When I woke up, my parents were sitting by my bed, holding my hand. Both their faces were full of worry.

With a scratchy voice, I said, “I’m coming home. I agree now to the arranged marriage.”

I’d put them through so much over the years. Maybe it was time to stop fighting and just do what they wanted.

The wedding was set for three days later.

I didn’t know anything about the guy I was supposed to marry, and honestly, I didn’t care enough to find out.

Before I blocked Clay, I saw his post pop up on my feed

[I was blind for six years, loving someone I never should’ve. But well, the universe has been kind. A sweet girl saved me, and from now on, she’s the only one I’ll ever love.]

I skimmed past it, but my chest tightened like a thousand tiny needles pricking at me all at once.

Then his wedding invite showed up. That was already bad enough, but what really got me was realizing his wedding was on the same day—and at the same hotel—as mine.

Changing the date or venue wasn’t an option. I had no choice but to deal with it.

Still, I figured the hotel had multiple floors for different reception halls. What were the odds we’d run into each other, right?

The morning of the wedding, just as I finished my makeup, my best friend called. She’d gotten lost and ended up on the wrong floor, so I grabbed my gown and went to find her.

I barely made it out of the elevator when I ran smack into Clay and Melissa.

His face darkened instantly. “Damn, you really can’t let me go, so you’re here to crash my wedding, aren’t you?”

Melissa scoffed, then spat out, “What’s this, a TV drama? You think you can just steal my groom? You’re digging your own grave here! What makes you think you have the right to show your face here? You’re nothing but a desperate loser who’d hook up with a guy twice her age!”

I stood there, refusing to move, and Clay yelled, “Get lost!”

Swallowing the humiliation, I forced myself to calmly explain, “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not here for you. I’m looking for someone. Once I find her, I’ll leave.”

Melissa shook with belly laughter. “Looking for someone? Are you stupid? That’s really the best excuse you could come up with? Come on, even a kid wouldn’t believe that!”

“I’m looking for Jewell,” I clarified. “She came to my wedding but ended up on the wrong floor!”

Melissa blinked at me like I’d just grown a second head.

“Your wedding? Today’s my wedding! Are you out of your mind? If you’re sick, go get help! Don’t stand here embarrassing yourself.”

I met her stare head-on. “Look, today is my wedding too. I’m marrying someone else. Clifton.”

Clay froze for half a second, then, before I could react, he slapped me across the face.

“Shut your mouth! My uncle doesn’t even like women, let alone you! Don’t you dare drag him into your lies unless you wanna get yourself killed?”

I flinched, but before I could defend myself, his hand clamped down on my wrist like a vice.

“I’m not lying,” I managed to choke out. “I’m going to marry Cli—”

Before I could finish, his hand raised in the air and struck me again.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” he growled. “You show up here, lying about marrying my uncle, just to make trouble? What, you think you can scare me off with your nonsense, huh?!”

The corners of my mouth were bleeding, and it felt like they were about to split open.

But then he grabbed my hair again, and the sharp, needle-like pain shot through my scalp with even the slightest movement.

The man who used to be so gentle with me was now nothing but cruel!

“C-Clay,” I gasped, “if you don’t believe me, call your uncle.”

He let out a bitter laugh. “What a joke! If my uncle was getting married, don’t you think I’d know? Stop acting, Lorraine! I’m sick of it already!”

My vision blurred with tears, but through the haze, I saw someone sprinting toward us.

It was Jewell!

She froze for a second, taking in the scene, then launched herself at Clay, clawing at his hands.

“Y-You son of a bitch! How dare you treat Lorraine like this?! Let her go, or… or… I’m calling the cops!”

Jewell’s voice was shaky like she was about to cry when she shouted at Clay.

She shoved him hard and then pulled me into a tight hug.

Meanwhile, Melissa crossed her arms, her voice hinting with sarcasm. “Jewell, so it is you! What, did you lose your mind? She’s here to steal my groom, and you’re helping her? You two must be in on this together. A pair of lowlifes, both of you!”

Jewell was so angry that her face turned pale, and she shot back, “Steal your groom? Bullshit! You two—a cheater and a homewrecker—have no right to talk! Lorraine is getting married today, and she’s the real bride!”

She helped me to my feet and started steering me toward the elevator.

“Ugh, I’m so stupid! I can’t believe I got lost and made you go through this,” she said with guilt. “Your face is so swollen. I don’t even know if makeup will cover it. We can’t miss the ceremony—we’ve gotta hurry!”

But before we could take another step, Clay blocked our way. His voice was cold, cutting. “You think you can just leave when you can’t keep the act going? This isn’t some place you can walk in and out of as you please. You ruined my bride's mood! You’re not going anywhere until you apologize!”

By now, the guests had started gathering around us. Most of them didn’t have a clue what was going on, but plenty recognized me—they were Clay’s friends.

Whispers were already spreading through the crowd, and a few people were starting to question if Melissa was his other woman.

After all, no one had heard a word about me and Clay breaking up. Then, out of nowhere, they get a wedding invitation? Of course, people got suspicious.

But Clay was willing to drag me through the mud again just to save Melissa’s face.

“Lorraine,” he sneered, “if you hadn’t been screwing around with other men, we’d still be together. I was trying to make this breakup clean and civil, but you shamelessly showed up here!”

He looked me up and down, adding, “A slut like you wearing a wedding gown? That’s a disgrace to the gown itself—you don’t deserve it!”

Then, before I could react, he yanked the veil right off my head. Next, his hand shot down to grab at my dress.

Jewell snapped; she kicked him hard in the knee, stepping between us to shield me.

“How many times do I have to say it before it gets through your thick skull?! She isn’t here to ruin anything! Her wedding is today too—just on another floor!”

