At my own wedding, I find out the woman behind the veil isn't even the one I'm supposed to be marrying. Instead of getting mad, I give her the wedding of the century.

It's all because of what happened in my past life. I'd exposed that she wasn't my bride in front of everyone and blew up the whole ceremony.

That forced Jessie Clarke, who'd been at the hospital with her childhood sweetheart, Oliver Grant, to rush over reluctantly so we could still get married.

Because of that, Oliver refused treatment and died on the operating table.

When I heard he was gone, I told Jessie she should see him one last time, but she refused.

All she said was, "Blame it on his bad luck."

After we got married, we acted just as in love as before. I kept getting money from my family to save her company every time it was on the verge of collapse.

But on the anniversary of Oliver's death, Jessie shoved me off the top floor of her company. I hit the ground hard enough to end up a broken, bloody mess.

As I fell, I caught one last look at her face, streaked with tears.

"If you hadn't forced me back to marry you, Oliver wouldn't have died! You get to keep me, but I lost him for good! Why do you get to live a happy life?"

So that was it. She'd blamed me for Oliver's death from the start. She'd never loved me at all.

The next time I opened my eyes, I was back at our wedding ceremony.

"Jessie Clarke, do you take this very handsome man beside you to be your husband, for better or worse, for richer or poorer?"

"I do," Mabel Jones said, her voice slightly muffled behind the veil.

The guests swooned, convinced that the Clarke heiress was so madly in love with me that not even a nasty cold could stop the wedding of the century. To them, it seemed she was determined not to offer me anything less than absolute perfection.

"Hang on," I said.

Mabel's gaze flicked away as tiny beads of sweat gathered along her forehead beneath the veil.

"Jessie, you look pale. Are you tired?" I asked with a smile.

Mabel cleared her throat nervously. "Yeah, I..."

I signaled for the officiant to pause the ceremony and guided her toward the lounge.

My phone buzzed on the table, lighting up with more than a dozen unread messages from Oliver Grant.

"You figured out the bride is fake, right? Was it surprising? Jessie and I are watching the livestream of your wedding."

He'd even attached a photo. Jessie was leaning on his shoulder like she belonged there, looking completely at ease.

"And by the way, the whole thing was my idea. She planned this wedding as a little game for my entertainment."

I shot off a quick reply. "Yeah? Want to bet one call from me and she'd dump you and come running?"

For a long moment, the screen showed no activity.

Excellent. He'd taken the bait.

Pocketing my phone, I shifted my attention to Mabel, who was still completely silent.

She looked at me, flustered. "Actually, I-I…"

I patted her shoulder. "Relax, Mabel."

Relief flickered across her face. "So you already knew."

After a long beat, she drew in a deep breath like she'd finally made up her mind. "Jessie doesn't deserve to marry you. She planned today just to humiliate you."

I leaned in without warning. "I didn't stop the ceremony to expose you. I just need your help to pull off a scene."

In my past life, I didn't learn until after I died that Mabel had cared about me for years without ever saying a word.

When the news of my death spread, she was the only one who refused to believe I'd fallen off the building by accident.

Eventually, she figured out that Jessie was the one who killed me, but she never found evidence strong enough to prove it. So on the anniversary of my death, she took Jessie with her and died alongside her.

Tears slipped down Mabel's cheeks before she even realized it. She lifted a hand, then froze halfway, not sure what to do. "If you think any of this is unfair, I can—"

I met her eyes, steady and sure. "Mabel Jones, listen. You're the one I want to marry."

When we stepped back up to the altar, the officiant smiled. "Now, please exchange rings."

I picked up the ring and slid it onto Mabel's finger, but it snagged at her knuckle and wouldn't go any farther.

She tried to push it on, cheeks burning, until I covered her hand to stop her.

A wave of whispers rippled through the crowd.

"What happened? Is the ring the wrong size?"

"How do you mess up something this big? The Searles and Clarkes are way too careless."

In the crowd, Jessie's parents looked like someone had knocked the air out of them, their faces twisting all at once. They exchanged a glance. The panic in their eyes was impossible to miss.

So they'd known about Jessie's stunt the whole time and didn't stop it.

Mom's brows pinched together as she stared at me, worry written all over her face. I met her eyes and gave her a steady look, trying to tell her to stay calm.

Everyone watched like they were still trying to make sense of the whole thing when I lifted Mabel's veil.

"Oh my God, the bride isn't Jessie Clarke!"

"Then where's the real bride?"

Jessie's mother, Erica Fielder, was the first to react. She rushed up to the altar without a single thought for how she looked and yelled, "What is going on? Who are you?"

Jessie's father, Alan Clarke, looked like he was seconds from blowing up.

He whipped around to the frantic guests and reporters and barked, "Quiet! There's been a minor issue with the ceremony. We'll take care of it right now!"

What a spectacle.

In my last life, I was the one freaking out at the altar, but this time, it was Alan's and Erica's turn.

Startled by all the chaos, Mom shot to her feet, her eyes locked on me. "Callum, what's going on?"

I turned toward her and Dad, trying to steady them with a calm look.

With the whole room staring, I took Mabel's hand. "Thank you for coming to witness my wedding with Mabel Jones. There was a small mix-up with the poster and the rings because of an oversight."

