At that instant, my heart was in complete chaos. I quickly stepped in and interrupted their conversation. "Sebastian, Mrs. Ford, what are you two talking about?"

Emily's demeanor changed slightly when she saw me, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Joan, have you been waiting long?" Sebastian's face lit up with a smile once he saw me. "I already asked my assistant to buy soup from your favourite restaurant. Just wait a little longer, okay?"

Nodding, I shot Emily a meaningful look, signaling her to not say anything to Sebastian. I greeted her casually, "Mrs. Ford, are you here at the hospital for something?"

Her expression stiffened for a moment before putting on a calm front. "It's nothing, I just came for a routine check-up."

"Oh." I nodded obediently and fell silent.

However, Sebastian frowned and looked at Emily in confusion. "Mom, what did you say about leaving? What do you mean? Who's leaving?"

"Nothing much. It's nothing important." Emily cut him off before he could ask further. "I'm busy, so I'll be going now."

After saying that, she glared at me before turning to leave. I let out a sigh of relief as I watched her retreating figure.

Fortunately, she hadn't told Sebastian about our deal. At that moment, my phone buzzed with a notification.

I looked down and saw a message from Emily, "Joanna, don't forget our agreement. You'd better leave Sebastian according to our arrangement. Otherwise, I won't let you off."

A grim smile appeared on my face as I simply replied, "Okay."

I put my phone away and gazed at Sebastian's silhouette in the distance. A bitter feeling welled up in my heart. In the past, Sebastian had always been like this. He constantly argued with Emily for my sake.

"Mom, I want to be with Joan no matter what. No one can stop me. If you ever try to hurt Joan, I will never forgive you!" Sebastian used to hold me tightly, his voice unwavering with determination. "Joan, don't worry. No matter what challenges we face, I will never let go of your hand."

Back then, his eyes were filled with hopes for the future and deep affection for me.

However, all this had become nothing more than an illusion now that Cassandra was back in the picture.

Our wedding was set on the day after my discharge from the hospital.

I would leave once the wedding ended.

I put on the wedding dress that Sebastian had custom-made for me a year in advance and did my makeup beautifully. I wanted him to remember me at my most beautiful moment.

The wedding venue was covered in pink rose petals, but I wasn't happy about it. I didn't like pink roses. I preferred red roses that were passionate and bold, just like my love for Sebastian.

It was Cassandra who liked pink roses.

I looked up and noticed that the dress Cassandra was wearing was from the same collection as my wedding dress.

"Ms. Robinson, congratulations on your wedding. Do you think my dress looks nice? This is a bridesmaid's dress. How about I be your bridesmaid today?"

Cassandra shot me a provocative smile when she caught sight of me. "Ms. Robinson, this dress doesn't quite fit you, does it? Sebastian is really too much. Why didn't he order a different design for you?

"Instead, he gave you the wedding dress he designed for me a few years ago. Even if he doesn't like you, he shouldn't be so perfunctory about it." Her words felt like a bucket of cold water that had overturned and drenched me from head to toe.

She continued, "Ms. Robinson, I know you really love Sebastian and want to get his attention. That's why you're willing to wear the wedding dress he designed for me. You want to be me.

"However, love isn't something you can force. You will never be me even if you're wearing this dress. At most, you're just a stand-in. Even if you got plastic surgery to look like me, do you think Sebastian would love you?" Her voice was gentle, but her eyes betrayed her mockery and scorn.

I was so furious that my whole body trembled, but I couldn't say a word. Sebastian had told me that he designed this wedding dress for me, but I never expected that its original owner was Cassandra.

"Look, I still have the original sketch with me!" She showed me the sketch on her phone. My heart ached so much that I could hardly breathe.

In the end, I was nothing but a fool.

If I had known the truth about this wedding dress, I wouldn't have waited until after the wedding to leave.

Just then, Sebastian walked in. He didn't seem surprised when he saw Cassandra in her bridesmaid's dress. "Joan, you don't have many female friends, so I asked Cassandra to be your bridesmaid."

Cassandra put on an aggrieved expression and said, "Sebastian, Ms. Robinson doesn't seem to like that I'm wearing a dress from the same collection as hers. She also doesn't want me as her bridesmaid…

"I can leave if you don't like me, but don't send thugs after me again. I heard those guys are desperate criminals. If they come after me again, I might actually get beaten to death without Sebastian there to protect me." As she spoke, tears started welling up in her eyes.

