At the wedding, I immediately recognized that the woman under the veil wasn't Selene, but an impostor. But I still went through with the ceremony as if nothing was wrong.

In my previous life, Selene had been forced to return and complete the wedding with me after I exposed the fake bride in front of everyone. That very night, however, her childhood sweetheart was rushed to the ICU with acute alcohol poisoning.

When Selene heard the news, she didn't shed a tear. Instead, she cursed him, saying he got what he deserved.

…

After we married, Selene and I appeared to be a loving couple on the surface. I kept funneling money from my family to save her family business from collapse. But on our first anniversary, my wife—with not even a sliver of warmth in her eyes—tied me to a helicopter with her own hands.

"If you hadn't forced me to come back and marry you that day, Chase wouldn't have ended up like that," she snarled. "What right do you have to live so happily? I'll make sure you feel the pain he went through before he died."

She threw me from ten thousand yards up, and I hit the ground as nothing more than a broken heap of flesh.

So, this time, I pretended to know nothing and went through with the wedding alongside the fake bride. I wanted to see just how Selene would manage to save the crumbling Liraine Co. without the Schreiber family's support.

The Bride Under the Veil

"Do you, the bride, take this handsome man beside you to be your lawfully wedded husband, for richer or poorer…"

"I… do." The woman's voice came through the veil, muffled and uncertain.

The guests all murmured in admiration, praising how deeply Selene Liraine, the Liraine heiress, must love me—to insist on completing the wedding even with a heavy cold, afraid I might feel wronged otherwise.

"Wait a second."

The woman beneath the veil averted her gaze, a fine sheen of sweat forming on her forehead.

"Selene, you don't look too well. Are you tired?" I asked with a gentle smile.

She cleared her throat nervously. "Yes, I…"

I gestured for the officiant to pause the ceremony and led the bride into the lounge. Just then, my phone on the table vibrated. More than a dozen unread messages lit up the screen—all from Chase Riverton.

'You've figured out the bride's a fake, haven't you? Surprised? Selene and I are watching your wedding live right now.'

There was a photo attached—Selene resting her head affectionately on Chase's shoulder, relaxed and smiling.

'Oh, forgot to mention—this was my idea. The wedding's just her little game to amuse me.'

I quickly typed out a reply. 'Is that so? Want to bet that with one call from me, she'll drop you and come crawling back?'

As expected, there was no response for a long while.

Perfect, I thought. The fish had taken the bait.

I put the phone away and turned toward the silent bride beside me. She shifted uneasily, glancing up at me. "Actually, I… I…"

I patted her shoulder lightly. "Deep breaths, Aria."

Her shoulders relaxed at once. "You already knew."

She went quiet for a moment, then drew in a deep breath, as though gathering courage. "Selene isn't worth marrying. She only set this up to humiliate you."

I leaned closer, my voice low. "I didn't stop the ceremony to expose you. I just need you to help me put on a show."

I hadn't known until after my death that Aria Grant had been watching over me in secret for years. When she heard I'd died, she was the only one who refused to believe it was an accident. Later, she discovered that Selene had been behind it, but with no proof to bring her down, she chose to end it all—dragging Selene with her on the anniversary of my death.

Tears welled in Aria's eyes as she instinctively reached toward me, only to stop midway. "If you feel wronged, I can—"

I looked straight at her. "Aria, listen to me. You're the one I want to marry."

When we returned to the hall, the officiant smiled and announced, "Now, the bride and groom will exchange rings."

I picked up the ring, but when I tried to slide it onto her finger, it stopped halfway, stuck tight at the knuckle. She tried awkwardly to force it on, but I pressed down on her hand to stop her.

A ripple of whispers spread through the crowd, the buzz of gossip growing louder.

"What's going on? Does the ring not fit?"

"How can they mess up something this important? The Schreiber and Liraine families are slipping."

In the audience, Selene's parents' faces turned ashen.

They exchanged a look, and I saw panic flicker in both their eyes.

I see.

They had known about her little stunt all along and hadn't done a thing to stop it.

My mother's brows furrowed in worry as she looked up at me. I met her gaze and gave a small nod of reassurance. Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, I lifted Aria's veil.

A collective gasp swept through the crowd.

"My God! The bride isn't Selene Liraine!"

"Where's the real bride gone to?!"

The Wedding That Fell Apart

Selene's mother, Rebecca, was the first to react. She lost all composure as she rushed onto the stage. "What… what's going on here?! Who are you?!"

Her father, Daniel's face turned an ugly shade of blue. He raised his voice toward the panicked crowd and the reporters below the stage. "Everyone, calm down! There's been a small mishap with the wedding—it'll be resolved right away!"

How ironic. In my past life, I was the one standing on that stage in utter panic. Now, it was Selene's parents' turn.

My mother rose from her seat, stunned and worried. "Jace, what on earth is happening?"

I gave my parents a reassuring glance, then took Aria's hand before the astonished crowd, addressing, "Thank you all for coming to witness our wedding. There's been a minor mix-up with the posters and the rings."

I paused, my voice calm and steady. "But it's nothing serious. Let's continue."

At my side, Aria lifted her chin and faced the audience with composure, meeting their curious stares head-on.

