I was shaking so hard that I couldn't get a single word out. Behind me, Aunt Diana's side of the family had completely lost it. Ashley was doubled over laughing.

"Serena, even little kids wouldn't bother with a ring like that anymore. Your fiancee sure is generous, huh? Ha!"

"What are you standing around for? Say yes already! Go live your simple little life with your old-fashioned man!"

"That's enough!"

Dad slammed a can of iced tea down on the table and turned to me, his hand trembling as he pointed in my direction.

"Serena, if you insist on marrying a man like Derek, I'll cut ties with you completely. You will no longer be my daughter."

Mom wiped her eyes and took Dad's arm, guiding him out of the room.

I rushed after them, but my phone buzzed in my pocket. I glanced down at the screen. It was a transaction alert. 200 thousand dollars had been charged to the joint account.

Before I could even process that, a woman pushed through the door of the private room next to ours and walked in. It was Renee Young, Derek's childhood friend, the girl who had grown up next door to him.

She had a thick gold ring on her finger and was wheeling a 12-tier cake into our private room like she owned the place.

I was still trying to figure out when Renee had gotten that kind of money when I caught pieces of the conversation around me.

"Wow, Derek really went all out for Renee. Apparently it's her birthday, and he pulled out all the stops. Full banquet, gold ring—the whole thing.

"Honestly, they say you can always tell how a man really feels by how he treats the people around him. If he's this generous with a childhood friend, imagine how good he must be to his actual girlfriend. Lucky her."

I stared at the transaction record of 200 thousand dollars on my phone. Then I looked through the open doorway at the feast next door, the kind of spread I had imagined for our own table tonight.

The same man had arranged both. One of them got a banquet. The other got a bag of dinner rolls.

I had shared a cramped apartment with Derek for ten years. I had drunk myself sick at dinners with his clients until I ended up in the hospital with stomach ulcers. I had swallowed my pride and gone begging to relatives I had always looked down on, all for his sake.

He used to tell me he would make it up to me someday. Instead, he had humiliated me in front of my entire family tonight, then turned around and spent the money I gave him for our engagement party on a birthday celebration for Renee.

"Serena, what was that about with your parents? I put all of this together for them, and they just walked out like that!"

Derek came after me, already complaining before he reached me.

Something about it struck me as almost funny. "All of this? You mean the dinner rolls? Or the canned iced tea?"

Derek noticed the shift in my tone and reached for my hand, softening his tone.

"Serena, come on. You know I'm not good at all this. I'm a straightforward guy. To me, getting married just means building a steady life together.

"If anything, I'm a little worried about you. When did you get so caught up in material things? I've told you before—you spend too much time reading those romanticized ideas online.

"You could stand to take a page from my mom's book and learn to be a little more practical, a little more grounded—"

"And what about her?"

I cut him off and pointed toward Renee, who was showing off her gold ring to anyone who would look. Then I held my phone up in front of his face, the transaction record pulled up on the screen.

"You used the money I gave you for our engagement party to throw her a full sit-down dinner and buy her a gold ring and a 12-tier cake. Derek, is this what you mean by being old-fashioned? Is this how you treat people differently?"

Renee's eyes turned red almost immediately. She stepped behind Derek and looked at the floor. "I thought you knew about this, Serena. I thought Derek told you he was planning something for my birthday. If you're going to make a big deal out of it, I'll just give everything back."

She made a move to pull the ring off her finger. Derek stopped her, pressing her hand down, then turned to me, his expression showing that he barely had any patience left.

"Serena, are you done? Renee and I grew up together. It's her birthday. Is it really such a crime to do something nice for her?

"You're my fiancee. What's yours is mine. I spent my own money on a gift for an old friend. That's none of your business."

I was shaking. "Your money? Derek, the startup capital, the connections, even the suit you're wearing right now—tell me one thing you have that didn't come from me."

Something in his face shifted. Then he raised his hand and slapped me across the face.

"If you want to throw a tantrum, take it somewhere else. I'm not your dog, Serena. I don't answer to you. You think I've been putting up with this because I'm weak? Fine. You want to break up? Let's break up."

