My fiancé, who had loved me for years, stood me up on the day we were supposed to register our marriage.

That night, I received a provocative photo from another woman.

In the picture, my fiancé was bowing his head, peeling shrimp for her.

What he didn’t realize was that while he was busy catering to another woman, I had already registered my marriage with someone else.

——

Under the scorching sun, I stood at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau, waiting for Leo Carter, but he was nowhere in sight.

I repeatedly dialed his number, only to be met with the sound of it being turned off.

Lowering my gaze, I observed the bustling street. Before I left home, the nanny told me today was a perfect day for a marriage registration. Yet here I was, waiting for my fiancé, whose phone was unreachable.

With a sigh, I withdrew my hopeful gaze and slipped the materials into my backpack.

As I glanced at my phone, which was about to run out of battery, I prepared to call a taxi to head home.

“If you don’t answer, I thought I’d be a widow before getting married.” A cold, sarcastic voice cut through the air beside me.

Curiosity piqued, I turned my head to look.

A man in a suit stood not far away, his back to me. His broad shoulders and narrow waist gave him the proportions of an international model.

I recalled that he had arrived before me, and perhaps he had been stood up as well.

My thought was confirmed when his magnetic voice reached my ears again. “Oh? Are you saying you’ve found true love and want to take my money to run off with him?”

I noticed his gaze linger for a moment.

Hiss… His story sounded even worse than mine.

After hanging up, he stared at his phone for a while, then let out a scoff.

He turned to leave, and our eyes met.

His sharp eyebrows and eyes hinted at a wildness, while his delicate features gave the impression that God had favored him during creation.

His almost perfect build and flawless face made me forget my thoughts.

'How could someone so handsome be cheated on?' Shaking my head slightly, I felt a bit unreasonable.

The man raised an eyebrow, a flicker of intrigue in his gaze. He lazily asked, “Enjoying the show?” There was a sense of powerlessness in his tone, yet it felt carefree and familiar.

I lightly pursed my lips and replied, “Do we know each other?”

“Huh? Are you really trying to strike up a conversation?” He seemed puzzled, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Standing there with a condescending posture and no trace of a smile, he inexplicably exuded an air of oppression.

A name suddenly flashed in my mind. “Isaac Murphy?”

The carefree demeanor of the man shifted as he straightened up, looking at me with a serious expression. “Nora Sanders?”

Surprised, I nodded with a smile, not expecting him to remember me.

Isaac had been the class monitor in my senior year of high school, and after he applied to a prestigious university abroad, I hadn’t seen him since.

With a curious expression, he raised an eyebrow and approached me.

His gaze fell on my backpack for a moment before he asked, “Are you here to get married?”

After a brief pause, he added, “With Leo?”

Leo and I had been childhood sweethearts, and whenever one of us was mentioned, the other's name would quickly follow.

From school uniforms to wedding dresses, everyone believed that our union was inevitable.

A few months ago, I had felt the same way.

I nodded, smiling as I replied, “Was.”

Isaac chuckled, “Not anymore?”

I stopped talking and took out my phone, preparing to call a taxi.

Just then, I heard him say, “How about me?”

I paused, my phone still in hand, my gaze returning to Isaac. My once calm heart began to race. Blinking, I looked at his cheek, feeling as if I were Caesar, bewitched by Cleopatra.

I looked at the marriage certificate in my hand, feeling somewhat incredulous. Until now, everyone believed my husband was meant to be Leo.

In just a few moments, the person who had been by my side since childhood would soon be nothing more than a stranger.

After exchanging contact information with Isaac, the call that had been unable to connect for the past ten minutes finally came through.

After a moment of hesitation, I answered the phone.

"Hello? Nora, I'm sorry, I had an accident on the way. Tomorrow..."

I didn’t let Leo finish. "It's okay, you don't have to marry me tomorrow. Bye, Leo."

With that, I quickly hung up. He called again, but I didn’t pick up.

'What kind of accident could he possibly have? Why had his phone been off all this time? Was it a car accident?' I was confused about why Leo was dragging this out.

Leo had cheated on me last year, and I’d only discovered it three months ago.

They say that many couples broke up on their seventh year together, but Leo and I had been together for more than seven years. He could have dinner with me while comforting another woman, watch a movie with me, and then watch another one with her after sending me home.

When I first found out, I was heartbroken and couldn’t eat, but Leo was on a business trip and wouldn't answer my call.

I wanted answers, but my mother suppressed my almost insane emotions.

