By the Seventeenth Month, It Wasn't Whole

At the family dinner on the eve of the wedding, my future sister-in-law pulled out a toy lie detector to stir up some fun.

Mason, if you could only buy one big riverside apartment, would you put it in your wife's name or Nadia's?

Without hesitation, my fianc Mason James placed his hand on it. My wife Agnes Whitney, of course.

The green light came on, and the whole family looked at each other and smiled.

But what popped up in front of me was a wildly scrolling stream of red pop-up messages.

This lie detector is broken! Mason James just transferred the fully paid-off wedding house to his ex-girlfriend Nadia because Nadia has depression and needs a river view to heal.

Right! The whole family is putting on an act to trick the heroine into a fake marriage. The second the wedding ends tomorrow, Mason James is going abroad with Nadia for her treatment!

Even his mother secretly bought Nadia a gold wedding jewelry set worth hundreds of thousands, while the heroine only has that fake diamond ring she bought online!

I looked down at the ring gleaming on my finger, and my heart, so moved a moment ago, dropped into an icy pit.

Following the hints in the messages,

I dug the freshly printed property gift deed out of the inner pocket of Mason's briefcase.

Mason was still inside sending Nadia voice messages.

"Agnes is easy to handle. After we get legally married tomorrow and it's a done deal, I'll tell her the house is just lent to you to live in."

I pulled the ring off and dropped it in the trash.

Tomorrow's weddingwhoever wants it can have it.

......

"Agnes, why were you in the restroom so long?"

Wanda, my future sister-in-law, sidled up with a grin.

"Don't tell me the lie detector proved my brother loves you so much that you snuck out to cry because you were so touched?"

Looking at her innocent face, my stomach churned hard.

Touched?

I lowered my head.

The red pop-up messages were still scrolling fast in front of me.

Ugh! This sister-in-law can really act! She knows perfectly well it's a 0-0.50 moissanite bought online with free shipping!

The whole family are award-winning actors, going all out to swindle the heroine out of her dowry.

While the heroine was gone just now, his mother packed up all the premium health tonic the heroine bought, saying she'll send it over to Nadia tomorrow to help her recover!

I looked at Silvia Floyd, my future mother-in-law, seated at the head of the table.

She was looking at me too, her face full of warmth.

"Agnes, dear, sit down and eat. Mason's always been such an honest boy. Him getting to marry you is a blessing earned by the James family ancestors."

I gave a slight twitch of my lips and pulled out a chair to sit.

"Is that so? I think it's pretty rare too."

Mason immediately took my hand.

His palm was warm, his eyes gentleas gentle as every single day of the past five years.

"Sweetheart, tomorrow you'll be the most beautiful bride in the world, and I'll make sure you're the happiest woman alive."

I looked into his eyes.

This faceI'd loved it for five whole years.

From launching his startup after college, to having nothing, to now running a company of decent size, I'd stayed up through night after night with him.

I'd always believed we were each other's one and only.

But the pop-up messages peeled back what was hidden underneath, layer by layer.

This scumbag's acting is unreal! He just finished texting Nadia the same thingthat he'd make her the happiest woman!

Run, heroine! This scumbag is unbeatable!

I pulled my hand back, picked up my water glass, and took a sip. The water was warm, but it caught in my chest as I swallowed.

"Mason, I'm a little tired. I want to head back and rest."

Mason was startled for a moment, then stood up with me.

"Sure, I'll take you. Mom, you all keep eating. I'll take Agnes home."

Silvia nodded again and again, not forgetting to remind me,

"Go on, go on. Take it easy on the way."

After we stepped out of the private room, Wanda's lowered voice drifted from behind.

"Mom, is the health tonic hidden? Don't let her see it."

I didn't stop. I just kept walking.

The hotel's heating was on full blast, but I still felt chills washing over me in waves.

As I settled into the passenger seat of Mason's car, an unfamiliar perfume hit me.

Here it comes, here it comes! Nadia's signature perfume! That scumbag just took her to look at the house this afternoon!

The passenger seat's been adjusted. Doesn't she notice?

I bent down and felt for the lever under the seat.

Sure enough, the position had been moved, set much farther forward than I liked.

Mason fastened his seatbelt and turned to look at me.

"Honey, what's wrong? Cold feet before the wedding?"

I watched the shops slide backward past the window, and only spoke after a few seconds.

"Mason, how's the renovation on our wedding house coming along?"

His hand on the wheel stiffened for a moment.

"It's good. The main work is done, we just need to let it air out. Why are you asking all of a sudden?"

I turned my face and stared into his eyes.

"I was planning to go see it today, but the agent said the property owner seems to have changed."

The car went dead quiet.

Mason's breathing skipped a beat, but he recovered fast and smiled as he picked the conversation back up.

"Oh, that... the agent got it wrong. I had someone hold the title as a nominee earlier, to avoid taxes."

He said it so openly, as if it were really true.

"After we get legally married tomorrow, I'll just add your name to it."

If I hadn't seen the property gift deed with my own eyes, I might actually have believed him.

Avoid taxes my ass! It was a straight-up gift to Nadia!