I paused, then added, "But it won't affect anything. We're moving forward."

Mabel lifted her chin beside me, standing tall and taking all the attention without flinching.

Erica glared at me, shaking with rage. "Callum Searle, are you out of your mind? Do you even know what you're doing?"

Alan rushed over and hissed, "Callum, stop this! End the ceremony right now!"

I ignored them both and offered the microphone to Mabel. "Mabel, tell everyone why you're standing here."

Mabel and I shared a smile before she spoke, steady and clear. "I'm up here because Jessie paid me 200,000 dollars to stand in for her at this wedding."

The whole venue erupted.

"What? She paid someone to get married for her?"

"Oh my God, has Jessie completely lost it?"

The moment the truth came out, Alan and Erica went ghost-pale.

That was when Dad snapped. He jabbed a finger at Alan and shouted, "You Clarkes are unbelievable! Jessie actually treated Callum's future like a joke. You've gone way too far!"

Mom's eyes flashed with fury. She rushed up to the altar and pulled me behind her, glaring at the Clarkes. Her voice came out ice-cold. "Callum isn't marrying Jessie. From now on, we're done with the Clarkes!"

Erica finally panicked when she realized the marriage was about to fall through.

"Callum, Jessie was being immature and reckless. I'll call her right now and have her apologize to you."

I let out a humorless laugh. "Go ahead. I'll give her one last chance. If she actually picks up, I'll pretend none of this happened."

Mabel's hand tightened around mine.

I leaned toward her ear and whispered, "Relax. Jessie's not coming back."

Erica clung to that last bit of hope and called Jessie again and again.

She tried three times, and each call went to the same automated voice. "Sorry, the person you're trying to reach is unavailable."

I pulled a dramatic look of disappointment. "Looks like Ms. Clarke has no plans to return. Security, please remove anyone who isn't part of this wedding."

Security dragged Alan and Erica out as reporters swarmed them, shoving cameras in their faces.

Mom held my hand without asking a single question. She just kept saying, "Callum, whatever you decide, your dad and I are on your side."

Dad gave my shoulder a firm pat.

Warmth hit me hard.

In my last life, I insisted on marrying Jessie and fought my family until everything fell apart. After I died, Mom and Dad seemed to age overnight.

I wasn't going to make the same mistake again. And Jessie, the one who started it all, wasn't getting off easy.

As soon as the ceremony ended, I called my assistant. "Cut every partnership with Clarke Group and pull all of our funding. Not a single dollar stays."

News about my marriage to Mabel didn't travel far.

To protect Clarke Group's stock price, the Clarkes ensured the story stayed buried.

The moment the ceremony ended, Mabel and I rushed off to file the paperwork and make it official. Then she told me she needed to leave the country for a few days.

Jessie didn't know a thing. She spent two carefree days at the villa with Oliver, completely relaxed, until she finally sensed something was off.

Normally, I would've snapped and dragged her back by now, but this time, I stayed silent.

She scrolled through her phone, lost in thought, barely hearing Oliver call her name. She could feel something was wrong, but she convinced herself that I was just playing hard to get.

With that thought in mind, Jessie smirked, blaming herself for spoiling me too much.

…

Of all things, I hadn't counted on running into those two magnets for trouble at Dad's business gala.

Jessie spotted me immediately. The moment she realized I was talking to another woman, her expression curdled.

When Oliver noticed me, he leaned into Jessie and played the fragile act. "Jessie, I don't feel well. My head's spinning."

She propped him up like she cared, but her eyes kept drifting to me, barely pretending otherwise. She was clearly waiting for me to go to her.

Too bad for her. I didn't give her so much as a glance.

Eventually, she snapped. She marched to our table, slammed her glass down, and said, "Callum, are you mad because I had someone stand in for me at the wedding?"

I didn't even bother looking at her. I pushed my chair back to leave.

"The only reason I missed the ceremony was because Oliver was sick and it was urgent," she explained.

Oliver staggered toward me like he could barely stay upright and blocked my way. "Mr. Searle, please don't blame Jessie. It's my fault. I was too sick and ruined the ceremony."

Jessie actually laughed, like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Callum, how did I never realize you were this petty? It was just a wedding."

Then she grabbed my arm like she hadn't done anything wrong.

My eyes went cold as I shook her hand off. "Ms. Clarke, get a grip. Didn't your parents tell you anything about the wedding?"

Jessie went still. "Tell me what?"

Oliver panicked and latched onto my wrist, trying to play peacemaker. "Mr. Searle, please don't be mad. Jessie only said that for your sake."

He kept pretending he cared about me, but his nails dug into my skin so hard it forced a sharp breath out of me.

I tore my hand free. "Let go!"

Oliver yelped and hit the floor hard, looking helpless and pathetic.

Jessie's eyes flashed with fury as she scrambled to pull him back up. "You're insane! Apologize to Oliver. Now!"

I let out a dry laugh and motioned to the security guards who were already heading over after the noise. "Security. Show them the door!"

Jessie's face twisted. "Don't think this is going to make me care. If you know how to behave, I'll register our marriage with you in a few days."

She actually believed I'd drop everything and crawl back, thanking her the second she decided to take me back.

I huffed a laugh. "But I'm already married."