ived in the form of an Instagram post. It wasn' t from an offi

Ben was grinning from ear to ear, his arm slung possessively around Ava' s shoulders. Ava' s smile was sm

as what twist

Grandma. Thanks for dropping everything to

g

ng all her friends-our friends-would see it. He was marking his te

g almost immediately. T

at the hel

r weddin

, call

was a snake. I had spent three years building a life with a woman who could be stolen away by a lie and a pl

I' d envisioned, the home I wanted to build, the family I hoped to have. It all felt like a fantasy I had told myself, a story with a character who never rea

t want to see anyone, talk to anyone. I just wanted t

insistent this time. Then,

Open up, or I'm picking the lock

lo

large paper bags that smelled like coffee and bacon. She took one look at my f

he said. It was

ed, shuttin

id, pulling out containers of food. "Using th

so hard for you." She just stated the facts, her voice laced with a

," I muttered, sinkin

of me. "You look like a guy who got played. It happens. He lo

"Trapped? She made

. That's not a happy woman who just got reunited with her true love

he glanced at it and her eyes wide

ha

er. He just sent me

alarm. "How did h

his research. Trying to figure out who the competition is." She accepted t

ber I didn't recognize, but I knew who it was. My hand hovered over t

e mouthed. "Put

ath and acce

." His voice was slick and overl

is," I said,

r the air. I hope there are no hard feelings abou

rstatement was so insult

Ben?" I asked, keep

understanding. It means a lot to Ava, and especially t

ng this. Every second of it. Chloe was watching me

oint to this

d I... we have history. A real connection. You were a great g

He wanted me to yell, to curse him out, t

loe. She gave

her family," I said, the words feeling foreign and strategic

n the other end. That wasn't

arily thrown. "Right. Well. Goo

ll excuse me, my fiancée and I

on the other end was now deafening. I could

ould recove

w, dangerous smile was s

er voice full of approval.

I said, the adrenaline start

, and you dropped a bomb on him that he never saw coming. His whole plan wa

something else. A cold, clear sense of purpose. This wasn't just a passive-ag

lf than to her. "He thinks he has her, and

aking a bite of bacon. "Overconfide

counter-attack in her head. The contrast was stark. One path led to me being the victim, the poor guy

I asked, feeling

very public, very happy wedding. And we m

-