促銷資訊載入中...
Sixty Days of Beautiful Lies
NovelMaster
已完結
I was famously lazy. After we got engaged, my fiancé asked me to try on a wedding dress every day and send him a picture. I took a shortcut and sent him the same photo sixty times. He never noticed. ...
章節（4）
第1章
I was famously lazy.
After we got engaged, my fiancé asked me to try on a wedding dress every day and send him a picture.
I took a shortcut and sent him the same photo sixty times.
He never noticed. Every day, right on schedule, he replied, “Beautiful.”
On day sixty-one, I texted, “I ran into Ava at the bridal shop today.”
Three seconds later, a FaceTime call came through.
“Ava has sensitive skin. Don’t let her touch those cheap fabrics.”
When the call ended, I let out a bitter laugh and sent another message.
“We’re getting our marriage license this weekend. Don’t forget your ID.”
He sent back a voice message, sounding faintly annoyed.
“Let’s do it another day. Ava’s having her birthday party this weekend, and I promised I’d be there.”
Exhaustion washed over me.
He’d forgotten that it was our fifth anniversary.
I sat on the couch in a daze for a long time. Then I listed our future marital home with a real estate agent.
There was no point in getting married anymore.
“Ms. Bennett, are you sure you want to list this property? It looks like you renovated it for your wedding. Such a shame when it’s only just been finished.”
The agent had been on the phone for less than two minutes, and I’d already said yes three times.
After I hung up, three messages from Ethan popped up, each more entitled than the last.
【Ava wants a short pendant necklace. You have good taste. Pick one for her, under three thousand.】
【Check the decorations at her birthday venue this weekend. I have to work overtime that day.】
【Oh, and Ava’s knees have been bothering her in the cold. Take the space heater from our place over to her.】
I stared at “our place” for a few seconds.
Three months ago, I’d spotted a necklace in a jewelry store and sent him a photo. He’d said it was too expensive and we’d talk about it later.
But when Ava wanted one, he immediately set a three-thousand-dollar budget.
“Pick it out yourself.”
A FaceTime call came through immediately. I didn’t answer. He called twice. I ignored both.
Then another message appeared, already dripping with impatience.
【What’s your problem now? Ava can’t pick one herself. Why do you have to make such a big deal out of helping?】
That line again. Why make such a big deal out of helping?
Anything involving Ava was a crisis to him. Anything I felt was an overreaction.
I didn’t reply. I kept packing.
Under the coffee table, I found a shipping box.
Inside was the scarf I’d asked Ethan to order for me last month.
The color was wrong.
I’d chosen slate blue. The scarf in the box was pink.
I checked the order history. He’d bought two of the same scarf.
One had been shipped to Ava. Pink. The other had been shipped here. Also pink.
He didn’t even know I never wore pink.
The door opened.
Ethan walked in carrying several shopping bags and piled them on the coffee table.
“Stuff for Ava’s birthday. Keep it here for me. If I leave it at my place, she might see it and ruin the surprise.”
He took out his phone to answer a message without looking up.
I glanced through the bags. Balloons, streamers, tablecloths. The main color was champagne gold.
The color I’d chosen for our wedding.
At the bottom were two small matte-gray boxes.
I opened the first. A rose-gold necklace, with Ava’s name engraved on the pendant.
It was almost identical to the one I’d wanted, only made with better materials.
I opened the second. Same style, noticeably cheaper workmanship.
The pendant was blank. No engraving.
One carefully customized for Ava. The other an extra he’d tossed in for me.
Ethan finally looked up.
“What are you digging through?”
“Two necklaces?”
“Yeah. Ava’s is her birthday present. I picked yours up while I was there. Same basic style, so you can’t accuse me of playing favorites.”
He headed for the door, then stopped as something occurred to him.
“Oh, I changed the emergency contact on my phone a couple days ago. I put Ava’s number down. She lives close to the hospital, so it’ll be easier if anything happens.”
“Your emergency contact is Ava?”
“She can always answer.” He said it as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
“You’re in meetings all day. What if they can’t reach you and it holds things up?”
He opened the door and left me one last scrap of consideration through the gap.
“Ava says she has a headache. I’m going to check on her. Get some rest.”
Less than three minutes after the door closed, a Snapchat message from Ava appeared.
“Paige, Ethan said you’re keeping the party supplies for me? Thank you! I couldn’t ask for a better future sister-in-law.”
She finished with a pink heart.
I took a screenshot and saved it in a new folder.
Then I opened my chat with the real estate agent.
“Drop the price another five percent. I want it sold quickly.”
第2章
The wedding planner’s office was downtown.
I’d made an appointment for three that afternoon to confirm the final details.
The receptionist greeted me with a smile.
“Ms. Bennett, Mr. Hayes was just here the day before yesterday. He already approved everything. Are you here for another review?”
I stopped.
“He was here?”