Rebecca trembled with fury. "Jace Schreiber, have you lost your mind?! Do you even know what you're doing?!"

Daniel stormed up as well, lowering his voice in an attempt to contain the situation. "Jace, stop this nonsense! End the ceremony right now!"

I ignored them and handed the microphone to the woman beside me. "Aria, tell everyone why you're standing here today."

Aria and I exchanged a knowing glance. Then, she spoke clearly, her voice steady and unshaken. "I'm here because Selene Liraine paid me 100 thousand dollars to pretend to be her and attend the wedding in her place."

The entire hall erupted in chaos.

"What? She paid someone to marry on behalf of her?"

"Good God, has Selene lost her mind?"

As the truth came out, color drained completely from Daniel's and Rebecca's faces.

My father's temper finally snapped.

He jabbed a finger at Daniel, shouting, "You Liraines! How dare you—especially Selene—turn my son's marriage into a joke?! This is preposterous!"

My mother's eyes were red with anger. She stormed up the stage, shielding me behind her, her voice cold as ice. "This wedding is over. From this day on, the Schreiber family has nothing more to do with the Liraines."

The announcement hit like a thunderclap. Seeing their alliance about to crumble, Rebecca panicked. "Jace, Selene was just being childish! I'll make her come and apologize right now!"

I let out a cold laugh. "Sure. I'll give her one last chance. If you can reach her by phone, I'll act as if none of this ever happened."

Aria's grip on my hand tightened. I leaned close and whispered, "Don't worry. Selene's not coming back."

Rebecca clung to that sliver of hope, frantically dialing Selene's number again and again—once, twice, three times. Each time, the same mechanical voice echoed through the hall: "Sorry, the number you've dialed is unavailable."

I sighed with feigned disappointment. "It seems Ms. Liraine doesn't plan on returning. Security—please escort out the unrelated parties."

The guards dragged out Daniel and Rebecca as reporters surged forward, cameras flashing and questions flying.

My mother took my hand, her voice trembling but firm. "Jace, whatever you decide, your father and I will stand by you."

My father gave my shoulder a reassuring pat, and I was deeply touched.

In my previous life, I had insisted on marrying Selene, tearing my family apart. After my death, they both aged overnight. This time, I would never make the same mistake again. And as for Selene Liraine—the woman who caused it all—I wouldn't let her off so easily.

After the ceremony concluded, I called my assistant without hesitation. "Immediately terminate all cooperation with the Liraine family and withdraw all of our investment. Not a single penny stays."

The One Who Missed Her Chance

News of my marriage to Aria didn't spread right away. The Liraine family, desperate to stabilize their stock prices, paid the media to suppress the story.

Right after the wedding, Aria and I hurried to register our marriage. Once the paperwork was done, she told me she had business overseas and needed to leave for a few days.

…

Meanwhile, completely unaware of any of this, Selene spent two carefree days in a villa with Chase before realizing something wasn't right. Normally, by this point, I would've made a scene—forcing her to come crawling back. Yet this time, there wasn't even a ripple.

Selene scrolled absently through her phone, so distracted that she didn't even react when Chase called her name.

'No… he must be playing hard to get.' The thought made her lips curve into a sly smile. 'He's gotten far too used to me.'

I hadn't expected to run into those two miserable souls at my father's business banquet.

Selene spotted me first. The moment she saw me speaking with another woman, her face darkened like a thundercloud. Chase noticed me too and leaned weakly against her shoulder, feigning illness. "Selene, I don't feel so good. My head's spinning."

Selene held him gently, though her eyes flicked toward me, pretending it was unintentional. She was probably waiting for me to approach her.

Unfortunately for her, I didn't spare her a single glance.

Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer. She strode straight to our table, slammed her glass down with a sharp clink, and said coldly, "Jace, are you still angry because I had someone stand in for me at the wedding?"

I didn't bother to look at her and stood up, ready to leave.

"The only reason I missed the ceremony was because Chase was sick," she continued quickly. "It was an emergency."

Chase staggered forward as if he might collapse, blocking my path. "Mr. Schreiber, please don't blame Selene. It was all my fault—my health failed me and ruined your wedding…"

Selene actually laughed, infuriated by my silence. "Jace, I never realized how petty you could be. It was just a wedding!" She reached out, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, to grab my arm.

My gaze turned cold as I shook her hand off. "Ms. Liraine, have some self-respect. Didn't your parents tell you about the wedding?"

She froze. "Tell me what?"

Chase's expression flickered with panic as he grabbed my wrist, trying to smooth things over. "Mr. Schreiber, please don't be like this. Selene only did it because she cares about you—"

His words sounded conciliatory, but his nails dug sharply into my skin. The sting made me hiss in pain. I yanked my arm free with a snap. "Get lost!"

"Ahh!" Chase crashed to the floor in a pathetic heap, and Selene's eyes went wide with fury. She rushed to help him up, shouting, "You lunatic! Apologize to Chase right now!"

I sneered and turned toward the nearby security guards who had rushed over at the commotion. "Throw them out."

"You think you can get my attention like this?!" Selene snapped, livid. "If you behave, I'll go get the marriage certificate with you in a few days."

Seeing that she truly believed that I would fall at her feet again the moment she turned back, I smiled faintly. "But I'm already married."