Two days before my wedding, my best friend, Chelsea, wanted me to test my fiancé.

She didn't believe that Shawn, with his playboy reputation, had really changed his ways.

Her instincts were usually spot on, so I created a fake online profile and tried to flirt with him.

Shawn shut me down, hard.

Just when I was about to laugh and cry at the same time, he texted back something unexpected:

[This stupid game ends here.]

[You and Chelsea are the only women for me.]

[Baby, next time you wanna sext me, just use your real account.]

"Chelsea" is my best friend.

My brain raced as I read those three texts, and I felt like my blood had turned to ice.

I squeezed my eyes shut, pinching myself in a panic.

Finally, with my heart pounding in my ears, I accepted it: This wasn't a dream.

Shawn was having an affair with Chelsea.

But... How?

Didn't they hate each other?

Chelsea thought Shawn was beneath me, nothing but a rich jerk.

Shawn thought Chelsea was a pain in the butt, always telling me to dump him whenever we argued.

My phone buzzed with an incoming video call.

Numbly, I declined it.

[Why didn't you answer?] Shawn texted.

[Don't tell me you're crying?]

[Come over to The Ridge. I'll make it better.]

[Don't worry, I'll still be good to you after we're married.]

[Everything Lindsay has, you'll have too.]

[Including me.]

I stared blankly at my phone screen, a buzzing sensation pulling my soul away from my body.

Huge tears started to fall.

Through blurred vision, I couldn't help but remember the first time I brought Chelsea to this house.

Without me saying a word, she knew exactly where my bedroom was, where the walk-in closet was.

When I swiped her phone, I saw that it was already connected to the Wi-Fi. She said she'd accidentally typed in my password.

Shawn's Siamese cat was unusually affectionate towards her. She said it was probably because she smelled like me.

But that cat usually acted as if I were invisible; toys and treats did nothing to sway his judgement.

Yet, he rolled over on his back to expose his belly to Chelsea, who he was meeting for the first time.

And then there was Chelsea's apartment, filled with duplicates of my clothes, bags, lipsticks, and makeup.

Shawn, playing the role of dutiful future son-in-law, had given some of them to her through me.

Chelsea claimed her admirers gifted her with the rest.

I got all excited and wanted to hear all about them, but she was evasive and didn't want to talk about it.

I thought she was being coy.

Turns out, she was just feeling guilty.

I also remembered us shopping together, Shawn and her arguing and "competing" for my attention.

A few times, their tense standoff had ended in shared laughter.

And all that time, I was smiling like an idiot, thinking their relationship was improving.

Those two were using me as foreplay, treating me like a fool.

I cried until my eyes were swollen and my head was spinning.