"Our relatives and friends are waiting at the hotel right now. Are you seriously going to drive this car to our wedding?"

Andrew frowned, clearly annoyed. "It’s just a car. It gets us to the hotel—what more do you want? Why do you care about things like this? Can’t you be a little more compassionate?"

"You’ve heard the saying, right? Marriage is where love goes to die. So really, what’s the difference between a wedding and a funeral? A hearse sounds about right."

"And anyway, Raquel couldn’t even get a taxi while carrying the ashes. If we don’t help her, who will? You’re usually so understanding. What’s gotten into you today?"

Tears burst from my eyes. I rushed forward and tore off the black veil draped over the wedding car. "Who gave you the right to use my wedding car like this? Who said you could make this decision without me?"

Raquel hurried over to stop me. "Naomi, please don’t. Today is Peanut’s funeral. Just… let him go in peace."

I shoved her aside. "Get out of my way."

She stumbled backward and fell straight into Andrew’s arms. He caught her, then turned on me, grabbing my arm and shoving me to the ground.

"Have you gone mad?" he shouted. "Your wedding dress is white, the car seats are also white—what’s the problem? Why is it okay for you to make a scene, but no one else can do anything? Have some shame."

Pain shot through my hand as I hit the pavement. Blood welled up from my palm. I pointed at the urn in Raquel’s arms, my voice shaking.

"Andrew, do you even hear yourself? Do you have any idea what you’re saying? Have you even thought about how I feel?"

"A woman only gets married once in her life. And you Andrew Benedict, you want me to ride to my wedding in a hearse? Do you even want to marry me?"

Andrew was about to argue back, but Raquel gently stopped him. "This is all my fault, Mr. Benedict," she said softly. "I was overwhelmed with grief after Peanut passed away and I didn’t think about Naomi’s feelings. Of course, the wedding is more important than Peanut… after all, he was just my pet. I can handle it on my own."

As she spoke, her tears silently fell, landing one by one on the small urn in her arms.

"I have no family in this city—only Peanut, who stayed by my side every day like a companion, like family. I’m sorry. I just wanted to give it the farewell it deserves."

"Even if I go alone, I will walk to the cemetery."

She pushed open the passenger door and stepped out unsteadily. Dressed in black, her figure looked fragile and grief-stricken. She wiped at her tears, then turned to me and said through her sobs, "I’m sorry, Naomi. Please… go ahead and get in the car."

Andrew quickly got out after her and grabbed her wrist. "You don’t have to get out. I told you I would take Peanut on his last journey. Did you forget? I said I’d be his father, didn’t I?"

In that moment, a memory struck me. The caption I had seen earlier that morning in Raquel’s social media post read, [Mom and Dad will always love you, my baby.] So, that was what it meant. "Mom and Dad"… they were referring to Andrew and Raquel. And that familiar shoulder in the picture—it was his.

Raquel had joined Andrew’s company a year ago as a secretary. He found her attentive, thoughtful and quickly promoted her to assistant. From then on, she was by his side constantly, managing much of his work.

I had heard whispers from senior employees, warning me to keep an eye on their relationship, but I brushed it off. This was Andrew Benedict—my Andrew. The man I had loved for years, the man who had loved me deeply in return. I never once believed he could betray me. I believed no man would ever dare to cheat on someone like me.

But now, the truth was right in front of me, so clear and cruel that I could no longer deny it.

Raquel was not just his secretary. And Andrew… he was no longer the man I once knew.

My chest tightened with pain. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of our ten-year relationship. And yet, it had become this.

Andrew stepped toward me, his voice cold. "Do you really need to make a scene? Do you even have any idea how far it is from here to the cemetery? How long it would take Raquel to walk there all alone?"

"You know no one would let her ride with an urn. Did you really have to argue with her at her saddest moment?"

As he stepped closer, I caught the scent of camellia perfume clinging to him. It was Raquel’s perfume and it made me nauseous. I instinctively stepped back and covered my mouth.

