“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?”

“The bride’s changed, and I’m still wearing the same dress. Isn’t that ironic?”

“Don’t get me wrong. You had an accident on the way and couldn’t make it, so I asked Selena to handle the formalities.”

“Not only would you have missed the auspicious time, but it wouldn’t look right with so many friends and family waiting.”

I nodded. “I understand.”

Miller’s mother and Jenna Linwood arrived. “Hey, sister-in-law, what are you wearing? Men’s clothes?”

“Lydia, isn’t that what Mom’s saying? Just because Jason didn’t let you ride first, you deliberately skipped the wedding to embarrass him.”

“You’re naive! If Selena hadn’t stepped in, the whole family would have been humiliated. Don’t do that again! Even if Jason dotes on you, I won’t tolerate you!”

“Didn’t you tell Auntie I was in a car accident? The car that hit me was driven by Selena’s best friend. She’s been detained by police for deliberately hitting us and will face criminal charges.”

Selena looked flustered, and Jason quickly defended her. “What do you mean by Selena’s best friend? You make it sound like Selena asked her friend to hit you.”

“Is that true?”

“Impossible! I know Selena. She’s kind and gentle, with no hidden motives. How could she ask her friend to crash into your car?”

Selena’s eyes filled with tears. “Mr. Miller, thank you for trusting me. Otherwise, even if I jumped into the Yellow River, I couldn’t clear my name.”

“Don’t be afraid. Some people just like to bite the dog!”

“Jason, are you calling me a dog?”

“I just want you to see that Selena helped you today! You should thank her, not slander her!”

“Hurry and apologize to her. I was planning a wedding for you, but if you don’t apologize, there won’t be one!”

I scoffed. “If you won’t do it, someone else will. Right, husband?”

Charles playfully slapped my forehead. I kissed his head gently. “Of course.”

Jason blinked, shocked. “What did you call him?”

“Husband. He’s my husband—legally.”

“Thank you for not marrying me. I’m Mrs. Nolan now.”