The 99th time Owen Anderson slides a ring onto my finger, his adopted sister, Monica Morgan, calls again.

And just like that, for the 99th time, he ditches me at the altar to be with her, who's having another depressive episode.

I'm fed up. I yell after him as he walks away, "Go ahead! Walk out on me, and I swear I'll marry someone else!"

He doesn't even flinch. Instead, he snaps, "Can you stop being so unreasonable? We can get married anytime, but Monica's the only sister I've got."

Then, he turns and walks away, leaving me standing there like a complete fool.

What he doesn't realize is that this time, I mean it.

Later, when he gets down on one knee for the 100th time, his older brother, Chris, slips an arm around my waist and says, "Sorry, Owen. She's your sister-in-law now."

The hotel doors slammed shut with a bang.

Owen, the guy I'd been with for ten years, had ditched me at the altar for the 99th time. He had taken off to comfort Monica, who was threatening to jump because of her depression.

The guests below the altar began fidgeting and whispering to one another.

I shoved down the flood of shame and despair welling up in my chest, grabbed the mic from the officiant, and raised my voice. "Settle down, everyone. The wedding's still happening. The groom bailed, so I'm putting out a call for a new husband. So, who wants to marry me?"

All hell broke loose in the crowd.

"This is unbelievable. Has she lost her mind?"

"Anderson Group is one of the top business empires in the world. Who'd be crazy enough to steal Mr. Owen's fiancee?"

"Let's be real. Owen's been sleeping with her for ten years. Who's still going to want her?"

Every word stabbed straight through my chest.

After a long silence, I took a deep breath, trying to find a way out of this mess with a shred of dignity. That was when someone stepped out of the crowd.

"I'll marry you."

My eyes shot wide open in disbelief.

It was Chris, Owen's older brother and the eldest son of the Anderson family.

Flashes of him ran through my mind all at once. I'd only ever seen him a handful of times.

One of them was during a heavy storm. Owen had sent me out to get cold medicine for Monica. I ran all over Amethyst City and got myself completely drenched before I finally found a pharmacy that was still open.

Later, I happened to run into Chris, and he offered to drive me home.

I came down with a fever that lasted an entire week, but Owen never showed up. He was too busy looking after Monica. But Chris had quietly left a glass of water and some fever medicine by my bed.

There was another time. Owen had made a bet with his buddies and left me stranded in the middle of nowhere, just to see how long it'd take me to find my way back.

I ended up getting lost in the mountains for three days and nights, and the wolves almost got me. Chris was the one who found me and saved my life.

But every time I tried to thank him, he'd just turn away in silence, never sparing me a glance.

And now, that same man was walking toward me. His tall frame cast a long shadow over me.

"I, Chris Anderson, am stepping up to the plate. I'll take Owen's spot and marry you."

I stared up at him. After a long beat, all I could manage was a single word. "Sure."

And so, under the stunned and confused stares of the crowd, I married Chris.

The second the marriage certificate landed in my hands, it hit me that my ten years with Owen had been nothing but a joke. I had poured every last drop of love I had into him, only to be abandoned time and time again whenever Monica called.

Even when we were just one step away from getting married, all it took was one phone call from her, and he'd drop everything to run to her.

But now? I could finally leave him behind too.

I stared at my phone screen, reading Monica's latest post on social media.

"Thank you for dropping everything to be with me. You are my light when everything feels hopeless."

The photo showed two hands tightly clasped. In the comments, people were celebrating as if the couple had just gotten married today.

I gave the post a like. A few seconds later, Monica messaged me.

"Don't get me wrong, Mia. I was just feeling lonely. Next time you and Owen tie the knot, I promise I'll be there to send my blessings."

She said that every time, then she'd turn around and steal Owen from me all over again. But now, reading her latest jab, I didn't even flinch.

"Forget it. There won't be a next time."

Now that I was married to Chris, I figured it was time to leave Owen's villa for good. He wasn't around when I came back to pack up.

I dumped everything that had anything to do with us—the jewelry he had given me, the scarf I had knitted for him, the oil paintings we had done together, the scrapbook full of our memories, and every photo from the nightstand and the walls.

In the end, I took off the wedding ring he had put on my finger and tossed that in the trash too.

I hauled my suitcase out and made a beeline for the door. But just as I was about to make my getaway, I ran straight into Owen. When he saw my suitcase, his brows furrowed, and he grabbed my arm.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm moving out."

"Moving out?" His voice spiked with anger, and his grip on my arm sent a sharp jolt of pain through me.

"Stop being so difficult, Mia. I told you—Monica's nothing more than a sister to me. I'll make it up to you with another wedding. Now, stop this and come home with me."

I tried to yank my arm free, but before I could, he had already told the bodyguards to snatch my suitcase. Then, he dragged me back into the villa and slammed the door behind us.

He flopped onto the couch and said casually, "It's Monica's birthday tomorrow, and she's throwing a party. You're my plus-one."

"Why on earth would I go?"

"She wants to apologize to you face-to-face. So yeah, you're in."

I said no in a heartbeat.

