q"The night before my wedding, I heard my bridesmaids through the hotel wall: “Spill wine on her dress, lose the rings, whatever it takes – she doesn't deserve him.” My maid of honor laughed “I've been working on him for months.” I didn't confront them. Instead, I rewrote my entire wedding day...

Vanessa, Kendra, and the other two bridesmaids, Ashley and Mia, were sitting on the plush velvet couches in their silk robes, sipping mimosas and giggling. The room smelled of expensive hairspray, citrus perfume, and lingering champagne.

The moment I walked through the door, Vanessa’s face transformed into an expression of radiant, sugary sweet affection.

“Liv, darling!” Vanessa squealed, bouncing up from the couch to throw her arms around my shoulders. “Where have you been? We were so worried when we woke up and saw your bed empty!”

I forced myself to smile back, enduring the touch of her manicured hands against my back. “I just went down to the garden for a quick walk to settle my nerves. Big day today.”

“A huge day!” Vanessa gushed, her eyes darting subtly toward the wardrobe where the garment bag hung. “You must be absolutely frantic! Don’t worry about a single thing, sweetie. As your maid of honor, I have everything completely under control. Especially the rings.”

She patted her small silk clutch bag sitting on the vanity table, giving Kendra a fleeting, triumphant glance. Kendra quickly hid a smirk behind her champagne flute.

“Thank you, Vanessa,” I said softly, keeping my tone perfectly meek. “I really don't know what I’d do without you.”

“Oh, you don’t have to imagine that,” Vanessa purred, pouring a fresh glass of mimosa and handing it to me. “Now, listen. The hair and makeup team is going to be here in twenty minutes. Why don't you head down to the spa room on the first floor for your complimentary pre-wedding massage? I booked it for you as a special surprise!”

I knew instantly why she wanted me out of the room for an hour.

She needed me downstairs at the spa so she could access the garment bag undisturbed, pour the dark red wine onto the dress fabric, and then head over to Ethan’s suite without me catching her in the hallway.

“That is so thoughtful of you, Vanessa,” I said, taking the mimosa glass without drinking from it. “A massage sounds wonderful.”

“Go, go!” Vanessa insisted, pushing me gently toward the door. “Relax! Leave everything to your girls!”

I grabbed my purse, walked out into the carpeted hallway, and pulled the door shut behind me.

The second the latch clicked, I pulled out my secondary phone—the one connected directly to a hidden wireless security camera Chloe had installed inside the wardrobe two hours ago.

I stood around the corner of the corridor, watching the live video feed on my screen.

The moment they thought I was gone, the fake smiles vanished from every single one of their faces.

Vanessa dropped her mimosa onto the glass table with a loud thud. “Finally! She’s out of the way.”

Ashley leaned forward, looking nervous. “Vanessa, are we really doing this? Ruining her dress is one thing, but what if Ethan gets furious?”

“Ethan isn’t going to get furious,” Vanessa snapped, walking over to the wardrobe and pulling down the garment bag containing the cheap decoy dress. “Once I show him that Olivia is having a total breakdown over a ruined dress, he’ll realize how unstable she is. And once I drop the rings in the ocean drainage grate, the universe will make it clear they aren't meant to be married.”

Kendra laughed loudly, pulling a bottle of dark Pinot Noir from the mini-fridge. “Hand it over. Let me do the honors.”

On my phone screen, I watched in high-definition as Kendra uncorked the dark wine bottle and poured a thick, staining red stream directly down the front of the white lace decoy dress.

Vanessa stood beside her, holding her phone up, taking multiple photographs of the ruined fabric, her face contorted in vicious delight.

“Perfect,” Vanessa gloated, checking her watch. “It’s 9:45. I’m going over to Ethan’s suite now. Kendra, stay here and make sure the door stays locked until eleven.”