?" "Ava — what do you think?"
I didn't move. He crossed the room and pulled me into his side. "Weren't you just curled up against me before? Now you're shy?" He dropped his voice next to my ear. "Let's take everyone to dinner. I'll explain the thing later. It's not what it looked like. Trust me. Say something — everyone's waiting." Sure. Everyone's waiting. Or maybe the person hiding was the one who'd been waiting longest. Ten years together. Liam knew exactly how to handle me. Every time he and Chloe crossed a line and called it friendship, I had let it go. I had believed every excuse, every single time. But he didn't know: the moment I found out he had stood me up six times — for her — I stopped wanting to marry him. I didn’t want to expose the truth. I wanted to see them suffer the results of their own actions. I stepped out of his arms. Slowly, I turned to face the crowd. "It really was just a misunderstanding. We got a little carried away before you all arrived — sorry about that." "Mom, Dad and Liam’s parents." "Since everyone came all this way, why don’t we just cook at home?" "Absolutely not." Liam and his parents refused at the same moment. Liam's mother recovered first. "The fridge is empty. It's already late. A restaurant is easier for everyone." "Exactly. Let's not keep standing around." "Come on, Ava." All three of them knew. The master bathroom had a hidden door. They wanted everyone out so Chloe could slip away. Not happening. I ignored the three pairs of Carter eyes and dropped onto the sofa. "We've all been on our feet all day. Nobody wants to drive across town now." "I’ve already ordered the groceries. They’ll be here in twenty minutes." "No Smoked ham for anyone? Marcus — still nothing spicy? Already noted." The Carters sat down. They had no choice. In the kitchen, Liam found me and lowered his voice. "Ava. Did you get my text? I was trying to surprise you. It went sideways." I looked up like I hadn't heard anything. "What text? I never checked my phone — I've been setting up all day." I reached for my pocket. He caught my wrist. "Forget it. The wedding is still on. Tomorrow you're officially my wife." I pulled free and went back to the living room. By the time the groceries arrived, everyone was already busy in the kitchen. The master bedroom was left to the two of us. I stared at the bedding. It was a mess — rumpled, disheveled. The air still carried the faint scent of sex. Liam's eyes darted around nervously. He rushed over and yanked the entire set — duvet, sheets, all of it — onto the floor. "It's been sitting empty. I don't want dust." He pulled a fresh set from the closet. "Sit down. I'll do it. You've carried all of this alone — I see that." "Once I make the All-Star roster I'll push for a home trade. We'll have the life you always wanted. I promise." I stopped listening and reached for the handle of the hidden bathroom door. He grabbed me from behind. "Wait —"
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