The rest of whatever he said got swallowed up by the cold air. There was a ringing sound in my ears.

I stood there looking at the man I had loved for ten years and felt something go completely flat inside me.

"Fine," I said. "Then we're done."

…

Derek and I had met in college. I was the daughter of a wealthy family. He was a boy who had grown up with very little and carried the weight of it everywhere he went.

When he told me he wanted to start his own business, I emptied out all the money I had to support him, no questions asked.

I had never struggled a day in my life growing up. But for Derek, I had smiled through client dinners I wanted no part of, toasting glass after glass until I lost count.

I bowed my head and begged for contracts like I had nothing left to lose. My parents hated watching it. They told me I was worth more than that.

I wiped my tears every time and told them Derek would never let me down. Instead, he kept telling me he wasn't ready to get married.

One year bled into the next, and then the next. The girl everyone had once envied slowly became the woman people whispered about behind her back, the one who had waited too long.

And now I was just tired.

My phone lit up. Renee had posted on social media.

"He waited in line for three hours just to buy me this necklace. Who says old-fashioned men don't know how to love?"

The photo showed the two of them at a nice restaurant. Renee was glowing. Derek had his head tilted toward her, and the way he was looking at her made my chest ache.

The same man who had built his whole personality around being old-fashioned and simple had apparently learned every table manner in the book for Renee's sake.

A bitterness spread through me that I couldn't shake.

Right. Who said old-fashioned men didn't know how to love? He just didn't love me.

I called Dad. My voice came out rough when he picked up.

"Dad, I'll go through with the Yates family's arrangement."

…

Derek came home early the next morning and found me sitting on the couch. He frowned as he walked in.

"Why are you just sitting there by yourself? It's cold in the mornings. You'll freeze."

He shrugged off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. When I didn't say anything, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a ring, and crouched down in front of me.

"Still upset about last night? Renee's young. She hasn't seen much of the world, and I just wanted to broaden her horizons a little. I didn't want her to end up like I did, starting from nothing. I bought this specially for you. Serena, you're the one I'm meant to marry. Will you?"

The way he looked up at me, humble and earnest, reminded me of the boy he used to be. Something stirred in me despite everything.

I was almost ready to say yes when his next words dragged me straight back down. "But you upset Renee last night and made her cry, so I gave her the shares my parents had set aside as part of our marriage agreement."

I went completely still. "Derek. Do you hear what you're saying?"

My parents had wanted nothing to do with Derek or his family. I wore myself down to nothing while convincing them, enduring more than I cared to remember before they finally agreed to the match.

Even then, they only agreed on the condition that 50% of Crawford Group's shares be signed over as part of the arrangement. And now Derek wanted to hand all of that over to Renee just to smooth things over.

"Serena, my mom always says marriage is about building a life together. Betrothal gifts are old-fashioned—they're just a way to put a price on a daughter. It's outdated."

Derek tightened his grip on my hand. There was something calculating behind his eyes even as he smiled.

"You're an only child. Your family's assets will all be yours eventually anyway. If you play it right, your dad might even agree to put more of the company in your name before the wedding."

He must have caught something in my expression because his tone softened again. "You know me. I'm old-fashioned and don't think in complicated terms. Everything I do is for our future together."

Old-fashioned. That same tired excuse, dressed up in the same tired words.

I remained very still, took a slow breath, and then smiled. "Alright."

"Ma'am, I don't think—" the housekeeper started.

I held up a hand to stop him and kept my voice perfectly pleasant.

"A few extra shares aren't nearly enough. We might as well ask Dad to throw in half of the main company's shares while we're at it.

"And let's skip the wedding altogether. We're a practical couple. A simple ceremony at the courthouse is more than enough. No venue, no dress, no fanfare.

"The reception too. We're not ones for extravagance. Dinner rolls and pickles will do just fine for our guests. But your parents are making the trip in from out of town, so we should really put on a proper spread for them. Only the best."

Derek stared at me. Then his face broke into the widest smile I had seen from him in years, and he pulled me into his arms.