The scumbag is still lying! He's sure she's easy to fool, that any excuse will do.

I looked down and took out my phone.

"Really?"

Mason's voice softened again.

"Honey, don't read too much into it. Every bit of me is yours, why would I care about one house?"

I didn't answer. Instead I opened Attorney Lambert's WhatsApp and slowly tapped at the screen.

Mason caught the movement and asked with a smile.

"What are you looking at so intently? Are you picking a hotel for the honeymoon?"

I turned to look at him, my smile faint.

"Yes. I'm planning the road ahead for us."

He reached over and ruffled my hair, his eyes full of doting affection.

"Honey, tomorrow you're going to be the most beautiful bride in the world."

I tilted my head away from his hand and looked back at the black night outside the window.

"Yes. Tomorrow will definitely be unforgettable."

......

At 6 a.m., the makeup artist arrived at the hotel's bridal prep room.

I sat in front of the mirror and watched her open her makeup case, the table cluttered with bottles and jars.

The red pop-up messages came out of nowhere.

This makeup artist was originally booked by Mason for Nadia, with a full La Mer set for her. Silvia switched her over at the last minute to do the bride's makeup for Agnes, but the products got swapped out for a cheap dupe set off some online marketplace.

The makeup artist dug a tube of foundation out of the case.

I glanced at the bottle, and sure enough, it didn't even have a label.

"All right, Miss Whitney, let's get started."

The makeup artist smiled and brushed my hair aside.

"Thank you for your trouble."

At eight o'clock sharp, Silvia pushed the door open and came in.

She wore a wine-red qipao, her hair freshly styled, her makeup carefully done, and she carried a dark green jewelry box.

"Agnes, sweetheart, this is something Mom prepared for you."

She opened the lid to reveal a thin gold necklace, its pendant a piece of jade no bigger than a mung bean.

"Mom..."

I put on a look of overwhelmed gratitude.

"It's not worth much, just a token of my heart. Our family doesn't go in for showing off."

Silvia patted my hand, every bit the loving mother-in-law who doted on her son's wife.

The red pop-up messages exploded across the screen, dense and packed.

Doesn't go in for showing off??? The gold wedding jewelry set she bought Nadia was a Cartier Love ring set, a Tiffany diamond necklace, and Van Cleef earrings, worth $870,000 all together. The necklace she's giving Agnes cost twelve hundred.

Twelve hundred's being generous, honestly. That jade's off some online marketplace too.

I took the necklace and touched the little pendant in front of the mirror.

"It's beautiful. Thank you, Mom."

Silvia shot the makeup artist a look.

The makeup artist caught on at once and picked up her pace considerably.

At 8:30, the wedding dress arrived.

The big white skirt spilled across half the sofa, and at first glance it really did look exquisite.

When I'd tried it on last month, Mason told me the dress had been custom-made by the design studio, that it had cost a hundred and twenty grand.

I pretended to adjust the hem, my fingers sliding all the way down to the bottom of the lining.

A small tag was hidden there.

Printed on it were a rental company's logo and a dress number.

Custom-made, a hundred and twenty grand.

Rental deposit, three thousand.

I tucked the tag back in, and the red pop-up messages surfaced again.

So funny, the whole set is fake. The diamond ring is moissanite, the dress is rented, the gold wedding jewelry is street-stall junk. Every single thing he gave Nadia is the real deal.

The door opened again.

Wanda came bouncing in, holding up her phone as if she was scared I'd run off.

"Agnes, Agnes, look at the route my brother took to fetch the bride today. I filmed it!"

She pushed the phone up to my face.

On the screen, the walkway at the hotel entrance had been decorated beautifully with flowers.

But my attention landed on the WhatsApp message that had just popped up on her screen.

The pop-up showed for only a second before it vanished, but I still caught the sender's name.

Nadia.

The red pop-up messages filled in the rest for me.

Nadia's message to Wanda: "Wanda, have your brother call me once the ceremony's over. I've moved my flight to the afternoon of the day after tomorrow."

Wanda whisked the phone away and changed the subject just as fast.

"You look gorgeous today, Agnes!"

"Thank you, Wanda."

I straightened my veil in the mirror and asked, offhand,

"Isn't Mason taking me to Maui for our honeymoon the day after tomorrow? Have the tickets been booked?"

Wanda hesitated.

"Uh... I think so? My brother's always reliable about these things."

Red pop-up messages: Reliable, my foot. He only booked two flights to London, one under his name and one under Nadia's. He never even searched for a Maui flight.

I nodded and didn't press.

"I'll get you a glass of water!"

Wanda turned and hurried out.

Once the door closed, the room went quiet again.

I picked up my phone, opened the photo album, and checked the pictures I'd taken of the property gift deed last night.

Then I opened the notes app and lined up the WhatsApp screenshots from Mason's phone, his chats with Nadia, in order by time.

His phone password was his own birthday.

Last night, while he was in the shower, I'd taken the chance to unlock his phone and photograph them one by one.