She told me that all men were like that and that there weren’t many faithful men in our circle. She urged me to endure it until I married Leo and became Mrs. Carter. She warned me that if I continued to cause a scene, I wouldn’t get anything and would only give that woman an advantage. She hoped I would end things with Leo.

The love of 18 evaporated in an instant.

Today, Leo and I had just received our marriage certificate, and the wedding was scheduled for next Wednesday.

I had been waiting and enduring, but suddenly I didn’t want to endure any longer.

It wasn’t me who had cheated; why should I tolerate him?

Then I met Isaac and, in a daze, agreed to his request to marry him. I felt like I had lost my mind for agreeing to it.

"You won’t regret this, will you?" Isaac asked, looking at me hesitantly with a gentle smile.

He seemed to see right through me. Yes, I regretted it a little. Even in anger, marriage shouldn’t be taken so lightly.

Seeing my silence, Isaac stepped closer. "Nora, if I were to have a second marriage, it would have a lot to do with you."

Before saying sorry, Isaac softened his tone. Over six feet tall, he bent down to look at me, like a knight bowing to a princess.

Unfortunately, there was no romance between us; I wasn’t a princess, and he wasn’t a knight.

"Shall I take you to see my grandmother before we divorce? I can give you some money."

I watched him blink and suddenly understood what he said over the phone just now.

"No, I didn’t mean that. I just don’t know how to explain this to my family right now. If I tell Ms. Wood, she would probably be super mad."

For the past two years, the Sanders Group had been struggling. They wanted me to marry Leo not just because of our childhood connection but also to climb the social ladder by aligning with the Carter family.

Feeling a bit lost, I put the marriage certificate back into my bag and said, "Send me the address. Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to visit your grandmother."

Isaac looked at me in silence for a moment but ultimately agreed. He also offered me a ride home.

I agreed to meet Isaac at nine in the morning, so I got up at seven and quickly tidied up before heading downstairs for breakfast. As I walked down the stairs, I heard voices coming from below.

In the living room sat my mother, whom I hadn't seen all night, exuding an air of dignity. My father was away on a business trip, busy with work, and not around.

He’d been occupied lately to push things to next Wednesday.

Sitting next to my mother was Leo, who didn't answer my calls yesterday.

I paused at the top of the stairs, hesitant to go down.

Ms. Wood spotted me and waved, "Come down. What are you doing standing there?"

I slowly descended, my gaze brushing over Leo.

Suddenly, I recalled that he had mentioned yesterday he would be getting the marriage certificate again today.

My heart sank as I made my way down.

Ms. Wood looked me up and down, her expression quickly turning sour. "Change your clothes after eating."

Before I could respond, Leo chimed in with a smile, "It's fine, Auntie. Nora can wear whatever she wants. She looks good in anything."

His words made me chuckle despite the situation. I remembered the information I had gathered during my investigation. The girl’s name was Nina. She was Leo’s secretary, and they had been together last year. I, his fiancée who had been engaged to him for three years, only discovered his infidelity three months ago.

Leo had even bought her a swanky apartment in the city center.

I had been so oblivious while he was off on what I thought were business trips, which turned out to be rendezvous with Nina.

I felt a mix of anger and foolishness as I considered my options for retaliation.

But what could I do? Even if I stayed out of it, Nina wouldn’t have been accepted into the Carter family. Leo’s mother even looked down on me, not to mention Nina, who came from a humble background.

“Leo, what did you do yesterday?” I asked, my tone serious.

After getting home last night, I received a photo of Leo in a bathrobe, peeling shrimp.

The sender hadn’t revealed their identity, but I knew what they wanted.

He claimed he had an accident on the way to register for our marriage, but in reality, he was busy preparing a meal for Nina and had no time to marry.

I blinked back tears, feeling a tightness in my chest as Ms. Wood interjected, “Nora, Leo is busy with work; you need to be more understanding.”

Before Leo could defend me, Ms. Wood scolded me on his behalf.

In her eyes, I should wait patiently to become Mrs. Carter.

“Oh,” I replied casually, forcing a smile as I took out my phone to see if Isaac could come over now. After receiving a positive response, I said nonchalantly, “I already told you yesterday, it's over.”

With that, I turned to leave. “I have something to do today, so I’ll head out first. Have a good time.”

I walked out without looking back, but Ms. Wood realized what was happening and shouted after me, “Nora! What the hell are you talking about?”

I didn’t want to hear from her. So I just quickened my pace and left.