Owen's eyes turned to slits, and it made my skin crawl. He clamped his hand on my chin. "You go, or I cut off your mom's treatment."

I froze. Mom was seriously ill and receiving treatment at Anderson Hospital. Owen knew she was the only family I had left, and still, he used her as leverage against me.

I was shaking like a leaf. Finally, I nodded in despair.

"That's the spirit," he said with a smug smile.

Then, his eyes zeroed in on my bare left hand. "Where's the ring I gave you?"

"I tossed it," I said without batting an eye.

He thought I was making a scene and couldn't care less. "Whatever. I'll just get you another one."

The ring hadn't been worth much to begin with. But little did he know, I had no use for it anymore. I was already married to Chris.

Monica's birthday party took place on a cruise ship.

The whole ride over, Owen clung to my hand like a life raft, as if I'd take off running if he let go. But the moment his eyes landed on Monica, he ditched me, making a beeline for her and wrapping his arm around her waist as if he had every right to.

"Happy birthday, babe. This is your gift," he said.

He popped open a little box, revealing a sapphire necklace that took my breath away. I knew it right away. That was the one and only "Ocean's Heart". The sentiment it was meant to express was the giver's love being deeper than the sea.

I had mentioned to Owen that I wanted that necklace just a month ago.

He had scowled and gotten snippy with me. "Why are you so greedy? Haven't I bought you enough necklaces already?"

Now, I was watching him put that very same necklace on Monica with his own hands.

I couldn't handle it. I walked off and found a spot by the railing, letting the sea breeze wash over me.

All of a sudden, Monica's voice came from behind me. "Mia, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your wedding yesterday."

I spun around to say something, but she suddenly grabbed my hand and went over the railing, yanking me into the sea with her.

I couldn't swim. I flailed helplessly in the freezing water, screaming my head off. Through the blur, I saw a figure jump down from the ship. It was Owen, but he didn't even give me a second glance. He swam straight toward Monica.

The saltwater was flooding my nose, and the sense of suffocation was crushing me. I thrashed my arms around, screaming for help, but all I could see was Owen pulling Monica out of the water and back onto the ship.

They didn't toss me a life ring until I was wiped out and about to go down for good. I clung to it with everything I had.

After a long struggle, I finally made it back onto the deck. But Owen just gave me the cold shoulder instead of checking if I was alright. He barked, "Why'd you push Monica? You'd better apologize to her right now."

I was drenched, shaking from the cold, and my lungs felt like they were on fire. "Push her? I didn't. She yanked me down with her—"

I couldn't stop myself from coughing.

Owen wasn't buying it. "Stop lying. Monica said you pushed her. I get that you're holding a grudge, but how could you stoop to something like this? You need to apologize to her right now."

I was in disbelief. I bit down hard on my lip and said nothing.

Owen whipped out his phone and called Anderson Hospital. "Pull the plug on Ms. Jones' treatment. Effective immediately."

I went white as a sheet. "No! I'll apologize. Just don't bring my mom into this!"

I was shaking as I walked over to Monica and lowered my head. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Morgan. I shouldn't have pushed you."

Monica wasn't having it. She held onto Owen's arm and whined, "Honey, she nearly killed me! She should be on her knees right now!"

I stared at Owen in shock.

He just gave a cold nod. "You heard her. Get on your knees and apologize to Monica."

My teeth were chattering, and I could taste blood from where I'd bitten my lip. In the end, I swayed on my feet and dropped to my knees.

"I'm sorry."

I had to do it for Mom. I had no other choice.

Monica had a look of pure victory in her eyes as she put on a generous act. "It's fine, Mia. You're forgiven."

I looked up at Owen. "Can you call off your order now?"

He met my dead-eyed stare and froze for a beat, a flash of something like worry crossing his face. He was just about to make a call when Monica latched onto his arm. "I'm freezing, honey. Come in with me while I change, will you?"

The second she said that, Owen tucked his phone away, scooped her up, and walked away.

I tried to follow, but his bodyguards blocked my path. "Nobody gets into his cabin without his say-so. Mr. Anderson's orders."

I begged and yelled, but they wouldn't budge. I finally gave up and frantically dug for my phone, only to find it soaked and totally dead. I was about to lose it, but thankfully, a kind lady who'd seen the whole thing lent me her phone. I didn't know the hospital's number, and my calls to Mom went straight to voicemail.

Suddenly, Chris' face popped into my head. I remembered seeing him write down his phone number when we registered our marriage, and I had memorized it. The call connected almost instantly.

My voice was all shaky and teary. "Chris, please, my mom's at your family's hospital, and Owen's trying to cut off her treatment..."

His calm, steady voice came through the line and somehow calmed me right down. "I hear you. I'll call the hospital right now. Take care of yourself."

After I ended the call, my body gave out, and I slumped to the floor.

The nice woman looked at me with a worried face and gave me a handkerchief. "You need to dump that guy. He's a total jerk to you."

I froze for a second. Then, the waterworks started. I was a mess of emotions—pissed, heartbroken, and totally humiliated.

Through the tears, I shook my head. "It's fine. I'm already married. Just not to him."