I turned to Sebastian with reddened eyes and tried to explain, "I didn't…"

The surrounding guests noticed the commotion and started to gather around. They whispered among themselves, "Wow, why is this woman wearing the wedding dress that Sebastian designed for Cassandra?"

"Maybe she just wants him to pay more attention to her."

"Everyone knows that she's just using her looks and the fact that she took care of Sebastian back then to force him into marrying her!"

"She cried and made a fuss just to marry him! What a desperate woman."

"She's not even officially Mr. Ford's wife yet, and she's already bullying others. She really is just a driver's daughter. She's obviously up to no good!"

The guests around pointed their fingers at me, and their words stung as they reached my ears. I bit my lip and forced back the tears.

Sebastian lowered his head and whispered to me in a low tone, "Joan, I forgave you the first time regarding the thugs, but I don't want to hear about it happening again.

"From now on, we're husband and wife. Rumours like these will only embarrass us. Alright, today is a happy occasion. Let's go and cut the cake together."

The waiter pushed an elegant wedding cake to the center of the hall. Sebastian extended his hand to invite me, but Cassandra quickly stepped forward and took his arm. "Sebastian, we haven't seen each other for so long. Today is your wedding day. I want to help you cut the cake to celebrate, okay?"

Sebastian glanced at me as he hesitated for a moment.

Cassandra continued acting coy. "Sebastian, please? Just think of it as my blessing for your marriage!"

Sebastian couldn't resist her coquettish demeanor and finally nodded. "Alright."

It felt like a knife was stabbing my heart as I watched their intimate figures walking away. I was supposed to be the woman standing beside him at our wedding, receiving everyone's blessings.

But now, another woman had taken my place beside him. I looked like the third party in our relationship.

I couldn't bear the pain within me. I made an excuse to touch up my makeup and fled to the restroom. I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water against my face. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't wash away the bitterness inside me.

I didn't know how much time had passed before I finally composed my emotions and prepared to return to the banquet. Just as I reached the door, I saw Cassandra standing at the entrance, looking at me with a smirk. "Ms. Robinson, have you been crying?"

I lowered my head without a word, intending to walk past her and leave. However, she reached out and grabbed my hand. "Ms. Robinson, I have something to say to you."

I instinctively frowned. "What do you want to say?"

She leaned in closer with a smug smile that pierced my eyes. "Joanna, do you really think you're worthy of Sebastian? You're just the daughter of a driver.

"Now that your father is dead, you have no power nor status. What else do you have other than your beauty? What makes you think you can compete with me?" Her sharp words were cutting, and her gaze was full of disdain.

I clenched my fists on both sides as I struggled to suppress the anger rising within me. "Cassandra, don't go too far! This is my wedding!"

She laughed scornfully. "So what if I do? What can you do about it? Your wedding? Don't make me laugh. Everyone knows this is just a fake wedding! Is your fake marriage certificate not enough to make you realize that Sebastian doesn't love you?

"Joanna, I'm telling you. Sebastian is mine. You're nothing but a passerby in his life. Don't think that you can compete with me just because you took care of him for a few years!" With that, she walked away triumphantly. I was left standing in front of the mirror, feeling humiliated.

I could only tremble with rage as I watched her retreating figure. I knew that she was right. I was just a powerless and weak orphan. What right did I have to compete with her?

I took a deep breath to compose myself before returning to the wedding ceremony.

I decided that since I was already here, I had to see it through to the end. Running away in the middle of it all was never my style.

Cassandra spotted me and a smug smile appeared on her face.

She walked up to me and whispered, "Joanna, I thought you had already left. Let me be straight with you, Sebastian's heart belongs only to me."

She pulled out her phone and showed me a picture of her marriage certificate with Sebastian. "You can't change this fact no matter how hard you try."

I had thought that my heart had long grown numb from all the pain, but hearing her words and seeing their marriage certificate still made me upset.

I turned to the side, refusing to look at Cassandra.

Seeing that I was not running away in humiliation, Cassandra sneered and continued, "Hmph! You should back off now if you still have any semblance of self-respect. Otherwise, everyone will just just call you a mistress and make fun of you!

"This wedding ceremony is nothing more than a little show to comfort your feelings. Take a look around you. Do you think any of the guests are here to give you their blessings? They're here to laugh at you! Everyone knows that Sebastian and I are the real couple!"

