I Prepared Our Wedding, For His Another Bride Chapter 01

I Prepared Our Wedding, For His Another Bride Chapter 01

My boyfriend, Cyrus Hill, and I were in Seattle for our destination wedding, and I’d picked up a side gig as a wedding photographer while we were in town.

It was the middle of the night when a girl called me, sobbing to cancel her portrait shoot.

“I’m scrapping the photoshoot! You down for a cheating spouse stakeout gig instead?”

I said yes without a second thought.

The next morning, we were in my car.

Bianca sat in the passenger seat, arms crossed tight over her chest.

“Make sure you get every single shot of him today! He promised he’d come to Seattle to be with me, and I haven’t seen him once these past few days.”

“I swear he’s either running around with some other girl, or his desperate, long-term girlfriend’s clinging to him nonstop.”

My hands tightened slightly around the steering wheel at the phrase “desperate, long-term girlfriend.”

Bianca let out a cheeky little grin. “Hey, don’t get the wrong idea—I’m not some homewrecker.”

“He’s got a girlfriend, sure, but he told me they’re practically broken up. Eight years together, he says it’s totally dead between them.”

Seattle. Eight years. I glanced at the destination pulled up on her navigation app, and my heart sank.

Bianca hopped out of the car once we pulled up to the venue. A tall man stepped forward instantly and pulled her into a tight hug as she cried.

I lifted my camera and hit the shutter; the flash cut through the shadows, illuminating his face clear as day.

It was Cyrus, my boyfriend of eight years.

……

Cyrus raised a hand to block the harsh flash. When his eyes locked onto mine, panic flickered across his face for a split second.

“What are you doing here?”

Bianca pulled back from his embrace and punched his chest lightly. “I came looking for you, obviously—how can you even ask?”

Cyrus stayed silent. Bianca followed his gaze over to me and smiled sweetly. “This is the photographer I hired for us.”

She shot me a quick wink, silently signaling me not to mention the stakeout job.

I stood frozen at our own wedding venue, watching the man I loved hold another woman in his arms. I had no clue what to say.

Cyrus walked toward me, subtly stepping in front of Bianca to shield her from my line of sight.

He lowered his voice to a sharp hush. “Just leave. I’ve got things to handle right now.”

I lifted my camera slightly, the photos I’d just captured still displayed on the screen. “Aren’t you going to explain yourself?”

Cyrus glanced at the photos, pressed his lips thin, and refused to answer. He reached for my wrist and tugged me toward my car.

“Hey, stop right there!” Bianca hurried after us, grabbing a fistful of Cyrus’s shirt hem.

Her gaze burned with anger as she stared me down. “Baby, what are you even talking to her for? I’m still standing right here.”

She stepped between Cyrus and me, her voice dropping to a cold hiss. “Don’t go getting any ideas just because my boyfriend’s good-looking. I’m warning you—don’t throw yourself at him trying to snatch him, or you’ll regret it.”

The innocent, soft tone she used with Cyrus vanished entirely, replaced by a sharp, threatening glare.

But I was the one who’d loved Cyrus for eight years.

I held up my right hand, twisting the matching couple band on my ring finger, and met Bianca’s eyes evenly.

“I think you can figure out exactly what my relationship with him is.”

Bianca’s eyes blew wide with shock. She spun around, searching Cyrus’s face for confirmation.

I spoke again, slow and clear. “I’m the eight-year girlfriend he told you he’s already sick of.”

I lifted my gaze straight to Cyrus. “Am I wrong?”

Cyrus clicked his tongue in irritation.

He stroked Bianca’s back to soothe her, his stare sharp and annoyed on me. “Elowen, don’t make a scene.”

Bianca turned back to me then, a mocking little smirk tugging at her mouth.

The second she caught Cyrus’s eye, though, her expression flipped completely—soft, remorseful, wide-eyed innocence.

“I’m so sorry. I completely misunderstood.”

The sweet, clueless act she put on was nothing like the furious girl ranting about his “old girlfriend” in my car minutes earlier.

Cyrus stepped forward again, shielding Bianca behind his frame, and grabbed my hand. “C’mon, it’s just a silly misunderstanding. She’s just a kid who got a little overemotional.”

Behind him, Bianca’s smile widened, triumphant.

Cyrus had no idea what she’d said in my car, nor any clue what was going through my head.

I glanced out at the wedding venue still being decorated all around us, and laughed quietly. None of this mattered anymore.

When Cyrus heard me laugh, he draped an arm over my shoulders like nothing had happened at all, his tone warm and familiar—the exact same voice he’d used to say goodnight to me the night before.

“I knew you’d be reasonable, Elowen. We’re days away from our wedding; there’s no need for drama.”

Jealousy flickered across Bianca’s face as she watched him touch me.

Cyrus didn’t notice a thing. He smiled and told Bianca to call me her sister-in-law.

Bianca held my gaze, and said nothing.

I pulled Cyrus’s arm off my shoulder and shook my head. “Don’t bother, Cyrus. Our eight years end here.”

“What’s this tantrum all about? We just sorted—”

I turned and walked away, heading straight for the center of the wedding grounds.

“Elowen, wait—”

Cyrus didn’t chase after me. Bianca latched onto his arm, sniffling and clinging to him.

I ignored the pair behind me entirely.

A few minutes later, I found a venue coordinator. “Hi, I’d like to cancel my wedding booking.”

The coordinator pulled out their booking ledger for me to sign off on the cancellation.

When I flipped the book open, my blood ran cold.