The Night Before Our Wedding, I Replaced Myself With My Best Friend Chapter 03

The Night Before Our Wedding, I Replaced Myself With My Best Friend Chapter 03

“Right! Plenty of room, she can stay, no problem.”

He grabbed my hands, beaming. “I knew you wouldn’t hold a grudge over a misunderstanding.”

“After you left, Molly was so guilty. She even said she’d step down as maid of honor if you wanted. I talked her out of it.”

He kept talking, and I felt like I was drowning.

He’d never spoken this much to me before.

When I asked about anything, I got one-word answers—”Mm,” “Fine,” “Up to you.” As if he couldn’t spare the breath.

Now he kept rambling on and on, “Molly was worried about finding a place after the wedding, but this saves all the hassle.”

He pulled out his phone. “I’ll tell her you’re not mad and she can stay!”

The screen lit up, and there it was: Bunny.

My name in his phone? Elena Hart. Full name. Formal.

And there it was, his pinned chats. One was Bunny. One was Elena.

After the call, his mood soared. He wrapped his arms around me, steering me toward the bedroom.

A chill shot through me. I shoved him off. “Guest room tonight.”

His face tightened. “Now what?”

He sighed, slipping into that patronizing tone. “Elena, we’re about to be married. You need to grow up. Stop making drama.”

“Look at Molly. She’s so easygoing.”

“Not to be harsh, but you’re dramatic and high-maintenance. I’m the only one patient enough to deal with it. You know—”

I slammed the bedroom door in his face.

My phone buzzed. The wedding planner:

[Ms. Hart, your custom poster is ready.]

The image showed my face swapped for Molly’s.

Next morning, I took that photo to my parents’ house.

If I wasn’t the bride, they didn’t need to prep a wedding gift.

Outside, a moving truck sat below their building. Workers were hauling the old leather sofa onto it.

My heart lurched. I ran upstairs.

Inside, half the furniture was gone.

“Dad. Mom.”

Dad straightened up, wiping sweat off his brow. “Nathan said he’s opening a store for me, wants me to invest. Monthly dividends, kind of a retirement cushion.”

“What store?”

He thought. “Something like… Provence… high-end flowers…”

My mind went blank. Provence Petals—a luxury floral boutique.

Two weeks ago, we’d had dinner together. Molly had mentioned wanting to open a high-end flower shop selling only Provence roses. I’d laughed. “Who’d buy that here?”

She’d turned to Nathan with a pout. “Maybe Nathan can figure something out?”

He’d nodded. “Leave it to me.”

I hadn’t thought twice. Now I saw he’d been serious, and he was using my parents to fund it.

Dad kept praising him. “He’s quiet, but so thoughtful. Really looks out for us.”

My throat tightened. I bit my lip, blinked hard, and forced myself to breathe.

“Mom, Dad, that’s why I’m here. Nathan’s shy about taking money directly. Transfer it to my account, and I’ll pass it along.”

Dad nodded, called the broker, and gave them my card number.

Then I told them the wedding was postponed, booked them a trip to Cape Haven, and put them on a plane.

One less thing to worry about. If Nathan couldn’t find them, that would save me a lot of trouble.

My phone buzzed.

[Fireworks at the pier tonight. Coming?]

Still his formal, punctuation-perfect style.

I texted back: [Sure.]

I wanted to see exactly how far things had gone with Molly.

At the pier, the wind was strong. I spotted Molly pressing her straw into Nathan’s mouth, the same one she’d been drinking from.

Nathan, who claimed to have a germ phobia, didn’t flinch. He sipped, relaxed, as his fingers brushed hers. Both wore matching silver pinky rings.