With that, she turned around and left.

As Cassandra passed by me, she suddenly lost her footing and stumbled toward me.

I instinctively reached out to try and catch her, but she just used the momentum to shove me into the champagne tower beside us.

The champagne tower collapsed onto me with a loud crash.

The icy champagne soaked my body while shards of glass cut into my skin, sending sharp stings of pain throughout my body.

Cassandra, on the other hand, only suffered a small scratch on her calf. She let out a scream and collapsed onto the floor.

Sebastian immediately rushed over after hearing the commotion. "Cassandra, what happened?"

His voice was anxious, while his gaze was filled with concern.

Cassandra put on a pained expression. "Sebastian, it hurts!"

Sebastian picked her up into his arms without hesitation and strode toward the exit. "Cassandra, are you okay? Someone call a doctor, now!"

His gaze was still filled with concern, but his voice was now frantic.

Cassandra shook her head as tears welled up in her eyes. "Sebastian, I'm fine. But Ms. Robinson—"

She fainted in his arms before she could finish her words.

Sebastian turned around and glanced at me.

I was sprawled on the ground, drenched by the champagne. My body was covered in cuts from all the broken glass.

"Cassandra fainted, so I'm taking her to the hospital first. You can get there by yourself, right?" Sebastian asked.

With that, he left without even waiting for my response.

My heart twisted in pain as I watched them leave.

I stood frozen in place, drenched from head to toe. All around me were whispers and mocking laughter about my humiliating state.

"Oh, isn't she the bride? Why does she look so terrible?"

"Heh, just who does she think she is? She should take a good look at herself before trying to compete with Cassandra."

"Seriously! She doesn't even compare to Cassandra! Sebastian must be blind to have married her!"

"Just look at how cheap looking this entire wedding ceremony is. Does she really think that Sebastian actually loved her?"

"I heard that their marriage certificate isn't even real!"

I bit down on my lips and forced back my tears as I turned to leave. I then hailed a taxi to head to the hospital all by myself.

The taxi driver was startled when he noticed my disheveled appearance. "What happened to you? Did someone bully you?"

I smiled bitterly and replied, "I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

Even a complete stranger had shown me concern. And yet Sebastian, who I had been with for years, had completely ignored my pain.

Forget it.

I let out a long but silent sigh. I was leaving soon anyway, so I did not really need his concern.

After arriving at the hospital, I registered to have my wounds treated.

The nurses were whispering among themselves, their eyes filled with pity.

"I heard that the CEO of Ford Corporation just called away all of our best doctors just to treat his lover!"

"Seriously? That's insane! Cassandra sure is lucky!"

"I know, right? I heard that she only suffered a small cut and fainted due to low blood sugar, but it was already enough to make Sebastian panic."

I lowered my head, a bitter feeling welling up in my heart.

They were right, Cassandra sure was lucky.

Cassandra never had to do anything in order to receive Sebastian's love and care.

Meanwhile I, despite being drenched and wounded, was only given a single glance before he left.

I took a taxi home after getting my wounds treated.

As soon as I stepped through the door, my phone vibrated.

It was a message from Cassandra. "Ms. Robinson, Sebastian is currently taking care of me and doesn't have time for you. But there's no need to be upset, since you were never important to him in the first place. If you still have any respect for yourself, you should just leave on your own."

I was trembling with rage as I gripped my phone tightly.

Just then, my phone started vibrating again with a call from Sebastian.

I took a deep breath to calm myself down before answering the call.

His voice carried a hint of exhaustion. "Hello? Joan, are you okay? How are your injuries? I'll arrange another wedding ceremony for us."

I calmly replied, "My injuries aren't serious, and I've already got them treated. As for the wedding, we can talk about it some other time."

He fell silent for a short while before replying, "I see. Get some rest, Joanna. I'll come to see you tomorrow."

I rejected him. "I'll be fine. You should just take care of Cassandra."

With that, I hung up, turned off my phone, and headed for a flight abroad with my suitcase.

Before takeoff, I snapped a photo of the airport and sent it to Emily.

Emily replied with satisfaction, "Good. Now that you've left, don't ever come back. And remember, you and Sebastian are no longer a thing from now on."

I threw away my SIM card before turning around to board the plane.

Goodbye, Sebastian. We shall never meet again.