He opened the car door and gently helped Raquel inside. "You don’t need to get out," he said softly to her. "I promised to take you there today and I will keep my word."

Then he turned to me.

"Hurry up and get in. The wedding’s about to start. I told you we’ll hold the ceremony first. I’ll still make sure you look like a beautiful bride. After the wedding, we’ll take Raquel to bury Peanut together."

Fury surged through me. I threw open the car door.

"Raquel, this is my car. Please get out. I don’t agree with you using it to go to the cemetery. I can call a car for you or find a friend to take you, but not this one."

Turning to Andrew, I said coldly, "Call the wedding planner now. Tell them to come and restore the car design like before."

Raquel looked at me, tears brimming in her eyes. She wiped them away quickly and forced a smile. "All right. I don't want to ruin your wedding more than this. Sorry and I wish you happiness."

Then she gently brushed Andrew’s hand aside and looked up at him with those watery eyes. "You should go get married. I’ve told you before—we’re not meant to walk the same path. Why keep upsetting Naomi?"

"Let me take Peanut alone. I’ll send him off myself."

She leaned over the urn and whispered, "Peanut, Mommy will take you to rest."

Enraged Andrew shoved me aside. I stumbled backward and crashed into the flower bed behind me. The sharp edge dug into my back—pain exploded through my body as my vision went black. The bouquet slipped from my fingers and scattered across the ground.

"That's enough. Are you done now? How long are you going to make a scene over a car? In the end, I’m still marrying you—what more do you want?"

"You’re about to become the wife of Andrew Benedict. You have everything anyone could ask for. Why must you make things so hard for Raquel? She had so little… and now she’s lost even that. Must you really push her this far?"

"If I had known you would turn out so cruel and unreasonable, I never would have agreed to marry you."

His words cut through me like a blade.

Andrew and I had been college sweethearts. He was just a poor scholarship student, barely scraping by. His family had nothing and he had to take out loans just to make it through school. But we fell in love. For the sake of his pride, I hid my background and quietly started a business with him. After graduation, we struggled together—through every hardship, side by side.

Eventually, things got better. We built our own company and behind the scenes, I even asked my father to support us. With that hidden help, his business flourished. He became a rising star in Seattle’s business world.

I waited patiently, believing he would propose. That we would finally have our wedding.

I invited friends and family, ready to reveal my background on our special day. I truly believed we would be happy.

But now, I stood frozen, watching him embrace his secretary as she nestled sweetly in his arms… watching the wedding car I had bought turned into a funeral hearse. My chest tightened.

Perhaps everything had already changed long ago. I just did not want to see it.

Andrew stared at me coldly. "You have two choices. One, get in the car and come with me to the hotel. We’ll still hold the wedding."

"Two, if you refuse to get in, then walk there yourself. After all, you don’t want to ride in a hearse, do you?"

I looked through the car window. Raquel was still in his arms, glancing at me with a smug, provocative smile.

She said softly, pretending to smooth things over, "Naomi, don’t be upset. I’ll try to talk to Mr. Benedict for you."

Then she turned toward him, whispering something in a sweet, spoiled tone. I caught a few words. "Naomi has always dreamed of marrying you. Even if you abandon her here, she’ll find a way to get to the hotel, but can’t you just coax her a little?"

"You can’t just assume she’ll marry you, not after treating her like this over and over again," she persuaded.

Andrew’s voice was cold as ice. "I’ve just spoiled her too much. That’s why she’s become so unreasonable."

I stared at him in disbelief.

He clenched his jaw and snapped, "Fine. Since you won’t get in the car, then walk there yourself."

With that, he stepped on the gas. The car sped off, leaving me behind on the side of the road. The bridal bouquet that had slipped from my hands was now crushed in the mud—petals and ribbons ground into the dirt.

I squatted down, covered my face and cried alone in my wedding dress.

Then a message alert chimed on my phone.

It was from Andrew.

