After five years with Nathaniel Sinclair, Sylvia Garner thought their love would lead to a lifelong commitment. But when Nathaniel postponed their wedding, her world began to crumble. At a private club, Sylvia stumbled upon a scene that shattered her heart—Nathaniel down on one knee, proposing to another woman.

“You’ve been with Sylvia for five years, but now you’re suddenly marrying Vivian Hayes. Aren’t you afraid she’ll be upset?” someone asked.

Nathaniel shrugged it off. “Vivian is ill; this is her dying wish. Sylvia loves me too much to leave.”

The whole world knew Sylvia loved Nathaniel to the point of obsession, believing she couldn’t live without him.

But this time, he was wrong.

On the day of his wedding, he told his friend, “Keep an eye on Sylvia. Don’t let her know I’m marrying someone else!”

His friend froze. “Sylvia is getting married today too. Didn’t you know?”

At that moment, Nathaniel broke down.

“Dad, didn’t you mention the fiancé you arranged for me as a child has been looking for me? Tell him I’m getting married on the first of next month but need a groom. Ask if he’s interested.”

The voice on the other end paused in shock. “Aren’t you set on marrying Nathaniel? You’re already planning the wedding. What happened? Did he do something to upset you?”

“Dad, just help me ask.”

“Alright, as long as you’re sure about this. All I want is for you to be happy.”

Sylvia Garner, eyes red with tears, replied firmly, “I will be.”

She had once loved Nathaniel Sinclair with all her heart, convinced he was her destined partner. Their wedding date was set, and she had been overjoyed, counting down the days to becoming his bride.

But just now, she received a devastating blow.

An hour earlier.

Sylvia stood before the mirror in a pristine white wedding gown. Her graceful figure, accentuated by the dress, looked breathtaking.

“Miss Garner, this custom-made gown designed by Mr. Sinclair is absolutely stunning. You two are going to be so happy together,” the shop assistant complimented.

But Sylvia couldn’t bring herself to smile.

Her eyes scanned the room until they landed on Nathaniel, tucked away in a quiet corner near the window. He was on the phone, his expression soft and full of affection.

The shop assistant, holding her phone, stepped into Sylvia’s line of sight. “Miss Garner, there’s a call for you.”

It was from the wedding planning company she had hired.

“Miss Garner… Mr. Sinclair just informed us there was a mistake with the bride’s name. He’s requested to change it to Vivian Hayes. Were you aware of this?”

An indescribable sorrow overwhelmed Sylvia, tears threatening to spill in the next second.

Though she already knew Nathaniel had betrayed her, she hadn’t expected him to be so shameless.

A month ago, when Nathaniel’s first love, Vivian Hayes, returned from abroad after five years, Sylvia felt a sense of foreboding.

Just yesterday, she had gone after Nathaniel to give a tie to him at a private club.

But what she witnessed instead was Nathaniel on one knee, proposing to Vivian.

Someone asked, "Nathaniel, aren’t you about to marry Sylvia? What are you going to do about Sylvia now that you’re with Vivian?"

Nathaniel replied nonchalantly, “Vivian is sick, and this is her final wish. As for Sylvia, as long as you all keep it quiet, she’ll never know. Even if she does, she loves me too much to walk away.”

Snuggled in Nathaniel’s arms, Vivian nodded in agreement. "I know this puts you in a tough spot, Nathaniel. But I don’t have long to live, and this is my final wish. Sylvia is so kind, she’ll surely understand."

Amid cheers from their friends, the two embraced passionately, while Sylvia, standing outside the door, fled in despair.

“Hello? Miss Garner, are you still there? Should we proceed with changing the name?”

There was a time when Sylvia had loved Nathaniel so deeply that she had lost herself completely, believing her existence was impossible without him. But that was all in the past.

“Yes, change it. Also, book the hall next door for me. I’ll transfer the payment shortly. Just replicate everything exactly as it is. And remember, update the groom’s name too. I’ll send you the details later.”

There was a stunned pause on the other end. "Shall we keep the wedding date the same?"

"Yes, keep it as is."

Taking a deep breath, Sylvia hung up the phone.

Moments later, Nathaniel walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

"Sylvia, you look stunning today."

"Really?"

Sylvia glanced at her reflection in the mirror. She did look beautiful.

