On our wedding day, my fiancé claimed his secretary was carsick and told me to sit in the back car.

As the bride, not being allowed to ride in the front was unthinkable.

I asked my future mother-in-law and sister-in-law for support, but they both surprisingly sided against me, urging me to be magnanimous.

Relatives and friends were waiting to see me smile, especially jealous colleagues who had already recorded a video mocking me.

I climbed into my childhood sweetheart’s passenger seat. “Didn’t you say you didn’t want me to marry anyone else? So, are we getting our marriage certificate now?”

My childhood sweetheart beamed. “Absolutely!”

When my ex-fiancé’s family found out I had already gotten a marriage certificate with someone else, they panicked...

——

I woke up early today and finally finished all the wedding procedures.

Just as I was about to get into the wedding car, holding up The Heirloom Gown, Jason Miller stopped me.

“Wait a moment. You have to sit in the back car.”

I froze. “What?”

“Selena is carsick, so she has to sit in the front. Just bear with it; it’s not far.”

“Jason, today’s our wedding. I’m the bride. I sit in the back car; you and your secretary sit in front. Isn’t that obvious?”

“Besides, most people with carsickness roll down the window or, at worst, sit in the front passenger seat. This is the first time I’ve heard someone has to sit in the front.”

Selena Quinn’s smugness was unbearable. “Sorry, Lydia, my condition is unusual. Mr. Shen felt sorry for me and insisted I ride in the front car with him.”

“I didn’t want to. It’s against protocol.”

I was furious.

“You know it breaks protocol.”

But with so many relatives and friends around, I held back and spoke calmly. “The first car is always for the bride and groom. If you let Selena ride with you, people who don’t know will think you’re marrying her.”

“Why care what others think? Friends and family here know who I’m marrying.”

Seeing I couldn’t convince him, I went to his mother.

“Mom, Jason insists his secretary rides in the first car and told me to find a seat in the back.”

Before she could reply, his sister interrupted.

“Sis-in-law, if my brother asked you to, just do it. It’s not a big deal. Why complain to me?”

“Lydia, Jason’s so busy he needs his secretary with him at all times. If there’s work, it’s convenient. You’re going to be married; be more tolerant.”

I understood clearly: this family was taking the outsider’s side.

Jason opened the first car door for Selena and watched her get in.

Relatives and friends whispered. Some were surprised, some displeased, but most were gloating, waiting for me to embarrass myself. A few colleagues, who usually didn’t get along with me at work, stopped pretending and pulled out their phones to film the lead car and me.

As they filmed, they said, “The green tea who forced a marriage came back too soon. Even though President Miller married her, he won’t even let her ride in the lead car.”

“Our Selena is President Miller’s true love. Even if the green tea won, what good is it? Now she can’t even ride in the wedding car with him!”

Their words grew louder, and I snapped.

“Shut up!”

The men reluctantly put their phones away.

“Lydia, even if you tricked President Miller into marrying you, you don’t compare to Selena in his heart!”

“That’s right. If I were you, I wouldn’t get married today. If you have any shame, just go home!”

“Why shouldn’t I get married? I’m getting married today!”

If I didn’t, that bitch Selena would get her way. Everyone thought I forced Jason to marry me, but the truth was the opposite.

To win me over, Jason chartered an entire cruise ship.

He launched 999 fireworks on the Brooklyn Bridge, New York’s bustling heart.

To get me to marry him, Jason proposed eighteen times.

The last time, terrified of heights, he jumped off the world’s tallest bungee platform—just because I said, “If you dare jump, I’ll marry you.”

No matter how beautiful the past was, now outsiders see it as a joke.

I found a random car, opened the passenger door, and got in.

“You won’t even let me, the bride, ride in the front car at our wedding? Are you sure you want to get married?”

I turned to see Charles Nolan, my childhood friend who’d grown up with me.

“Are you here to laugh at me?”

When I first wanted to marry Jason, Charles was fiercely against it.

We argued so much, we almost stopped talking. “I’m not that free.”

After a brief silence, Charles spoke again.

“If you say you don’t want to get married now, I’ll take you away—right now!”

“To the wedding.”

“He’s done this to you, and you still want to marry him?”

“Drive.”

Charles slammed the steering wheel, then started the car and headed toward the wedding.

Halfway there, a small car suddenly appeared and rammed us head-on.

Thankfully, Charles’s driving was expert; he swerved and barely scraped the other car.

