The entire Capital elite knows my fiancé, Ian Valerius, can't perform in bed.

I'm the only one who can get him going.

But the self-proclaimed innocent maiden just wouldn't believe it, willing to debase herself for him.

The 99th time she sent him one of her debauched videos, Ian Valerius finally had enough and leaked it.

Who knew that with her pure image shattered, the innocent maiden would choose to throw herself into the sea.

But then Ian Valerius lost his mind and jumped in after her.

And I became the biggest joke in the Capital elite.

That was until I went abroad for my wedding and unexpectedly ran into Ian Valerius helping the innocent maiden pick out a wedding dress.

He explained, his eyes red:

"Sasha has amnesia. Just this once, don't be jealous."

I found it utterly baffling.

'Why would I be jealous of her? My husband doesn't even know her.'

'Oh, that's right. He doesn't know.'

'The day he jumped into the sea, ready to die for Sasha Shaw, I was already getting married to someone else.'

'Today, I'm just here to hold a makeup wedding ceremony abroad.'

...

I gave him a cool glance.

"Mr. Valerius, you've misunderstood..."

Before I could finish, Ian Valerius's gaze suddenly fell on my hand.

"What's with this ring?"

His brows furrowed, and he reached out to grab my hand and inspect it.

I sidestepped to avoid him, raising my hand to dangle the ring on my fourth finger in front of his face.

"You mean this?"

A detached smile touched my lips.

"It's our wedding ring, of course. My husband's and mine."

"Your husband?"

Ian Valerius's voice was displeased.

He took a step forward, his breath nearly on my face.

"Elara Sterling, the only man who can be your husband is me! The one you love is me!"

"How could you possibly wear a wedding ring from someone else?"

His eyes were locked onto my face.

The next second, the displeasure in his eyes faded away.

"I get it. You're still angry, so you're wearing this ring just to provoke me, right?"

He said with conviction:

"You showing up here... you must have known I was coming with Sasha and deliberately engineered this 'chance encounter'."

The man before me was becoming more and more ridiculous.

I patiently explained, "I'm here to hold a wedding ceremony with my husband."

"A wedding ceremony?"

Ian Valerius sneered, the mockery in his eyes deepening.

"Elara Sterling, since when did you learn to resort to such clumsy tricks to fight for my attention?"

"I know it was wrong of me to come abroad without telling you, but you don't have to resort to this just to make me angry."

"I've seen right through it. This trick of yours won't work on me."

Beside him, Sasha Shaw timidly tugged on the corner of Ian Valerius's sleeve.

She looked at me with curiosity and innocence.

"Ian, is this lady a friend of yours?"

she asked in a small voice, sweet and soft.

"She doesn't seem very happy. Did I... interrupt you two?"

"No."

Ian Valerius immediately turned to her, his voice instantly softening.

"She's just throwing a tantrum. Sasha, don't mind her. Let's keep looking for one you like."

Seeing his two-faced act, my stomach churned.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

I glanced at the caller ID: Amy, the head of wedding planning.

I stepped aside to answer it. The voice on the other end was frantic.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Thorne, there's been a slight hiccup."

"The chateau you and Mr. Thorne booked has just been bought out for the entire next week at triple the price."

"Your wedding... might have to be postponed..."

My heart sank, and my brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Is it possible for you to tell me who bought it? I'd like to see if there's any room for negotiation."

The other end of the line went silent for a few seconds before a troubled voice replied:

"Mrs. Thorne, the client... it's Mr. Ian Valerius of the Valerius Group."

"He's holding the wedding for his fiancée, Miss Sasha Shaw."

Hearing the names Ian Valerius and Sasha Shaw, I understood everything.

'Weren't they right here in front of me, brazenly picking out a wedding dress?'

'It's a small world,' I thought.

'These two are like gum on my shoe, impossible to shake.'

Not long after I hung up, my phone vibrated again.

This time, it was my husband, Sean Thorne, calling.

I answered the call, my voice softening unconsciously. "Hello?"

"I heard about the venue."

The man's warm, steady voice came through the phone, carrying a reassuring power.

"Don't worry, I've already had my assistant handle it."

"For ten times the price, the castle will clear its schedule just for us. We can have the wedding whenever you want."

I smiled, and the lingering bit of displeasure in my heart vanished.

"That's not necessary. You just finished up with work, don't go to the trouble."

"Besides, I wanted to stay and have some fun here for a few more days anyway. We can just consider it an early honeymoon."

"Postponing the wedding for a few days is no big deal."

"Whatever you say."

Sean Thorne's tone was full of adoration. "Have fun. I'll come join you as soon as I wrap things up here."

I hung up the phone, and as I turned, my eyes met Ian Valerius's probing gaze.

He seemed to have overheard part of my call and had a hint of smugness on his face.

"What's wrong? Your 'husband' can't even sort out a wedding venue?"

He intentionally stressed the word "husband."

His immaturity was so infuriating it was laughable.

"That won't be necessary."

I grabbed my bag, wanting only to leave immediately.

"Are you leaving, Sister?"

But Sasha Shaw suddenly blocked my way, holding a freshly chosen invitation out to me.

"Ian and I are getting married next Monday, right here in this castle."