“Twice. Last time he changed the flowers and lighting. This time he changed the entire color scheme.”
She handed me the design booklet.
I opened the cover.
Champagne gold had become pale pink.
White calla lilies had become pink hydrangeas.
The font on the place cards was different. So was the pattern on the tablecloths.
I’d never seen this design before.
“Who approved this?”
The receptionist hesitated.
“Mr. Hayes and the friend he brought with him… the very slim young woman. He said she was helping him decide.”
I closed the booklet.
“Change it back.”
“But Ms. Bennett, the suppliers have already received the orders. Making changes now will mean an additional—”
“Change it. I’ll pay.”
I called Ethan.
He answered after four rings. In the background, Ava was talking about some kind of fabric.
“What’s up? I’m out shopping with Ava.”
“You changed the wedding design?”
A pause.
“A few things. Pink looks better. Ava thinks it’s more festive, too.”
“This is my wedding.”
“It’s not just yours.” He sounded irritated. “You wouldn’t come look at it. Someone had to keep an eye on things. You’re always busy, busy, busy. Ava was nice enough to help. What’s wrong with that?”
“When did I say I was busy? Did you ask me even once?”
Ava’s soft voice cut in.
“Ethan, don’t fight with Paige. Just change it back. It was only a suggestion. Please don’t be upset, Paige.”
Ethan’s voice softened immediately.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. She’s the one making a fuss.”
Then he turned back to me.
“Fine. Change it back. Happy now? You always find a way to blame Ava.”
I hung up.
The planner came out of her office.
Seeing me still at the reception desk, she led me into the lounge.
“Ms. Bennett, there’s something I didn’t want to say in front of the receptionist.”
She poured me a glass of water.
“Ms. Morgan came with Mr. Hayes both times. She chose the flowers. She decided on the lighting. Every song suggestion came from her. She had input on every detail, and Mr. Hayes accepted almost all of it.”
She chose her next words carefully.
“If we hadn’t seen the signatures on the contract, our entire team would have assumed… she was the bride.”
I held the glass without drinking.
The water was so still it reflected the ceiling lights.
“Print me a copy of the change log.”
After the planner left, I sat alone for half an hour.
A message from Ava appeared.
【I’m sorry, Paige. I shouldn’t have made suggestions. Ethan told me off. I won’t get involved in your wedding again.】
Ten seconds later, another.
【But the pink design really is gorgeous. Keep it for inspiration! You might change it back and realize you want the pink after all~】
A smiley face at the end.
The planner returned with the printed records.
I flipped through them.
Ava’s name appeared beside Ethan’s on the sign-in sheets for both visits.
Under “Relationship,” someone had written: Friend of the bride.
I put the papers in my bag and stood.
The planner followed me.
“Ms. Bennett, restoring the original design will take three to five days.”
“Don’t bother.”
She froze.
“Then we’re keeping the pink?”
“Cancel everything. There won’t be a wedding.”
第3章
When the bridal shop called, I was at the dining table organizing the paperwork for ending the engagement.
“Ms. Bennett, there are a few alterations to your gown we need you to approve. Could you come in?”
Alterations.
The designer and I had gone over every stitch when we finalized it. There was nothing left to alter.
At the shop, an assistant wheeled the dress out.
I knew at first glance it was wrong.
The sweetheart neckline had become square. The train was gone, replaced with a floor-length hem. The French lace had been entirely replaced with matte satin.
This wasn’t my wedding dress.
“Who changed it?”
The assistant checked the records.
“Mr. Hayes came in last week. He said the original style wasn’t quite right. He brought a friend to try it on, to check whether the fabric would cause an allergic reaction.”
“The woman he brought wore this dress?”
“For about twenty minutes.” The assistant lowered her voice. “She took quite a few pictures.”
My wedding dress. Ava had worn it for twenty minutes.
I called Ethan without bothering to soften my tone.
“Ava wore my wedding dress?”
He sounded as if he’d already prepared his answer.
“She just tried it on. Her skin—”
“I never said she had sensitive skin. You did.”
A second of silence.
“She does get allergic reactions easily. I didn’t want there to be a problem with the bridesmaid dress fabric on the wedding day, so I had her try—”
“Who decided she was a bridesmaid?”
“My mom.”
“A bridesmaid dress isn’t made from the same fabric as a wedding gown. What exactly were you testing by putting her in mine?”
The line went quiet for several seconds.
His voice dropped.
“I didn’t think it through. She was curious and tried it on. I figured you wouldn’t mind—”
“I mind.”
The words came out softer than anything else I’d said.
Ava’s voice floated over the line.
“I’m sorry, Paige. I wasn’t thinking. I shouldn’t have touched your dress. Ethan only meant well—”
“Ava. Send me the photos you took that day.”
Silence.
After a long pause, she said,
“I didn’t save them.”
Ethan took over.
“Enough. Ava apologized. It’s a dress. Is this really necessary? What do you want from us?”
