On my wedding day, my boyfriend, Theodore Gunther, suddenly stops the wedding ceremony—all because Gwen Lithgow has updated her social media to say she's back.

Theodore throws away the wedding ring he designed. He leaves me at the altar without another look back.

I'm dumbfounded as I stand there in my wedding dress. My brother, Alvin Chilton, who's supporting me, lets go. "You've always been strong, Joycelyn. I know you can handle this alone. Gwen needs me more now."

With that, he also leaves.

He and Theodore have both left me for the same woman. They abandon me alone.

That night, after dealing with the fallout of the failed wedding, Gwen sends me a photo. In it, Theodore and Alvin are standing by her bedside.

She wears the necklace Theodore made himself and the wedding dress Alvin designed.

Those were supposed to be mine.

The image makes me lose hope in them. Tears stream down my face as I make a call. "Mom, Dad, I've changed my mind. I want to go home."

In the church, the pastor gently reminded, "The bride and groom may now exchange rings."

I, Joycelyn Chilton, extended my ring finger and waited quietly, but Theodore Gunther didn't move. He stared intently at the message on his phone before he suddenly tossed the ring and rushed out.

I took out my phone and saw that Gwen Lithgow had just posted something on her social media account. The photo was of a hospital bed, and the caption read, "Came back all alone for treatment. How sad."

The guests began to whisper about the groom suddenly running away from his own wedding when my brother, Alvin Chilton, stepped forward.

"Joy, you've always been strong, so I know you can handle this alone. Gwen needs me more than you right now."

With that, he was out the door as well.

Both of them had deserted me for the same woman.

I tried calling Theodore's phone, but it remained unreachable. Soon, I noticed that Gwen had updated her social media account again.

In her photo, both Theodore and Alvin were by her side.

The necklace that had been handmade by Theodore was around Gwen's neck, and the breathtaking gown my brother had designed was now also worn by her.

These had all originally belonged to me.

I had grown up at an orphanage and was later adopted by the Chiltons. That was how I met my brother's good friend, Theodore.

The three of us grew up together, and we were always close.

Even from a young age, Theodore had always said that he would protect me, chase off anyone who bullied me, and make all my wishes come true.

Alvin was great to me, too. He would deny himself his favorite Legos and, instead, save his money to buy me dresses that I liked.

Thus, when my birth parents, the Forresters, came looking a year ago and said that they wanted to take me away, I refused them. I couldn't bear to part with Alvin, nor could I bear to be away from Theodore.

However, the two most important men in my life had chosen to abandon me on a day as important as my wedding.

The bouquet in my hands wilted, and the guests continued to murmur.

"Goodness! The groom disappeared halfway through the wedding ceremony!"

"Why did the bride's brother also leave?"

"What did the bride do for the groom to run away mid-ceremony?"

"No idea, but it clearly must be something shameful…"

All sorts of judgmental and mocking voices threatened to drown me.

My brother and my boyfriend—two people who had once promised to be my safe harbor—had disappeared. Even after the sun had set and all the guests had left, they still hadn't returned.

I hadn't eaten or drunk anything for all day. After dealing with the aftermath of the cancelled wedding, I collapsed from low blood sugar.

By the time I woke up at the hospital, a whole day and night had passed, but there was not one message of concern from either my brother or Theodore.

There was only a new post from Gwen.

In her photo, she was grinning widely while holding a bowl of mushroom soup. The caption wrote, "So thankful for Alvin and Theodore for taking care of this sick patient."

It felt as if something had pierced my heart. With trembling fingers, I placed a call to Theodore. The call was rejected, so I called again, but it was only rejected once more.

Finally, on the third try, a woman answered the call. "I'm sorry, Joy. Theodore and Alvin were too impulsive. How could they have left you alone at the altar?"

It was Gwen who answered the call.

I hadn't even gotten a chance to speak before Theodore started reassuring Gwen. "It's okay, Gwen. There's no need to apologize. No wedding is more important than your health."

Then, Theodore took the phone, and his voice turned cold.

"Joycelyn, the wedding is cancelled. We'll reschedule it. Also, you knew that Gwen was sick and went overseas for treatment, but you deliberately kept it from us. Why? Was it just because you were worried that it'd get in the way of the wedding? How did I not know that you could be such a selfish person?" he questioned before promptly hanging up the phone.

Right then, my gastritis flared, and I clutched my stomach, unable to speak.

I didn't know Gwen was ill, but Theodore wouldn't even listen to my explanation. He went so far as to block my number.

A little later, my brother called just to inform me that the dress he had specially designed for me had now been gifted to Gwen.

He said, "Joy, I've never taught you to lie. Gwen is an orphan, just like you. She's sick now and doesn't have anyone to take care of her. She needs us more than you. You have us, but she has no one.

"The wedding can be rescheduled at any time, and the dress can be remade, too. If you're truly a considerate person, you'd put your interests aside for Gwen."

Throughout the entire phone call, Alvin didn't express a single word of concern for me.

At that moment, all the grievances that had piled up throughout the day finally overwhelmed me, and I hugged myself tightly.

I wanted to leave.

When I called my biological parents, they were pleasantly surprised.

My mother shrewdly noticed the disappointment in my voice and comforted me. "Joy, I'll say it again. If you're unhappy, don't forget that you have another home. Your father and I will always be waiting for you at home. Always."

"I know. I still need another five days to sort out my resignation and complete the handover. Then, I'll return home!"

"Alright. We'll book your plane tickets for you then. Take the next few days to properly bid farewell to your brother. No matter what, your father and I will always be behind you, protecting and supporting you."

Tears streamed out of the corners of my eyes. Alvin and Theodore had said that they'd always protect me and would always be my safe harbor.