But why was the man she had loved for years, the fiancé she was about to marry, betraying her to wed another woman?

"You’re the most beautiful woman in the world," Nathaniel said, his voice faltering as he added, "There’s something I need to discuss with you. I have something going on next month on the first. Can we postpone the wedding?"

"Something going on?"

Sylvia sneered inwardly. His so-called plans were nothing more than a wedding with someone else.

As if that wasn’t enough, he even planned to use the venue she had chosen, on the date she had picked, all while keeping her in the dark!

“Alright, let’s postpone it then.”

Her unexpected response unsettled Nathaniel. A strange sense of unease crept over him.

“I love you, Sylvia. I swear, I will marry you. Just wait for me. I’ll love you for a lifetime.”

He hesitated before adding, “Something came up at work. Wait for me at home.”

Watching his hurried departure, Sylvia found his promises utterly laughable.

In Nathaniel’s mind, her love for him was so deep, so unwavering, that she’d endure anything for his sake. He was convinced that even if she found out he was marrying someone else, she still wouldn’t leave.

But this time, he was wrong.

Not only was she leaving him, but she would also be getting married on the very same day.

When Sylvia got home, she started packing her things.

Halfway through, Nathaniel walked in.

“Sylvia, as soon as I finished up at work, I came straight back. Did you miss me?”

He held out a large bouquet of red roses with a bright smile.

“I got these just for you. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay with you till the end at the bridal shop earlier. Let me make it up to my sweetheart, alright?”

Looking at the slightly wilted roses, clearly suffering from lack of water, Sylvia almost laughed out loud in anger.

It was obvious that this was the same bouquet he had used at the proposal. He must have casually grabbed it on his way out.

So, in his eyes, she was only worth these discarded props from his grand display for someone else?

“What’s so funny?” Nathaniel asked, uneasy at the sight of her faint smile.

“Nothing.”

Sylvia took the bouquet, but her eyes caught a glimpse of something under the moonlight—bright red lipstick smudged on his collar.

It was glaringly obvious.

She raised her hand and pointed at his collar. “Your shirt’s dirty.”

Nathaniel glanced down and immediately noticed the lipstick stain, left behind when Vivian kissed him. His heart skipped a beat as he tried to explain.

“Oh, uh, I must have accidentally brushed up against something.”

“Hmm.” Sylvia didn’t call him out on it. “Take it off. I’ll wash it for you.”

“There’s no need. We have maids for that. I couldn’t possibly let you do it yourself.”

“They’re too careless. Let me take care of it.”

Thinking he’d dodged another bullet, Nathaniel leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her cheek.

“You’re the best, Sylvia.”

Sylvia took the shirt from him, her eyes lingering on the lipstick stain as she chuckled softly.

The best? No, he just thought she was the easiest to fool.

Perhaps she scrubbed too hard while washing it, and Nathaniel’s shirt ended up torn.

Nathaniel didn’t mind in the slightest. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and said softly, “It’s fine. If it’s ruined, just toss it. You can buy me a new one.”

He changed into another shirt, but the lingering scent of perfume on him was impossible to ignore.

Sylvia allowed a faint smile to curl her lips. “Don’t some things get better with age?”

“That’s true,” Nathaniel replied with a nod. “This shirt was actually really comfortable. Too bad you ruined it in the wash. I could’ve worn it a few more times. You know, I’m a very loyal man.”

A loyal man—loyal enough to hold on to the woman he loved five years ago, even after all that time apart.

But what about her? What did the five years she gave him mean?

Sylvia had never lacked admirers. From childhood through adulthood, she was always pursued by suitors.

After graduating from college, she applied for a job at Nathaniel’s company. The moment she laid eyes on him, he stole her heart.

But she was proud and stubborn, unwilling to take the initiative to chase after him.

Somehow, Nathaniel ended up falling for her, pursuing her with relentless determination. However, Sylvia played it cool at first, refusing to give him a straight answer.

Until one day, a fire broke out at the office.

As the alarm blared, everyone scrambled to escape.

Sylvia, frozen in fear, couldn’t move an inch.

It was Nathaniel who turned back and carried her out of the flames.

At that moment, Sylvia made up her mind to stay with Nathaniel forever.

For five whole years, she remembered every detail of the day they became a couple.

