Perhaps the air conditioning temperature in the waiting room was set too low, as I felt increasingly chilled to the bone the more I thought about it.

When Ethan reached for my hand, I yanked it away.

I looked up at him steadily. "Get the wedding dress back. I don't want her wearing it."

Ethan frowned. "Don't be difficult, Lou. It's just a ceremony. We can have ours anytime."

The downturned corners of his mouth and the irritation in his eyes cut me deeply.

I said to him, "The dress is one thing, but if she wants to hold a wedding ceremony, does the groom have to be you?"

Was Anna merely making outrageous demands using her serious illness as leverage, or had he been emotionally detached all along and was just looking for an excuse?

Perhaps stung by my bluntness, his expression darkened.

Ethan pulled away from me and walked toward the door, tossing his final words over his shoulder.

"Dating you has become completely exhausting. You never consider my dignity and just always insist on making everyone look bad."

Was I the one not considering his dignity?

Was I truly the one being unreasonable here?

The sound of the door locking snapped me back to reality.

I gathered my skirt and pounded on the door. "I won't agree to this! The wedding I've carefully prepared for and anticipated for so long is not just some ceremony..."

Ethan's impatient voice rang out through the door, "Can't you show some compassion? She's dying. What's wrong with letting her have this moment?"

She was dying, and I had already made concessions for so many years because of her illness. Despite this, I was expected to hand over my own wedding and husband.

Even so, was I responsible for her illness?

I gripped the doorknob, calming myself. "Think carefully, Ethan Westbrook. You might regret this."

The voice outside paused, then the determined footsteps gradually faded away.

I slid down to the floor, still clutching my extravagant gown while feeling utterly empty inside.

She had actually ruined my wedding.

Anna had succeeded.

My phone rang urgently on the makeup table. It was my parents calling.

The call disconnected before I could answer.

The waiting room was just behind the reception hall, separated by a single door. I could clearly hear the commotion erupting inside — gasps of surprise and murmurs of confusion.

Then, guided by the emcee, applause filled the air.

Anna's social media account sent me another video.

The camera focused on the large projection screen where all the engagement photos Ethan and I had painstakingly created had been digitally altered, with Anna's face replacing mine in every single one.

All those hours spent sweating under the hot sun in full makeup, the day-long photoshoot that left my back aching and feet blistered, the countless poses we'd adjusted for perfect framing — all of it had become Anna's triumph.

This infuriated me even more than Ethan's words.

Though my hands trembled with anger, I still tapped to open the next video. In it, she glided down the aisle toward Ethan, bathed in the spotlight.

In the darkened audience behind her, I could see my parents. Their faces were drawn with distress as they searched frantically for me, but two security staff prevented them from leaving their seats.

Seeing this, I finally broke down, my tears falling onto my parents' faces on the phone screen.

I had chosen the wrong man.

Why did I have to drag my parents into this humiliation?

I simply could not bear to watch any more videos.

As the celebration continued on the other side of the wall, my mind gradually cleared.

After a long, hard look in the mirror, I peeled off the ill-fitting wedding gown, removed my makeup, and changed back into my street clothes.

I felt nothing but relief.

Well, at least I could thank God that I saw his true colors before we signed the marriage certificate.

The lengthy ceremony finally ended.

The door to the waiting room opened, and Ethan stood in the doorway.

He pressed his fingers against his temples, looking strained. "I'll make this up to you. I'll also go explain things to your parents..."

I cut him off. "Don't bother. They're my parents, not yours."

"They have nothing to do with you anymore, so don't bother," I continued.

He looked stunned.

Ethan's face showed exhaustion as he said, "Don't say things you don't mean. You know Anna's illness has been hard on her. What's the harm in making a small concession?"

Even now, he still believed he had done nothing wrong. He was still defending Anna.

For a moment, I did not know what else to say to him.

"Think of it as just anger if you want," I said, "Today I'll pack my things and move out. I'll have someone sell the apartment. If you don't want to sell it, just transfer my family's portion of the money to my account."

As I finished speaking, I spotted my parents standing not far away.

"That's all," I said before I hurried after them.

At this moment, several relatives had gathered around my parents.

As I approached, I overheard someone say, "I can't believe she got dumped like that."

My aunt, Isabelle Landry, was still blabbering on. "This is what happens when a girl is too assertive. Getting replaced on her own wedding day… how embarrassing."

I pulled my parents aside, pained by the awkwardness on their faces. Despite her being my elder, I shot back at Aunt Isabelle.

"Are you my aunt or Ethan's?

"Him switching brides last minute shows his irresponsibility and dishonesty. Him not consulting me shows his arrogance and disrespect. What does that have to do with me being assertive?

"If I'd known even one day earlier, he wouldn't have been the groom today either!"

Feeling humiliated by my words, Aunt Isabelle merely muttered something under her breath as she walked away.

Mom squeezed my hand, and I clearly saw the worry on her face.

I reassured her, "It's okay. If it's not meant to be, then it's not. I don't care anyway."

After seeing them off, I went alone to what was supposed to be our marital home to pack my things.

Though my words were clear and my mind rational, my emotions were beyond control.

Why did the tears insist on falling of their own accord?

This apartment had been decorated by Ethan and I together, so his presence lingered everywhere.

There was the ceramic pot he bought after learning about my menstrual cramps, promising to make me nourishing soup every week.

There was the walk-in closet he designed according to a trending short video.

I had teased him about the colorful lights being too flashy after installation, but he had just wrapped his arm around my waist, asking for a reward.

We met in college, then spent a year in different cities for work.

He had put in considerable effort to pursue me back then.

When he confessed his feelings, he said he was impressed by my confidence during a debate competition and how I held my ground.

Back then, I was radiant in his eyes, but now he complained I was too assertive.

The light he once saw in me had become an irritation to him.

I packed my things bit by bit, gradually extracting myself from our memories.

When I finished, I realized that our seven years together amounted to just half a cardboard box.

As I was wondering how to drag this box out and dispose of it, the door opened.

My best friend Charlotte Sanders burst in with her usual hurricane-like surge of energy.

The strength I had been faking crumbled completely at the sight of her, and my nose stung with emotion.

Charlotte gave me a fierce hug, squeezing me tight. "If I'd known, I would have been your bridesmaid. At least you wouldn't have been so alone."

She had disliked Ethan for a long time. She hated his indecisiveness and unwillingness to let go of his ex-girlfriend. She disliked him so much that she had not wanted to attend my wedding.

She had even bluntly warned me that I would regret marrying him.

To put it even more bluntly, the words she had said back then were, "Anna being alive is one thing, but if Anna dies, how can you compete with a ghost?"

We had fallen out over this. Now it seemed that she had hit the nail on the head.

I was so grateful to have such a friend back in my life.

With Charlotte around, life became more bearable.

She had specifically requested a business trip abroad to avoid my wedding. But as soon as her plane landed and she heard what happened, she rushed to find me, worried I might be crying alone.

She even took annual leave to keep me company, which moved me deeply.

The day she was busy trying to set me up with someone new, Ethan showed up at the door.

I sneered to myself. When trash shows up at your doorstep, it’s time to take out the garbage!