Chapter 1

At our wedding, the groom ran off for his childhood best friend.

I stood on the stage in my couture wedding gown for two agonizing hours, only to watch him walk back in holding hands with Chloe. With complete self-righteousness, he announced to me:

"Chloe was in a terrible car crash abroad, and she lost all her family. I'm all she has left! We can always reschedule our wedding!"

With teary eyes, Chloe looked up at me, sniffling, "Sienna, I just came back to give you two my blessings. I never imagined it would turn out like this. It's all my fault."

Murmurs spread like wildfire among the three hundred guests, and the internet exploded with people calling me petty, claiming I deserved to be dumped.

Everyone believed I was just a spoiled canary who couldn't survive a single day without him.

What none of them knew was that three years ago, I was the anonymous investor who poured fifty million dollars into his dying enterprise, saving his family's empire from total bankruptcy.

Three days later, during their lavish engagement party, I projected the secret funding contract, their steamy vacation photos from Bali, and security footage of his embezzlement onto the giant screen.

Austin collapsed onto the floor, his face drained of color.

I was going to make them spit out every single cent they took from me—with interest.

At my wedding, the groom ditched me.

I stood alone on the grand stage in my custom couture gown, surrounded by the hushed whispers of more than three hundred guests.

The master of ceremonies tried calling Austin again and again, but the phone rang out into silence every single time.

Two hours later, the heavy double doors of the ballroom finally swung open.

Austin walked in.

He was still wearing the bespoke Dior suit tailored for our wedding, but his boutonnière was gone.

Next to him stood his childhood sweetheart, Chloe.

She wore a simple white sundress, her ankle wrapped tightly in gauze, fresh tears glistening on her pale, delicate face. She looked like a fragile, broken bird.

The entire hall fell dead silent. Every eye was locked on this bizarre trio.

My mother was trembling with rage, barely kept in her seat by my father’s firm grip.

Holding Chloe's hand, Austin marched straight through the crowd toward the stage.

He looked up at me. There was a faint flicker of guilt in his eyes, but it was quickly swallowed by righteous entitlement.

"Sienna, I'm sorry," he announced, his voice echoing clearly across the hall. "Chloe was in a bad accident overseas. Her family is all gone. I couldn't just abandon her when she needed me most."

Right on cue, Chloe leaned into his shoulder and looked up at me with tearful, innocent eyes. Her voice trembled.

"Sienna, I really just came to congratulate you both. I never meant to ruin anything... It’s all my fault..."

The crowd erupted into furious whispers.

"Wait, he left the wedding just to pick her up?"

"I heard they grew up together. She just survived a crash and lost her family, of course he couldn't leave her hanging."

"Still, doing this to the bride on her wedding day is cruel."

I watched their little performance in total silence.

Seeing my lack of reaction, Austin stepped closer and softened his tone.

"Sienna, I know you feel wronged. But Chloe has nobody else in this world."

"We can always reschedule the wedding. Just bear with it for today. I need to take her to the hospital for a full checkup right now."

He brushed it off so casually, as if our wedding were nothing more than a rehearsal he could rerun whenever it suited him.

Chloe tugged lightly at his sleeve, whispering just loud enough for everyone near the stage to hear:

"Austin, don't. Sienna will hate me. Let's just go quickly, we shouldn't disturb everyone any longer."

What a touching masterpiece of doomed romance.

I finally made a move. I unpinned my veil, tossed it onto the floor, and handed my bridal bouquet to my maid of honor.

"Blessings received," I said into the microphone, my voice steady, cool, and crystal clear. "The wedding is canceled."

Without waiting for a response, I gathered my train, turned around, and walked off the stage.

Behind me, Austin yelled in disbelief, "Sienna! Stop right there! Stop throwing a tantrum!"

I never looked back.

Faintly, I could still hear Chloe's suppressed sobs, barely hiding her triumphant thrill:

"Austin, it's all my fault... Sienna totally misunderstood..."

They truly believed I couldn't survive without him.

They were dead wrong.