On the day of my wedding, I immediately recognized that the masked man before me, Wyatt Sterling, was an impostor.

I said nothing. I smiled and went through with the ceremony.

This was because, in my previous life, I had exposed the fake groom publicly, forcing Wyatt to return and marry me against his will.

That very night, his childhood sweetheart and cousin swallowed gold and took her own life.

When Wyatt heard the news, he showed no grief. He cursed her for dying.

After our marriage, he treated me with devotion, or so it seemed. I poured money from my family into the failing Sterling family, helping him rise bit by bit.

However, on the day I was seven months pregnant, he personally had me dragged to the top of Astraeus Tower, the tallest building in the capital.

There was no warmth left in his gaze.

"If you hadn't forced me to come back to that wedding, Becky wouldn't have died.

"Anna, why should you get to live in peace and happiness? I want you to feel the same despair she felt when she died."

Then he pushed me.

From that towering height, I fell. My body shattered on impact. Two lives were lost.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back there on my wedding day.

This time, I pretended not to know and married the impostor.

I wanted to see, without the Larson family's wealth behind him, how he planned to save a house already on the brink of collapse.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today…"

The host's clear, steady voice echoed through the grand ballroom, blending with the soft melodic music. Crystal chandeliers shimmered overhead, casting warm light across rows of elegantly dressed guests.

Clusters of people stood around, whispering among themselves, their eyes full of admiration as they looked toward the stage.

Everyone knew how deeply Wyatt Sterling loved me, Anna Larson.

Even though he claimed he could not show his face due to a sudden allergic reaction, he still insisted on going through with the ceremony. He wore a mask just to make sure that this important day would not be ruined.

After all, I was the only daughter of one of the wealthiest families in the South.

"If anyone has any objections, speak now, or—"

"Wait." My voice cut cleanly through the room.

The man standing across from me stiffened.

Even with the mask covering his face, I could feel his panic. His gaze flickered, and a thin sheen of sweat formed at his temples.

Through my veil, I watched his hands tremble slightly.

I could not help but smile.

"Wyatt… your hands are shaking. Is your old problem acting up again?"

He cleared his throat. His voice sounded weak. "Y-Yeah… I just need a moment. I'm not feeling great."

Ignoring the confused looks from the guests, I turned to the host.

"Give us a minute."

Then I reached out, took the groom's hand, and led him off the stage toward a private lounge at the back of the hall.

The moment we stepped inside, my assistant Ruby hurried over and handed me a letter.

"This just arrived," she said quietly. "It's from Mr. Sterling's cousin. Ms. Jones."

I opened it.

[Anna, you already know the groom is fake, right? Surprise. Wyatt and I are on a yacht across the river right now, watching your wedding.]

Attached to the letter was a pendant I had once given Wyatt.

It had been snapped cleanly in half.

Ruby's face flushed with anger.

"That woman said this wedding is just a joke. Mr. Sterling only did all this to amuse her."

I let out an icy laugh.

Taking a pen, I wrote a single line on the paper and handed it back.

"Send this to her."

[Is that so? Do you believe that with just one word from me, he'll come crawling back like a slave?]

Only then did I turn to the man beside me.

He had been silent the whole time, clearly uneasy. "I… I…"

I reached out and gently patted his shoulder. "Joseph. Relax."

He froze for a second, then exhaled like a weight had finally been lifted off him.

"So… you already knew."

After a brief period of silence, he seemed to make up his mind. "Ms. Larson… Wyatt isn't worth marrying. What he did today, humiliating you like this… he's not someone you can entrust your life to."

I stepped closer, close enough to see his eyes behind the mask.

"I didn't stop the wedding to expose you," I said softly. "I just need you to help me finish this performance."

The truth of my previous life was something I only learned after I died.

Joseph Smith had loved me for many years.

After what happened to me, he was the only one who refused to believe it was an accident.

Later, he discovered that the real culprit was Wyatt.

However, without proof, he had no way to bring him down.

In the end, on the anniversary of my death, he chose to take Wyatt down with him.

The memories surged back, tightening in my chest. Before I knew it, tears slid down my face.

He panicked. He lifted his hand, wanting to wipe my tears, but froze midway, unsure if he should touch me.

"If you feel wronged, I can—"

I looked straight at him, my voice calm and firm. "Joseph, listen carefully. The person I want to marry… is you."

When we returned to the wedding hall, the host picked up smoothly, still wearing a polite smile.

"If there are no objections, then let us continue—"

The moment we took our places again, something unexpected happened.