"Sister, you'll come and wish us well too, right?"

She blinked, her face full of expectation.

Seeing my expression grow colder, Ian Valerius immediately took a step forward.

He explained to me, a guilty conscience evident in his voice:

"Elara, don't get the wrong idea."

"Sasha has amnesia. She doesn't remember anything. I just want to make it up to her."

He paused, then deliberately pulled me a little closer to the door.

Then he lowered his voice and said, in what he must have thought was a deeply affectionate tone:

"My wedding with Sasha is just a formality. We haven't registered the marriage. My wife can only ever be you."

"Once Sasha gets better, I'll explain everything to her. Just wait for me a little longer, okay?"

Those words instantly reminded me of the past.

Back when my parents passed away and I locked myself in my room, refusing to eat or drink.

He would speak to me through the door, saying over and over:

"Elara, please open the door, okay?"

"I swear, from now on, I'll be your rock. I'll always be with you."

Back then, his eyes were clear, his tone sincere.

But now, he was using that same sincere tone to speak the most hypocritical words.

"Ian Valerius, you make me sick."

I shoved him away forcefully and walked out of the bridal shop without a second glance.

Not long after I left, I got another call, this time from Amy.

"Mrs. Thorne, I have some good news!"

"That Miss Shaw contacted me. She said she greatly admires your taste and sincerely invites you to attend her wedding."

I frowned. 'How is that good news?'

I refused immediately. "I don't want to go."

"Oh, but Mrs. Thorne..." Amy quickly tried to persuade me.

"I've looked into it. The decor for this wedding is being handled by a top-tier team from Europe."

"It's on a massive scale, and many of the design concepts are very innovative."

"For you to go see it in person would be more useful than us looking at a hundred design sketches."

"Besides, since she put it that way, it's perfectly reasonable for us to go and observe. Just think of it as scouting the venue in advance."

Amy's words made me waver.

My wedding to Sean Thorne may have been postponed, but we still had to prepare for it.

Seeing the work of a top-tier team would certainly be a good source of inspiration.

Most importantly, I didn't want to make things difficult for Amy.

"All right, I'll go," I finally agreed.

On the day of the wedding, I chose a champagne-colored, knee-length cocktail dress.

The ceremony had already begun by the time we arrived.

Ian Valerius stood at the end of the red carpet. Dressed in a white suit, he looked extraordinarily handsome.

Sasha Shaw walked slowly down the aisle from the other end, holding her father's arm.

The two of them recited their vows before the priest.

Amy and I stood quietly at the back of the crowd, but my attention was almost entirely focused on the wedding decor.

The ceremony ended quickly.

I was admiring the paintings on the wall when Sasha Shaw suddenly appeared.

"Elara, you really came. I'm so happy."

She continued, lowering her voice.

"You just won't go away, will you, Elara Sterling? It's like you're haunting us."

"Ian planned that whole 'suicide pact by the sea' just so he could be with me openly."

"He promised me that after the wedding, we would stay abroad forever and never come back."

The smile on her lips widened.

"So what if you chased us all the way here? Ian still married me! I'm his bride now!"

In that instant, alarm bells went off in my head.

'Sasha Shaw was faking her amnesia!'

The shock was written all over my face, and Sasha Shaw's smile only grew wider.

"Oh, and by the way, Elara..."

She deliberately leaned close to my ear and whispered ambiguously,

"Ian took me so many times last night. Turns out, he can live without you after all."

My brow furrowed.

Everyone in the Capital elite knew that Ian Valerius had issues in the bedroom—that he couldn't get it up for anyone but me.

But it wasn't a physiological problem. When we first got together, he spread that rumor himself to ward off all the women throwing themselves at him.

He had said, "Elara, you'll be the only woman for me in this life."

"I want the whole world to know that I, Ian Valerius, can't live without you."

He used his own reputation to build an impenetrable fortress around me.

He said he would love me and only me, with all his heart.

But now, he had broken that vow with his own hands.

My expression darkened. I stared at her, motionless, as my hands at my sides clenched into tight fists.

Seeing she had successfully provoked me, Sasha Shaw gave a satisfied smirk.

She turned to walk toward Ian Valerius, and just as she was about to brush past me...

...she let out a cry and threw her body straight into the champagne tower next to me!

My pupils contracted. I instinctively tried to dodge, but it was too late.

CRASH—

The crystal tower, built from hundreds of glasses, came crashing down!

Champagne and shards of glass rained down on me!

I instinctively threw my arms up to cover my head, and a sharp, stinging pain shot through my arm and shoulder.

Sasha Shaw stumbled a few steps before Ian Valerius rushed over and caught her, steadying her.

The commotion drew everyone's attention.

"Ian, I... I didn't do it on purpose..."

Sasha Shaw was a picture of tearful beauty as she clung tightly to Ian Valerius's arm.

But her gaze, looking over his shoulder at me, was filled with a look of innocence and grievance.

"I just wanted to have a word with Elara, but she seemed really angry."

"We exchanged a few words, and then she pushed me. I lost my balance and... and that's when I bumped into the champagne tower..."

"I'm so sorry, Elara. It's all my fault. Are you all right?"