"Serena! I knew you'd come around! I'm so happy you've finally become this sensible. I'm the luckiest man alive to have you."

He spun toward the doorway, practically giddy. "Renee, did you hear that? I told you Serena isn't the materialistic type!"

Only then did I notice Renee standing behind the door.

She had her hand raised to her mouth, her expression caught somewhere between disbelief and a smile she was trying to swallow. When she finally spoke, her voice came out stiff and thin.

"It's wonderful that you're so understanding, Serena. I'm really happy for Derek."

I didn't respond. My eyes had landed on her earrings. They were the same ones I had seen advertised as a free gift with a jewelry purchase.

My eyes stung, but I smiled anyway. Men really did have a talent for making every last thing count.

"Serena, you're not getting any younger. We can't keep putting the wedding off. Let's do it next week." Derek's voice was bright with excitement.

I pushed down the cold feeling spreading through my chest and nodded. "Whatever you want."

They had barely walked out the door before my parents called.

"Serena, the moment the Yates family heard you'd agreed, they sent over an entire room full of gifts. When are you thinking of having the wedding?"

"Next week," I said.

I pulled the ring off my finger and dropped it in the trash. Then I stood there and looked at the lock screen photo of Derek and me in our engagement shoot.

"I'm done waiting," I said quietly.

…

The Yates family booked the wedding at the finest venue in Ashville. When I told Derek the name of the hotel, his face creased with displeasure. He only agreed once I mentioned that my parents had offered to add a substantial sum to my inheritance as part of the arrangement.

"Serena, this is the dress my mom wore on her own wedding day. See how much our family thinks of you."

Derek held out a garment with several large tears in the fabric. Renee pressed her lips together and looked away, but not before I caught the amusement in her eyes.

I was about to say something when the room erupted. A wedding gown arrived, carried in by a team of security personnel. It was encased and handled as though it were made of glass.

The attendant leading the procession shot a look at Derek's mother, Ursula Watson, and Renee. "Back up, please! This gown belongs to the future Mrs. Yates. It's worth 80 million dollars. If anything happens to it, you can't afford to replace it."

Ursula and Renee scrambled out of the way.

The gown was only the beginning. Behind it came a set of crystal stemware valued at 30 million, and after that, a diamond ring worth 200 million.

One piece after another was brought in, each more extraordinary than the last. The room had gone completely silent by the time the last item was set down.

"Is this what they mean by the wedding of the century? I would give anything to be that bride."

"Please. Only a fool throws money away on things like this. It's all just a show. Nothing impressive about it."

"Serena, don't go getting any ideas. A sensible life is a good life."

As Ursula and Renee spoke, their eyes remained fixed on the jewels laid out across the room, undisguised envy written across both their faces.

I smiled. "Don't worry. I won't."

Ursula visibly relaxed.

Derek gave my shoulder a satisfied pat. "Now that's the Serena I know. This is exactly the kind of woman who deserves to be my wife."

I said nothing. But deep down, I was already laughing.

Derek loved playing the simple, humble man. He was going to enjoy this gift whether he wanted to or not. I turned and walked into the dressing room.

…

Third-Person POV

An hour later, Derek's entire family had gathered downstairs. The Spencers' side was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Serena. Upstairs, the noise had been building for some time.

"Derek, what if she ran?" someone muttered under their breath.

"Not a chance." Derek shook his head with complete certainty. "Serena has waited ten years for me. She's not going anywhere."

Though he said it with confidence, his palms were sweating.

Half an hour later, a group of people appeared at the entrance. Derek exhaled and let a slow, satisfied smile take over his face.

"I told you. Serena would never walk out on our wedding. She loves me too much to leave."

Then the voices carried in from the entrance hall, bright and buzzing with excitement.

"Ms. Spencer and Mr. Yates were always the right match. Old money belongs with old money."

"I heard the Yates family practically emptied half their fortune just to secure this marriage."

Derek went very still. Then he pushed through the crowd and grabbed the nearest person by the arm, his eyes wild.

"Who did you say... is marrying into the Yates family?"

"Serena Spencer. The only daughter of the Spencer family."