Chapter 1
Brynn Everett sat in front of the vanity, her crisp white wedding dress glowing under the lights. This was supposed to be the best day of her life, but you wouldn’t know it from the blank look on her fare–po hint of a smile anywhere
The ceremony was about to kick off, but the groom?! Total no–show.
“Ding” Her phone pinged, breaking the quiet.
Brynn peeked at the screen. It was a video from Kylie Haze.
She frowned, pausing for a second before hitting play,
The video popped open on a hospital room. Kylie’s face wasn’t in the shot, but the camera zeroed in on a guy sitting by a bed, peeling an apple real slow and careful.
“Chase, I’m so sorry,” Kylie’s voice came through, soft and guilty. “I didn’t mean to get sick out of the blue and mess everything up for you.
Chase glanced up
un with a goofy
warm grin. “Come on, don’t be silly. You’re the one I’m worried about”
“But what about your wedding with Brynn?” Kylie asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Chase stopped peeling for a sec and shrugged like it was nothing. “Eh, no big deal. I wasn’t into marrying her anyway.”
The video ended there, but Brynn’s stomach was doing flips.
That guy? That was Chase Johnson–her fiancé, the one still missing from their big day.
Kylie sent this on purpose. Brynn could feel it deep down
She swallowed hard and called her parents, who hadn’t shown up either.
The line picked up quick, but the voices weren’t the warm, loving ones she remembered.
“Brynn, sweetie,” her dad, Randy Everett, said, sounding short and to the point. “You can’t make love happen. Chase is crazy about Kylie. Let it go, alright?” Her mom, Maris Everett, didn’t even chime in–just dead air that said plenty.
Brynn’s breath hitched. She couldn’t wrap her head around this.
CEL
The wedding was already rolling, Guests were hanging out outside, and now they wanted her to just walk away.
“Dad, Mom, you- she started, her voice shaky.
“That’s it,” Randy cut her off. “Ceremony hasn’t started. You can still cancel”
And then, “Click“-he was gone.
Brynn stared at her phone, feeling numb.
Ever since she found out she and Kylie got switched at birth, her parents had been acting cold.
She’d held onto a tiny hope–years of family moments had to mean something.
She believed that, even if she wasn’t their real kid, there’d be some connection.
Now they turned to be nothing but.
1/3
Chapter I
“Miss Everett, we’re starting soon. The groom–The officiant popped his head in, stopping short when he saw her face.
Brynn turned to him, took a big breath, and straightened up. “Wedding’s still happening” She wiped her eyes, grabbed her dress, and headed out.
The officiant’s mouth hung open as she brushed past him into the hall,
Guests spun around, caught off guard, as the bride stormed in alone, whispers spreading fast.
Brynn marched right to the stage and grabbed the mic.
The room went quiet for a second.
“Hey, thanks for showing up today, everybody,” she said, keeping her voice steady even though her heart was a mess. “Bad news–the groom couldn’t make it. Something–or someone–came up, I guess
Abuzz of shocked chatter swept through the crowd.
Brynn looked out at them, forcing a small, tight smile. “So, here’s the plan anyone who wants to step up and marry me right now can take the groom’s spot.
Wild? Yeah. But she didn’t care anymore.
The Everetts and Chase didn’t give a crap about her–why should she waste another minute on them?
But after Brynn dropped that wild offer, nobody budged. Not one guest stepped up.