The groom's custom-tailored suit suddenly split along the seams. He instinctively tried to cover it, his expression awkward.

I reached out and stopped him.

Whispers rippled through the crowd.

"Wait… wasn't that suit made specifically for Wyatt?"

"How could something like this happen at a wedding?"

"Is this a ceremony or a joke?"

In the front row, Wyatt's parents turned pale. They exchanged a glance, panic written all over their faces.

So they had known all along, but still chose to go along with it.

On the other side, my mother frowned deeply, looking at me with concern.

I gave her a small nod, reassuring her.

Then, as countless confused and shocked gazes looked on, I raised my hand.

I removed the groom's mask.

A handsome but unfamiliar face appeared before everyone’s eyes.

The entire hall fell silent for a split second, and then chaos erupted.

"Oh my God! That's not Wyatt!"

"Who is that?"

"Where's the real groom?!"

Wyatt's mother, Laura Baker, was the first to snap out of it. She no longer cared about keeping up appearances. She rushed down from the front row, her voice tinged with panic.

"What is going on? Who are you?"

Wyatt's father, Maverick Sterling, turned pale in an instant. He spun toward the audience, but it was already too late. The guests were whispering, the noises spreading like wildfire.

"Silence!" he barked. "It's just a minor issue with the wedding. Manager!"

How ironic.

In my previous life, I was the one standing there, humiliated, falling apart in front of everyone.

Now, it was the mighty Sterling family losing control in public.

My mother had already stood up, worry written all over her face. "Anna… what is happening?"

I turned toward my parents and gave them a steady, reassuring look.

Then, as everyone looked on in disbelief, I took Joseph's hand. My voice was calm and clear.

"Thank you all for attending the wedding of Anna and Joseph today.

"There was a small mistake on the invitation.

"However, it’s nothing serious. The wedding will continue."

Beside me, Joseph straightened up slightly, as if silently claiming his place in front of everyone.

Laura trembled with rage.

"Anna, have you lost your mind? Do you even know what you're doing? This is our wedding venue!"

Maverick stepped forward, lowering his voice, his tone tight.

"Stop this nonsense. Get this man out of here. We'll pause the ceremony and wait for Wyatt to return."

I ignored them.

Instead, I turned to the man beside me.

"My husband," I said calmly, "tell everyone why you're standing here."

Joseph met my eyes, then gave a faint smile. His voice was steady and composed.

"I'm standing here today because Wyatt paid me to take his place at the wedding.

"He asked me to complete the ceremony for him."

The entire hall exploded.

"What? He paid someone to marry in his place?"

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Does he think this is some kind of joke?"

With the truth exposed in front of everyone, Maverick and Laura lost all color in their faces.

My father's anger finally broke through. "So this is how the Sterling family does things?" he roared, pointing at them. "You treat my daughter's marriage like a game? Do you really think the Larson family is easy to bully?"

My mother's eyes were red as she pulled me protectively behind her.

"This wedding is off," she said calmly. "From this moment on, the Larson family has nothing to do with the Sterling family. The engagement is canceled."

Seeing the alliance about to fall apart, Laura panicked.

She knew better than anyone that their family was just an empty shell. Without the Larson family's support, they could not even keep up appearances.

"Anna, don't do this… Wyatt is just being foolish. I'll send people to bring him back right now. He'll apologize to you. Don't act on impulse."

I smiled lightly, but there was no warmth on my face.

"Fine. I'll give him one last chance.

"As long as he shows up in front of me right now, I'll pretend none of this ever happened."

Joseph's grip on my hand tightened slightly.

I leaned closer to him and whispered, "Relax. He's too busy having fun with someone else. He won't come back."

Laura frantically started giving orders, sending people out to find Wyatt.

One group after another rushed out.

One group after another came back empty-handed.

"Mrs. Sterling… we can't find him."

"No one knows where he is…"

I let out a soft sigh, pretending to be disappointed.

"It looks like… he doesn't plan on coming back. And he doesn't plan on marrying me either."

The very next second, my expression turned icy. "Security," I said sharply, "remove anyone who doesn't belong here.

"This is my wedding. Since the groom is absent, this venue now belongs to the Larson family."

The Larson family's security team had already been waiting outside. At my command, they rushed in immediately.

The Sterling couple were dragged out in disgrace, while the surrounding guests pointed and whispered. Some could not even hold back their laughter.

My mother took my hand. At first, she said nothing. Then her voice softened, but remained firm.