Theodore had even said that he would take me as his wife when he grew older and spend the rest of his life with me. He couldn't imagine being apart from me, not even for a second.

So when my biological parents came looking, I didn't tell anyone. And when they wanted to bring me home with them, I refused.

I grew up in this city, and the people I loved, and the people who loved me, all lived here. How could I bear to leave?

It wasn't until Gwen appeared that I realized I might have made a mistake.

Gwen had grown up in an orphanage in another city and had later enrolled in a university located here. When she first arrived on campus, she was always by herself.

I was worried that she wouldn't be able to adapt to university life while being alone, so I took the initiative and invited her over to my house. Since then, she would always come over for every holiday.

Once, when Alvin and Theodore were celebrating my birthday, Gwen had suddenly burst out into tears. She said that she envied me a lot because no one had ever celebrated her birthday with her or given her presents before.

So, I personally made a birthday cake for her and roped Alvin and Theodore into throwing her a belated birthday celebration.

I took care of her like I would a younger sister.

That was, until I found a love letter that Gwen had written to Theodore in his drawer. I told her that Theodore and I were already engaged and asked her to stop sending those letters.

That conversation ended in a heated argument.

Not long after, Gwen left the country to get medical treatment. She sent all of us an email.

In the email, she wrote about how she envied me for having a brother who doted on me, as well as a boyfriend who treasured me greatly. She, on the other hand, was all alone and unloved. She even said that an orphan like her didn't deserve to love or to be loved.

After reading the email, Theodore lost his temper with me for the first time. "You know full well that Gwen is an orphan, yet you still flaunt your superiority in front of her. How selfish of you!"

Alvin also frowned at me, his gaze full of disappointment. "How could you drive Gwen out of the country, Joy? Are you that unwilling to make space for her in your life?"

Theodore and Alvin agreed that Gwen was more pitiful and more lacking in love than I, so they wanted to give her all the love they used to give to me. They wanted her to enjoy the feeling of being loved.

It had taken me five years to plan my wedding with Theodore.

Each rose used at the wedding had been painstakingly grown by me. Every dessert served at the reception had been created by me and couldn't be found anywhere else.

Now, however, the wedding had turned into a huge joke and a painful memory that I couldn't bear to revisit.

After sorting out my thoughts, I returned to Theodore's and my house. I had personally decorated the place, and we had planned to move in here after the wedding.

I had just opened the door when I saw Gwen, wearing a beautiful new dress, eating fruit on the couch.

My favorite flowers had been thrown in the trash, and my favorite ceramic mug was now in pieces, also lying at the bottom of the bin.

Even the throw pillows and rugs that I had chosen had now all been replaced with ones that Gwen liked.

"You're home, Joy? I just had surgery for a fracture, and I need to recuperate. Theodore had me move in, saying that it was more comfortable at home than in a hotel," she said, her smile smug.

"As you know, I'm allergic to pollen, so I had no choice but to throw the flowers away. And I accidentally broke the mug when I was getting some water to drink."

The ceramic mug had a small puppy painted on it, and it was the first present Theodore had ever gotten me. I hadn't had the heart to use it at all, yet it lay in pieces now.

When Gwen noticed my anger, she smiled and said, "Come on now. It's just a mug."

I rushed forward, wanting to dig through the bin to find all the shards. Perhaps I could glue them back together.

I hadn't even done anything else when Gwen suddenly stumbled and pretended to fall.

Right at that moment, Alvin and Theodore walked through the door.

Alvin was furious. "Are you bullying Gwen again, Joy? I was the one who asked Gwen to live here, so how can you take your anger out on her?"

Theodore also shot me a glare, then walked over to help Gwen up.

"Joy, you're being childish. How can you push Gwen when she's still recovering? She doesn't have any family, so it's easier to take care of her when we all live together."

How could a person's attitude change so drastically?

When Alvin and Theodore had gifted me this house, they had said that this place would forever be my home.

Previously, Gwen moved in for a while. She said she had just graduated and couldn't afford to rent anywhere else. I took pity on her and let her stay.

She, however, had stolen my money and jewelry, and had even pretended to be drunk so she could fling herself at Theodore and try to sleep with him.

When I found out, I slapped her hard across the face, but Theodore just brushed it off, saying Gwen was drunk and I shouldn't take offense at an intoxicated person.

He also said that Gwen was an orphan and had no one to care for her, so I should love her as I would a younger sister.

Now, Gwen was back here again, once more trying to push me out so she could have Alvin and Theodore for herself.

When I remained silent, Theodore spoke up in defense of Gwen.

"Joy, I've spoiled you rotten since we were kids, causing you to be arrogant, unreasonable, and lacking in empathy. If you hadn't driven her out of the country, her illness wouldn't have gotten worse!

"I'm telling you, I was the one who asked Gwen to move in. If you have a problem with that, you can move out. I was the one who bought this house anyway! Also, you've been unreasonable lately with all your constant tantrums. If you continue to behave this way, we might as well completely cancel our wedding…"

I felt so wronged that my tears wouldn't stop falling. I hadn't driven her away, nor had I known about her illness—that was the truth. Yet, they refused to listen to my explanation.

I stared at the two men who had once loved me the most, and it was like I was looking at complete strangers.

If this were before, I might've felt sad and tried to defend myself. But now, I was only left with utter hopelessness.

I figured I might as well leave since they no longer liked me. I turned around, ignored them, and went to pack my things.

The stuff I had chosen for our marital house had all been destroyed, but all Theodore said was, "So what if they're broken? We can always buy new ones in the future."

In the future? There was no future for us anymore, Theodore. This was goodbye.