A girl in a miniskirt jumped out, ran over, and knocked on our window.

“How could you drive like that? You’ve wrecked my car. None of you is leaving today. You have to fix it!”

“Stay inside. I’ll take care of it.”

She looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t place her.

Then Jason called. “Where are you? We’ve been waiting forever. Why aren’t you here yet?”

“I was in a car accident,” the girl next to me said.

“A car accident on such a happy day—bad luck. Maybe God doesn’t want you to get married?”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Lydia, get a taxi here quickly. Don’t miss the auspicious time.”

My throat tightened. “I was in an accident, and your first concern isn’t if I’m hurt, but if we missed the auspicious time?”

“My wife is lucky; she’ll be fine. Get a taxi here fast. Everyone’s waiting.”

Jason hung up.

As I got out of the car, someone grabbed my wrist.

“You can’t leave! No one in this car leaves today!”

The girl who hit us was holding me.

Looking closer, I finally recognized her.

Though I didn’t know her name, I’d met her once at work—Selena’s best friend.

Charles stepped in front of me. “This is my car. If you have something to say, say it.”

“No one here leaves. Who knows if you hit me on purpose?”

“Sister, there are surveillance cameras. You hit us.”

“I don’t care. None of you leave.”

I sneered. “Did Selena send you to stop me?”

The girl froze, clearly caught off guard.

“Who’s Selena? I don’t even know her.”

My phone rang again. It was Selena’s video call.

When I answered, she was wearing my couture wedding gown. Behind her, my makeup artist was styling her hair. “Lydia Newton, how do I look?”

“Don’t misunderstand, Mr. Miller said you might not make it. He worried we’d miss the auspicious time, so he asked me to stand in for you.”

“You don’t have to rush here. I’ll livestream the whole wedding.”

“I won’t say more. The ceremony’s about to start.”

I silently leaned back into the car, watching what used to be my wedding unfold perfectly.

I’d carefully chosen the venue, down to every flower.

But now, someone else stood where I should be.

At the ceremony’s peak, the host announced, “The groom may kiss his bride!”

Jason leaned in without hesitation and kissed her.

The camera zoomed in on their kiss—their lips and teeth clearly visible as they pulled apart.

I felt nauseous and opened the car door, unable to stop myself from vomiting.

Charles quickly patted my back. “Why did you throw up so suddenly? I’ll take you to the hospital.”

I waved him off and rinsed my mouth with the water he handed me. My The Heirloom Gown was glaringly obvious now, and I just wanted it off.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a bag on the back seat. I grabbed it and found Charles’s freshly dry-cleaned shirt and pants inside.

I removed the heavy headdress and changed into his clothes.

Though far too big, I rolled up the cuffs and tightened the waistband with a rubber band to make them fit.

At that moment, my phone rang again. “Lydia, was our wedding beautiful? Mr. Miller and I will be toasting guests soon.”

“Your family doesn’t seem to care about you. They didn’t even notice the bride had changed.”

“I won’t livestream the toasts—it’s a waste of battery. I’m hanging up now.”

Charles returned. “That woman’s acting crazy. I’m too tired to argue with her. Let my assistant handle it.”

His eyes nearly popped when he saw me in his clothes. “What are you doing?”

“Mind if I wear your clothes?”

Charles was stunned. “No, I don’t mind.”

“Not planning to get married?”

“Jason and Selena have already finished their wedding.”

“Charles, didn’t you say you didn’t want me to marry anyone else? So, are we going to get our marriage certificate now?”

Charles was speechless. “You mean for us? Get a marriage certificate?”

I nodded. “If you don’t want to, forget it.”

Charles lit up instantly. “I’ll take you!”

“Why wouldn’t I want to? I’d love that!”

He slammed the accelerator and drove straight to the Registrar of Vital Records, where we got our marriage certificate without hesitation.

“Let’s go to the hotel.”

Charles blushed, embarrassed. “So soon? We haven’t even held hands yet.”

“What are you thinking? I asked you to take me to the hotel where my wedding is held. The banquet shouldn’t be over yet—let’s go give Jason and Selena some money.”

“Okay!”

After arriving, I casually grabbed a red envelope and slipped 38 dollars inside.

Charles and I sat quietly in an out-of-the-way corner.

After a while, Jason and Selena came over to toast to our table.

At first, they didn’t recognize me. It wasn’t until my turn that Jason looked at me. “Lydia, when did you get here? Whose clothes are you wearing?”