"Anna, no matter what you decide, we will support you. Our family has power and wealth. We don't need to suffer this kind of humiliation."

My father gently patted my shoulder. Warmth spread through my chest.

In my previous life, I insisted on marrying Wyatt.

I argued with my parents, and even went on a hunger strike to force them to agree.

After I died, they aged overnight.

They gave up everything just to seek justice for me.

This time…

I will not make the same mistake again, I told myself.

The one responsible for all of this, Wyatt…

I will never let him go.

Once the chaos settled, I immediately called in the lawyers and the head of finance.

"Spread the word.

"Terminate all business dealings with the Sterling family immediately.

"Withdraw every investment. Principal and interest. Leave nothing behind.

"And every single cent they owe us…"

I paused, my voice turning ice cold.

"Collect it all."

News of my marriage to Joseph did not spread across the city right away.

To protect their reputation and keep their creditors calm, the Sterling family spent a large amount of money bribing the wedding guests and journalists, forcing the whole thing under the surface.

Right after the ceremony, I took Joseph straight to the registry office. We signed the papers and officially became husband and wife.

After we got our marriage certificate, Joseph told me that he had some personal matters to take care of and needed to leave the capital for a few days.

I had a feeling his identity was more complicated than it seemed, so I did not ask questions. I just told him to come back soon.

Meanwhile, completely unaware of everything, Wyatt spent two carefree days on a yacht with Becky Jones before finally realizing something was off.

Normally, by this time, if I had found out he skipped the wedding, I would have caused a huge ruckus and forced him to return and explain himself.

However, this time, the capital was completely quiet. The Larson family was silent in a way that felt almost unsettling.

Wyatt absentmindedly swirled his drink, barely reacting even when Becky called his name in a soft, sugary voice.

'Something's not right. She must be playing hard to get,' he thought.

A confident smile curled on his lips. 'I have spoiled her too much. If I ignore her for a few days, she'll come running back on her own.'

Two days later, I attended a business banquet at the capital's chamber of commerce on behalf of my father. I did not expect to run into those two people.

Wyatt noticed me immediately. However, when he saw me laughing and chatting with several young elites, his expression darkened instantly.

Becky saw me too. She subtly pushed her stomach forward, then said sweetly to Wyatt,

"Wyatt, I'm tired. My feet hurt and my stomach doesn't feel great."

Wyatt’s expression immediately changed to a doting one, supporting her carefully, though his eyes darted toward me like it meant nothing.

"Be careful. Don't upset the baby."

He was probably waiting for me to walk over and confront him.

It was too bad for him.

From start to finish, I did not even look in his direction. I kept talking and laughing with the people beside me.

He finally lost patience. He strode over and slammed his hand down on our table.

"Anna, are you mad because I had someone take my place at the wedding? You haven't even sent a message these past few days."

I could not even be bothered to look at him. I stood up, ready to leave.

"Anna, there was an emergency on the wedding day. Wyatt suddenly wasn't feeling well, so he couldn't make it." Becky stepped in front of me, blocking my path, a pitiful expression on her face.

"Anna, please don't blame Wyatt. It's my fault for being so weak. I delayed your—"

Wyatt cut in, looking at me with a half amused, half annoyed expression.

"Anna, since when did you become this petty? It was just a ceremony."

As he spoke, he reached out like it was the most natural thing in the world and grabbed my arm.

"Alright, stop making a scene. Come back with me."

My gaze turned icy. I shook his hand off immediately. "Mr. Sterling, show some respect.

"Didn't your parents tell you what happened on the wedding day?"

Wyatt froze, frowning slightly. "Tell me what? I haven't gone home these past two days."

Becky suddenly grabbed my wrist, looking flustered as she tried to mediate.

"Anna, don't be like this. Wyatt only did it for your own good…"

Her words sounded gentle, but her nails dug hard into my skin. The sharp pain almost made me flinch.

I yanked my hand back. "Get off me!"

"Ah!" Becky fell to the ground in a miserable heap.

Wyatt's eyes went wide with fury. He rushed to help her up, then roared at me, "You're insane! Apologize to Becky right now!"

I let out an icy laugh and turned to the chamber guards who had rushed over.

"Security, remove these two troublemakers."

Wyatt's face turned dark with rage. "Don't believe for one second that think this will get my attention!

"If you behave, I might even consider giving you another ceremony in a few days."

He really believed that as long as he came back, I would be just like before, grateful and eager to run into his arms.

I smiled.

"However, I'm already married."