[Since you’re so stubborn and clearly not in any rush to get married, let’s postpone the wedding until tonight. I’m taking Raquel to bury Peanut first. You should take some time to reflect on your behavior. The Mrs. Benedict I want is obedient, sensible and considerate, not someone as unreasonable as you.]

My heart sank, the words slicing deeper with every line. My tears blurred the screen, then fell freely down my cheeks. I cried harder and harder until I could barely breathe.

But then, something inside me broke free. I wiped my face, stood up and tore off the veil.

Then I pulled out my phone and made a call. "Are you free to get married today?"

"If you're free and you still want to marry me, head to the City Hall right now. I’ll see you there."

On the other end of the line, Daniel let out a carefree laugh. "Marry you? Well, I’m free anytime. I’ll be there soon."

I hung up and called the wedding organizer right after and told them to change the names of the bride and groom immediately. Then, I called my parents and asked them to calm the guests. I also told them I would be there within an hour.

One call after another, everything was falling into place, orderly and efficient.

At the entrance of the City Hall, I saw Daniel Fitzgerald, the man my parents had always believed was right for me. He was a good match in both background and character and in truth, we had known each other since childhood. It was just that I had been so blinded by love for Andrew that I could not see anyone else.

My parents had tried to warn me about Andrew. They insisted that he was not the one for me. He came from too humble a background and was too consumed by pride. He could not stand that I was more capable than him. When our company finally started to thrive, he insisted I quit and stay home because he wanted me to be dependent, to vanish from the business world entirely.

Yet, I never listened to their warning.

I thought Andrew just loved me too much to see me work hard. Now, the truth was crystal clear. He was just afraid I would outshine him. Clients would even ask, "Miss Lorraine isn't coming as well? We haven’t seen her in a while."

However, Andrew always came up with excuses and refused to let me meet them. Now I understood he was too afraid they would see what I was truly capable of.

Looking back now, I realize how foolish I was. Why did I let him clip my wings? Why did I stay in a cage when I could have soared freely? Why settle for being a canary in a cage when I was born to fly?

The entire process at the City Hall took less than thirty minutes. Daniel and I walked out holding our marriage certificate.

He looked at me and smiled. "I look forward to spending a lifetime with you, Mrs. Fitzgerald."

I drew in a deep breath and took his arm. "There’s still a wedding to attend."

Meanwhile, Andrew and Raquel had gone to the cemetery. After burying Peanut, her beloved dog, Raquel collapsed into Andrew’s arms, sobbing.

"What am I going to do? I’m all alone now…"

Andrew held her gently. "Don't say that. You’re not alone. I’ll take care of you for the rest of your life."

Tears stained Raquel’s eyes as she said, "But you’re getting married today. I know I said I didn’t need a title as long as I could be with you, but my heart still hurts. I admit it, I’m jealous and selfish. I just can’t bear the thought of you being with someone else. Does that make me a bad person? I don’t want to ruin your relationship and I know you love Naomi, but I can’t help myself. I love you too much. I want to stay by your side forever."

Looking at her tear-streaked face, Andrew gently held her and kissed her forehead.

"Silly girl," he whispered. "Don’t cry. I can give you everything—except a title."

"I'm getting married and I can't let Naomi down. I’ll take care of you, but there has to be a line we don’t cross."

Raquel threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably—but her eyes darkened.

Just then, Andrew’s phone rang. It was his best man and long-time friend, David. His voice came through loud and anxious, "Andrew, where the hell are you? Aren’t you supposed to be getting married today? Do you even know what’s happening? Get to the venue. Now."

"Naomi, she…"

Before he could finish Andrew cut him off coldly. "Whatever she’s doing doesn’t matter. I already said the wedding’s been postponed to tonight. I’ll show up on time. Just tell her to stop being so difficult. She’ll still get the title of Mrs. Benedict, but please don’t bother me again."

David practically yelled, "No, Andrew. She’s marrying someone else!"