Nathaniel had sworn with absolute conviction, “Sylvia, I promise, you’re the only woman I’ll ever love in this lifetime.”

Looking at his solemn expression, Sylvia had wept as she warned him, “Nathaniel Sinclair, you’d better remember what you said today. Because if you ever betray me, I’ll marry another man and make you regret it for the rest of your life!”

Those vows still echoed in her ears, yet the man’s heart had already changed.

No, perhaps his heart had never belonged to her in the first place.

A stinging ache rose in her chest as Sylvia gripped the shirt tightly. She couldn’t hold back her tears any longer, and they spilled over.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

Seeing her tears, Nathaniel panicked, hurriedly pulling out a tissue to wipe her face.

“I’m fine.”

Nathaniel had betrayed her first. Now, she would keep her word and marry another man.

After finally calming her down, Nathaniel, as he always did, leaned in to kiss the corner of Sylvia’s lips.

This time, she pushed him away.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and released her. Then, as if nothing had happened, he reached out with a grin. “By the way, where’s my gift? You promised me something.”

“Wait here,” Sylvia said, heading upstairs.

In her room, she retrieved the wedding invitations they had picked out together and pulled out a pen.

She crossed out the original names of the bride and groom and wrote in her own name alongside Bennett Cooper’s. Then, she carefully placed the altered invitations back into the box and sealed it with tape.

When she came back downstairs, she handed the box to Nathaniel.

“What’s this?” he asked curiously, reaching to open it, but Sylvia stopped him.

“Don’t open it until the first of next month.”

Hearing that date, Nathaniel’s hands froze for a moment. Wasn’t that the day he was supposed to marry Vivian?

“Why?”

“Because the first of next month was supposed to be our big day,” she replied with a smile, sealing the box with tape. “Now that the wedding is postponed, I wanted to give you something special. It’ll be a big surprise.”

“Great, you know I love surprises,” Nathaniel said, tapping her nose playfully before pulling her into his arms.

“Sylvia, you’ve made me so happy today.”

Happy?

The light in Sylvia’s eyes dimmed, fading like the withering roses on the windowsill.

But Nathaniel didn’t notice.

What exactly made him so happy? Probably the thought of proposing to another woman while believing Sylvia was blissfully ignorant.

Later that night, as Nathaniel headed to the shower, Sylvia sat on the couch scrolling through her phone.

By chance, she stumbled upon a post from one of Nathaniel’s friends.

The video in the post showed Nathaniel on one knee, proposing to Vivian.

The caption on the post read: "A love I once envied has finally found its happy ending. Let’s celebrate tonight at the usual spot."

Sylvia froze, her finger hovering over the video, ready to click, when a comment popped up below.

"Are you crazy for posting this? Did you block Sylvia from seeing it?"

The reply came quickly: "Do you think I’m that stupid? Of course, I blocked her."

Sylvia stared at the comments, her lips curling into a cold, mocking smile.

She thought back to when she and Nathaniel had first started dating. He had proudly introduced her to his closest friends.

Back then, they had called her "the future Mrs. Sinclair" with unwavering enthusiasm.

One of them had said, “If Nathaniel ever bullies you, just let me know. I’ll make sure he pays for it!”

Another chimed in, “That’s right, Mrs. Sinclair. Don’t worry, we’ll keep an eye on him. He won’t dare mess around behind your back. And if he ever does, we’ll be the first to tell you.”

And yet now?

Every single one of them was helping Nathaniel cover up the fact that he was about to marry someone else.

The post disappeared within seconds, quickly deleted.

Moments later, Nathaniel came rushing out of the bathroom. His hair was still dripping wet, and he looked flustered.

“Sylvia, you—”

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her face expressionless as she glanced up at him, pretending not to have seen anything.

Seeing her lack of reaction, Nathaniel breathed a sigh of relief. “Nothing, I just wanted to let you know I’m done showering.”

“Okay.”

Sylvia stood, walked to the doorway, and paused when she heard Nathaniel on the phone with one of his friends.

“Are you out of your mind? Delete that post right now! What if Sylvia saw it? I’ve told you, under no circumstances can she find out about this. Are you trying to ruin everything?”

“It’s already deleted,” the friend replied. “There’s no way she saw it. By the way, shouldn’t you be here by now? Vivian’s already arrived.”