Chapter 2

His name was Julian Rivers.

He was Olivia’s "first love"—the one that got away.

Julian was an illegitimate son of the wealthy Rivers family. The matriarch of the Rivers family refused to acknowledge him, leaving his social status in a humiliating, awkward limbo.

Olivia's parents had vehemently opposed their relationship back then. Julian, possessing a fragile yet fierce pride, couldn't handle the humiliation. He abandoned Olivia, fled the country, and went completely off the grid.

As it turned out, Olivia’s "love at first sight" with me was simply because my eyes and facial structure looked strikingly similar to Julian's.

Now that the real deal was back, she had no use for a cheap knockoff like me.

And the timing of Julian's return lined up perfectly with when Olivia suddenly became "too busy" over the last two months.

Everything clicked. The puzzle was complete.

Hearing this story, I could only shake my head and laugh bitterly.

I never expected that I would end up as the cliché "rebound stand-in" in some trashy romance drama.

Julian wanted to crash our wedding to publicly declare his ownership of Olivia.

And Olivia wanted to use this dramatic stage to prove her undying loyalty to him, appease her angry lover, and force the Sterling family to finally accept Julian.

And me? My carefully planned wedding was nothing more than a prop for their romantic roleplay.

The world really is just one giant, ridiculous soap opera.

To be honest, it was so absurd I couldn't help but curse out loud.

That night, the lights in my apartment remained bright.

Even though the wedding was scheduled for the next day, I was busy packing my bags without a moment's rest.

Two hours prior, I had already booked a first-class ticket to London.

If they wanted to play crazy, I could play crazier.

Since Olivia could plan a romantic escape with Julian, I might as well return the favor by pulling a vanishing act of my own.

Fortunately, my parents had already relocated to London years ago. We hadn't invited any of their overseas friends or extended relatives to this ceremony, only a few close friends here in New York.

We had initially figured that since our parents had already met during the engagement, we would just host a smaller, intimate ceremony in London later to save everyone the hassle of traveling.

That decision turned out to be incredibly convenient for my escape plan.

I briefly explained my plan to my best friend, Leo Carter. He stood there in silence, taking the packing tape out of my hands with a deadpan expression.

Since I couldn't read his mind, I felt a bit uneasy. "Leo, are you going to try to stop me?"

Leo rolled his eyes and snapped at me:

"Are you stupid? I brought you a couple of heavy-duty contractor trash bags. They’re virtually indestructible for packing clothes."

Right. I forgot Leo's family owned an industrial chemical and supply company.

On the day of the wedding, Olivia and I stood at the entrance of the venue in our formal wear, welcoming the arriving guests.

This time, Olivia’s inner thoughts were so loud they gave me a pounding headache:

*“Is Julian here yet?”*

*“I’m finally going to be with Julian. Three years. I’ve waited three years for this. I’m finally going to be Mrs. Rivers.”*

*“When he takes me away today, he’ll finally believe that my heart has always belonged to him.”*

......

I couldn't help but shudder, frowning as I glanced at her. Yet, her face remained perfectly composed, wearing the same gentle, elegant smile she always had as she turned to me:

"Ethan, you look a bit pale. Why don't you go rest in the groom's suite? I can handle the guests out here. You can just come out when the ceremony starts."

Perfect.

I actually needed a solid excuse to slip away.

I nodded, intending to change out of my tuxedo into some casual clothes, but as I walked toward the back, I ran right into Julian.

Thanks to our similar features and my mind-reading superpower, the moment our eyes met, I recognized him instantly.

I reached out and grabbed Leo’s arm, holding him back as he started rolling up his sleeves, ready to beat up the homewrecker. I pretended to be completely oblivious:

"You must be one of Olivia’s friends, right? Please, head inside. The ceremony starts in a few hours."

Julian’s smirk faltered. He clearly hated hearing me call her "Olivia" so familiarly, and his tone turned dripping wet with sarcasm:

"Mr. Vance, I’m so sorry. It looks like we wore almost the exact same tuxedo today. If people didn't know any better, they might mistake me for the groom."

Julian’s arrogant thoughts echoed in my head simultaneously:

*“Smile while you can, idiot. In three hours, your precious bride is going to run away with me. Let's see if you can still smile then.”*