I hung up.
I went home.
My phone buzzed.
A video call from Ethan’s mother.
“Paige, sweetheart, Ethan says you two had a little argument? Don’t be so sensitive. Ava lost her mother when she was little. We practically raised her as our own daughter. She’s delicate, and Ethan’s just looking after her like a brother should. You’re joining the family. Be a little more generous.”
Their own daughter.
Which meant I was the outsider.
“The wedding dress—”
“It’s a dress. Trying it on won’t ruin it. What’s the harm? You always get hung up on these things. Ethan told me how you blow everything out of proportion.”
She smiled and ended the call.
I sat motionless on the couch.
My phone buzzed again.
Ava had sent me a photo.
She was standing in front of the fitting-room mirror in my wedding dress. Her makeup was done, her hair pinned up. Her smile was sweet and polished, as though she were posing for bridal portraits.
Underneath was one line: “Look, Paige. Don’t you think it suits me, too?”
Three seconds later, she deleted it.
A small gray notification appeared in the chat: Ava deleted a message.
But I’d already saved the screenshot.
One more image in the folder.
That evening, Ethan came home and sat on the couch scrolling through his phone.
“Stop complaining to my mom. You’re making it sound like I’m bullying you. Ava just tried on a dress. If you’re that upset, I’ll have her apologize.”
He glanced up at me.
“Will that be enough?”
The printed agreement to end our engagement lay on the dining table. I walked over, folded it, and put it in my bag.
“It’s enough.”
第4章
The weather was beautiful on our fifth anniversary.
Ethan texted me first thing that morning.
【Ava’s party starts at six. Get there early and check the decorations for me.】
Not one word about our anniversary.
I did my makeup, changed, and headed out.
The cab stopped in front of the hotel.
It had been one of our possible wedding venues. I’d toured it before.
When I walked into the ballroom, the staff were making their final adjustments.
Pale pink hydrangeas filled the room. The place cards used that rounded handwritten font, and the tablecloth pattern matched my first wedding design exactly.
Ava’s birthday party had been assembled from my discarded wedding plans.
Then I saw the cake.
Three tiers of fondant, sitting on a display table in the center of the room.
I’d sketched the pattern on the bottom tier. I’d gone through four versions of the middle tier’s color scheme.
The top tier had been covered with a fresh layer of buttercream. Pink chocolate lettering wobbled across it: “Happy Birthday, Ava.”
The frosting wasn’t thick enough.
Part of a letter showed through underneath.
Our initials. Ethan’s and mine, intertwined.
It was our wedding cake.
I stood there staring at it.
Our names were hidden beneath Ava’s birthday message.
Just like the past five years. She’d covered up my place in his life, layer by layer.
Even the cake knife still had the complimentary ribbon from the wedding company tied around its handle. Gold, printed with “Happily Ever After.” Someone had hastily cut part of it away, leaving only “After” dangling there.
Ethan came out of a back room.
“You’re here? Check the lighting for me. Is it too bright? Ava says her eyes have been—”
“The cake.”
He followed my gaze.
“Looks good, right? Ava’s going to love it.”
“That’s our wedding cake, Ethan.”
His expression shifted, then quickly returned to normal.
“There wasn’t time to have another one made. Ava’s always wanted a custom cake from this bakery, so I borrowed ours. It’s not like the wedding’s tomorrow. We’ll order another—”
“Borrowed.”
He missed my tone.
“Yeah. What’s wrong with borrowing it?”
A cake bearing our names. A cake made for our wedding. And he called it borrowing.
Ava entered through a side door. She was wearing the pink dress I’d saved to my wish list—the same one he’d told me would make me look fat.
When she saw me, she hurried over.
“Paige! You came! Ethan said you might not, so I was prepared.”
She looped her arm through mine.
“Will you help me cut the cake?”
I looked down at her hand. Pink nails. Around her neck hung the necklace engraved with her name.
“Sure.”
I slipped free and walked to the table beside the cake.
I took the agreement out of my bag.
I placed it beneath a napkin, the page with my signature facing up.
Then I turned toward the exit.
Ethan called after me.
“You just got here. You’re leaving already? Ava hasn’t even blown out her candles.”
I didn’t look back.
I pressed the elevator button.
He caught up with me.
“Paige, what is wrong with you? You’ve been sulking nonstop. Ava asked you nicely to cut her cake, and you can’t even do that?”
The elevator opened.
I stepped inside, turned, and looked at him one last time.
“Today is our fifth anniversary. That cake has our names on it. The agreement ending our engagement is on the table.”
For the first time, his expression wasn’t irritation.
“What agree—”
The doors closed.
My phone lit up.
Ava had posted a selfie in our Snapchat group. She stood beside the cake, smiling sweetly.
“The cake Ethan ordered me is so gorgeous! Best birthday ever!”
A ring of pink hearts surrounded the caption.