But the crowd started murmuring, their whispers turning into sharp, pointed stares. Even his friends seemed to believe him; they looked at me like I was trash.

Clay let out a sarcastic laugh like the idea of me getting married was some kind of joke. “Her? Someone’s marrying a slut like her? Come on, who are you trying to fool?”

He kept saying that I was a slut, completely ignoring how desperate I was at the moment.

This was the same man whose attending physician I’d once handed the experimental life-saving drug. Back then, he’d thanked me, saying I was his savior and that he’d love me forever.

But not even half a month later, he’d become a completely different person.

I’d barely managed to convince myself to let him go, but now he was here, trampling all over my dignity again!

Taking advantage of Jewell’s hesitation, Clay grabbed at my gown again. This time, he tore off a piece of the fabric.

A chill ran down my back and arm, and I felt the strap slip off my shoulder.

Jewell snapped out of it and quickly pulled off her coat, wrapping it around me.

Clay sneered. “What’s with the innocent act? A desperate woman like you, throwing yourself at anyone—shouldn’t you love all these eyes on you?”

Melissa, clinging to his arm, scoffed. “With all the men here for the wedding, you probably already have a target, don’t you? Let me make one thing clear—we still have our reputations. Don’t you dare drag us down with your filth!”

Jewell’s anger boiled over. She grabbed her bag and hurled it at them.

“You disgusting pair of shits—shut the hell up!”

Someone from the crowd snickered. “Oh, look at her—looks like we struck a nerve.”

More people chimed in. The things they were saying were disgusting and unbearable.

We were completely surrounded, and not a single person listened to our side. We wanted to escape but couldn't find a way out.

Out of nowhere, something slammed into the back of my head. A sharp, dull pain spread before I even had time to react, and then fists—relentless, pounding fists—started raining down on me.

“You filthy little tramp! How dare you ruin my son’s wedding! Get lost! Get lost right now!”

That voice. I knew it. Gemima, Clay’s mom.

She’d hated me from day one when I showed up in her son’s life. Always looking for reasons to pick on me. Now, she’d finally found the perfect excuse to lash out, showing no mercy.

Jewell tried to shield me, taking a punch square to the face. A nail caught her cheek, leaving a deep, bloody scratch.

“You whore!” Gu’s mom shrieked, her voice shrill. “Don’t act like you’re some saint, crawling into that old man’s bed and pretending it was for my son’s cure! What do you think we are? Stupid? You think we’ll believe whatever trash comes out of your mouth?”

“Now the whole internet knows what kind of disgusting little tramp you are. And you still had the guts to show up here and ruin my son’s wedding?! Who the hell do you think you are?!”

And then there he was, Clay, standing with that cold, detached stare as his mother laid into me. He was just watching, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

God, it stung.

How could someone have two completely different faces?

Or maybe, all these years, he’d been acting so convincingly that I actually believed he was a man of deep love and loyalty.

The sweet love I thought I had was nothing more than a cruel illusion.

More people started to join in, pushing and shoving. Jewell and I were outnumbered with no way to fight back.

After agreeing to the arranged marriage my parents set up, I thought I did the right thing—I’d taken time to call my fiancé and come clean about my past.

Marriage is sacred, a mutual choice.

If he had a problem with my past, I told him, we’d call the wedding off.

But he’d told me he wanted to marry me, that he accepted everything about me and my past.

And for a minute, I thought I was lucky to marry someone so understanding.

Never in my worst nightmares did I think I’d be humiliated like this on my very wedding day.

Despair crept into my mind as I honestly thought they might beat me to death before I even got the chance to see the groom.

When I saw Jewell’s face, covered in blood and hit badly, guilt and shame consumed me.

“Gem, this isn’t your fight,” I told her, shoving at her. “Don’t worry about me! Just get out of here!”

But no matter how hard I pushed her, she wouldn’t move.

“They’re breaking the law by hitting you, and I’m calling the cops!” she yelled.

She barely managed to pull out her phone before someone grabbed it right out of her hand.

And just like that, any hope I had fizzled out.

Then, Melissa’s voice rang out. “Alright, that’s enough! It’s bad to have blood on a happy day like this. Let it go—let’s just spare this bitch this time.”

She wasn’t being kind. She’d noticed a few guests in the crowd sneaking out their phones. Probably planning to call the cops.

If that happened, her wedding would be ruined for real.

Of course, saying it like that made her look like some saint in front of the crowd. The guests were practically falling over themselves to praise her for being so beautiful and gracious, and oh how she took pride in it!

I tried to push Jewell out of the mob, but Gemima grabbed her by the hair to threaten me.

“Kneel,” she demanded, “and apologize!”

I stared up at her, my voice hoarse from utter humiliation. “If I do, will you let us go?”

She looked down at me, saying, “Promise me you’ll stay away from my son and his wife for good, and maybe I’ll think about it.”

Before I could say a word, Clay stepped forward and kicked me hard on the shoulder.

“Don’t just sit there, you slut! Apologize!”

The pain was instant and sharp like my shoulder had been crushed. I felt cold sweat beaded on my forehead, trickling into my eyes and stinging my bruised face.

Jewell grabbed my hand, her bloody fingers digging into my wrist. “Don’t. Don’t do it.”

Right. I was the victim here. Why the hell should I have to kneel and apologize?

I was covered in blood, my gown torn to shreds. And this? This was the lowest, most humiliating moment of my life!

Gemima cursed under her breath, storming toward me like a bull ready to shove me to my knees.

Melissa smirked like she’d already won, her satisfaction barely concealed.

I held my head high, gritting my teeth as I glared at the two of them.

Just then, the elevator chimed, and a deep, magnetic voice followed—calm yet commanding enough to freeze the room.

“Stop it!”