Before we went to sleep, he'd held me and said,

"Agnes was such a good girl tonight. Get some sleep, so you can be the most beautiful bride tomorrow."

The most beautiful bride.

Wearing a cheap dress and fake jewelry, marrying into a family that had all conspired to deceive her.

Beautiful, all right.

I sent a message to my best friend, Yvonne.

Come to the back entrance of the hotel at 10. Don't be late.

She replied quickly.

Already on my way, Agnes. What's going on?

I stared at the screen for a few seconds.

You'll see when you get here.

At 9:40, the guests started filing in.

I stood by the window of the second-floor bridal lounge, looking down through the slats of the blinds.

The hall was packed with flowers and balloons, warm yellow light spilling over everyone's faces, nothing but smiles as far as I could see.

Mason, in a black suit, stood beside the sign-in table greeting the guests.

Handsome, poised, not a flaw to be found.

My gaze crossed the crowd, and I spotted a woman in the corner.

She wore a white dress, her long hair down, her makeup so faint it was almost invisible.

She sat in the innermost seat of the second row, head down, both hands twisting a handkerchief on her knees.

The red pop-up messages appeared.

That's Nadia. Mason bought her that dress just last week, thirteen grand. Ten grand more than the heroine's rented wedding dress.

Nadia lifted her head.

Across the glass and the entire hall, she cast a glance up at the second floor.

Red pop-up messages: She knows the heroine's upstairs. She's smiling.

My chest suddenly tightened, as if a thin thread had cinched around my ribs, and my breath went shallow with it.

Last night, when I'd learned the truth, my hands had still been shaking.

Now they weren't.

Cold for long enough, and it starts to burn instead.

There were two soft knocks at the door.

The next second, Mason pushed it open and came in, holding a bouquet of white roses.

"Agnes, these are for you."

He walked over to me and straightened my veil.

"Nervous?"

"A little."

"Don't be scared. I'll be waiting for you up on the stage. Just walk over to me."

I stared into his eyes. Clear, sincere, not a trace of guilt.

He probably really thought he'd pulled it off flawlessly.

"Mason."

"Hm?"

"Can you promise me one thing?"

"Go ahead."

I paused.

"No matter what happens later... don't come looking for me."

Mason blinked, then answered gently.

"Don't be silly. You're marrying me. Who else would I go looking for, if not you?"

He pulled me into his arms and rested his chin on the top of my head.

"Agnes, you're about to be my wife."

The red pop-up messages scrolled by fast.

He held Nadia's hand ten minutes ago, and now he's hugging Agnes. So disgusting.

God knows how many times he's gotten a room with other women, and here he is playing the innocent.

Mason let go of me and glanced at his watch.

"It's about time. I'll head down first. Come out when the music starts."

He reached back and closed the door.

I stood there without moving until the footsteps outside faded away completely, then slowly let out a breath.

I walked to the window and looked down at the parking lot.

On the drive beside the back door, a gray car sat under the shade of a tree.

Yvonne was leaning against the car door, looking up at me too.

Everything was ready.

The music started.

The wedding march came drifting up from the hall, and even through the door I could still hear its muffled throb.

I pushed the door open and walked out of the lounge.

Two bridesmaids stood at the top of the stairs leading down to the hall. One was Wanda; the other girl I didn't recognize.

Red pop-up message: That bridesmaid is Nadia's best friend. She's here to cause trouble for the female lead.

Wanda handed me the bouquet.

"Ready, sis?"

I took the flowers.

A few of the petals had already wilted, like they'd been sitting in cold storage for a long time.

"Ready."

I stepped onto the red carpet.

Everyone in the hall rose to their feet, and the lights fell on me.

Petals kept drifting down from above, and the air was thick with the scent of lilies, so heavy it was cloying.

In the middle of the stage, Mason stood with his hands behind his back.

Two rings sat on the ceremony table.

When he saw me, his eyes slowly reddened, the very picture of a man overcome with emotion.

Out in the seats, Silvia dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and Wanda held up her phone to record.

Nadia kept her head down, her handkerchief clenched into a ball.

Red pop-up message: Nadia isn't clutching that handkerchief because she's sad. She's holding back a laugh.

I walked forward, step by step.

The red carpet was long, a full fifty steps from the entrance to the stage.

I counted them silently.

At the fortieth step, the emcee spoke with a smile.

"Today, we gather here to witness the love of a new couple."

Forty-eighth step.

Mason reached out his hand to me.

On the outside, that hand was long and slender, fair.

But inside... I couldn't see.

I laid my hand on his.

Mason gripped it at once, as if afraid he might lose me.

The emcee opened the program book and looked at him with a smile.

"Mr. Mason James, do you take..."

"I do."

Before the question was even finished, Mason blurted out his answer.

He turned and smiled at me, and the room burst into thunderous applause.

The emcee smiled too, then turned his gaze to me.

"Ms. Agnes Whitney, do you take Mr. Mason James to be your husband, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to never leave his side, till death..."

I opened my mouth.

The whole room went silent. More than three hundred pairs of eyes were fixed on my face.

The last line of red pop-up messages scrolled across.

Say it now. Say you don't.