He Left Me at the Altar for His First Love, I Ruined Him Chapter 02

He Left Me at the Altar for His First Love, I Ruined Him Chapter 02

I arrived at the venue at seven the next morning.

Stella was already in the makeup chair, eyes puffy and raw from crying.

“Clara, thanks for doing this.”

“Hold still.”

I unzipped my case and reached for the primer.

“Elias stayed with me last night to fix the setup. We didn’t finish until early morning.”

Stella touched her face.

“Does my skin look awful?”

“It’s fine.”

I pumped out some foundation.

“He always worries about me too much.”

Stella sighed.

“He told me last night you wouldn’t mind.”

“He said your best quality is how low-maintenance you are.”

She met my eyes in the mirror, her smile slowly widening.

“Not like me. The second I start crying, he loses it.”

I picked up the beauty blender.

“Mm.”

I pressed it along her cheekbone, a little harder than necessary.

Stella winced.

“Sorry. Habit. Girls with thicker skin need a heavier hand.”

“The vendor tried to charge extra last night. Elias didn’t even blink. He covered twelve thousand for me on the spot.”

She looked at me.

“Clara, I’ll pay you both back after the wedding.”

“Don’t bother.”

I switched to a brush.

“Pay back whoever paid for it.”

Stella paused. Then her smile widened even more.

“You’re so generous, Clara.”

She picked up a lipstick from the table and turned it over in her fingers.

“No wonder Elias says you’re so easy to be with.”

The dressing room door swung open.

Elias walked in, already dressed in his suit.

He glanced at me, then moved behind Stella.

“How’s it looking? Anything you want changed?”

His hands rested on the back of her chair, his eyes fixed on her reflection.

“It looks great.”

Stella turned and tugged at his sleeve.

“It’s just… does the foundation look a little cakey to you?”

Elias turned to me.

“Clara, didn’t you use a primer?”

“I did.”

I kept my face blank and wiped down the table.

“Her skin runs dry. You should know that by now.”

He grabbed the setting spray and handed it to Stella.

“Don’t be nervous. You look beautiful.”

Stella’s hand slipped. The heavy glass bottle crashed onto the table, snapping one of my premium eyeshadow brushes clean in half.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”

Stella covered her mouth.

“I didn’t mean to.”

I looked at the two halves of the brush and said nothing.

Elias exhaled through his nose.

“It’s just a brush. I’ll buy you a new one.”

“No need to wait.”

I pulled out my phone, snapped a photo, and opened the receipt.

“Four hundred and fifty dollars. Studio policy: you break it, you pay retail.”

The color drained from Stella’s face.

Elias’s voice dropped. “Clara, do you really have to do this today?”

“It’s not about the brush.”

I looked at him.

“I just don’t trust your memory. You already forgot you’re supposed to marry me today.”

I forwarded the bill to the studio manager.

“Put it on Miss Croft’s tab.”

Elias went pale.

He looked at me, and his eyes said, stop.

“Don’t embarrass me today.”

I picked up a spare brush and went back to work.

“I’m not the one making this difficult.”

Elias patted Stella’s shoulder.

“I’ll go check on the bridal cars.”

He walked out and pulled the door shut behind him.

The second the door clicked shut, Stella’s sorry face vanished.

“Elias told me last night he feels bad for you.”

“He said he doesn’t actually love you. You’re just… convenient.”

“You don’t actually think he’s marrying you because he’s in love with you, do you?”

My hand didn’t shake. I finished the last stroke.

“Mm.”

“He also said if you cause a scene today, he won’t go through with it.”

She leaned in a little closer.

“Someone like you, Clara. Even when it hurts, you just take it. You never say a word.”

I picked up the setting spray and pointed it at her face.

“Close your eyes.”

The mist settled over her skin.

I packed up the tools and clicked the case shut.

“Done.”

Stella opened her eyes and studied her reflection. She smiled.

Footsteps came fast and frantic from the hallway.

The hotel manager burst in, white as a sheet.

“Miss Croft, the Miller family… they’re gone.”

Every trace of color left Stella’s face.

“What do you mean?”

Her voice trembled.

The manager’s eyes flicked toward the doorway, where Elias had stopped.

“Mr. Miller left a message.”

“He said… since Miss Croft’s heart belongs to someone else, that man can have her.”

Every pair of eyes in the room landed on Elias.