"That's impossible! Why would the Hammonds…" Joshua's instinctive reaction was to refute me, his eyes awash with panic.

"She's definitely lying, Joshie! The Hammonds would never… She's just angry that you ran off from the wedding, so she hired a few people to put on this act and scare you!"

Isabel insisted I was lying, and Joshua's gaze lingered briefly on my face. The uncertainty in his eyes vanished almost instantly.

"That's enough, Ellie. I know you're upset that I left you for Izzy's sake, but you shouldn't joke around like that when it comes to marriage. Austin…"

He paused to take another look at my disguised face before clenching his teeth, saying, "Austin cares a great deal about looks. Why would he ever marry you? As long as you admit that you're just lying and apologize to me, I can still—"

"Still what?" I cut him off evenly. "Still continue treating me like your backup plan? Keeping me on the hook until you get tired of your first love before you finally come back to me?

"Do you really think I'm so pathetic, Joshua? That I can't live without you?"

My questions rendered him speechless, and his expression shifted between varying shades of anger.

Seeing this, Isabel immediately leaned into his arms like a frail woman and said in a tearful voice, "Let's go, Joshie. We shouldn't stick around any longer. It'll only make Ellie even angrier.

"I'm sure she's just too angry to think straight right now. Once she comes back to her senses, she'll see who truly cares about her."

After saying that, she didn't forget to shoot me a taunting look.

Meanwhile, Isabel's words had given Joshua the out he needed. He exhaled heavily and looked at me. "I'll give you some time to calm down, Ellie. Once you've thought things through, you can call me anytime."

Then, with his arms supporting Isabel, he walked right through the door without looking back.

Ironically, just moments after he left, the doorbell rang. Boaz showed up with two assistants to deliver a massive box to me.

Upon opening the lid, I saw a custom-made wedding gown crafted by a renowned international designer. The diamonds sewn into the fabric sparkled in the light.

Over the next two days, Isabel kept sending me relatively cozy and intimate photos of her with Joshua. The background ranged from hospital rooms to high-end restaurants and even the front passenger seat of Joshua's sports car.

In every single one of the photos, Joshua stared adoringly at Isabel.

I didn't bother responding to her at all.

…

The night before the wedding, I received a message from Joshua's best friend, Derek Thompson.

"Ellie, Joshua is just being stubborn. You're still the one he loves the most. Come over to Celestine Hotel tomorrow. He'll propose to you then and plan another wedding ceremony for you!"

I snorted at the screen before typing out a reply. "Sure. I'll be there."

Why wouldn't I be there? Austin and I were about to have our wedding ceremony at Celestine Hotel, too.

Meanwhile, Isabel seemed discontented with all of her previous attempts to get a rise out of me. She quickly sent me another video.

In the video, Joshua's friends were cackling and jeering teasingly.

"That fiancee of yours is such an ingrate, Joshua! How dare a woman as ugly as her kick up a fuss with you?"

"That's right. She's nowhere near as thoughtful and pretty as Isabel!"

The camera turned and pointed straight at Joshua's face. He had a wine glass in hand and looked a little drunk. With a derisive smile, he declared, "I only put up with her in the past because she seemed pretty docile. Now that she's acting out, I'm going to teach her a lesson."

"You got that right! You sure know how to put your woman in her place, Joshua!"

Everyone chortled gleefully before urging Joshua and Isabel to feed each other bites of cake.

Without bothering to watch the rest, I calmly blocked Isabel's number.

…

The next day, in the VIP dressing room on the top floor of Celestine Hotel, I sat by the floor-to-ceiling window.

The makeup artist slowly wiped away the spots and sallow makeup on my face with some makeup remover. Once the final layer of disguise was removed, the mirror reflected a face so striking it seemed almost inhuman. It was beauty that took one's breath away.

I changed into the wedding gown Boaz had brought over, a custom-made gown studded with 999 crushed diamonds.

At the same time, on the second floor of Celestine Hotel, Joshua had set up the place for a proposal, turning it into a dreamy fantasyland. Red roses covered almost every inch of the floor.

Although it was supposed to have been prepared for his proposal to Isabel, his eyes kept flickering toward the entrance with unconcealable restlessness.

Isabel held onto his arm and said sweetly, "Don't worry, Joshie. She'll come for sure!"

But after a full hour, there was still no sign of me.

The anticipation in Joshua's eyes was slowly replaced with frustration. Just as he was about to lose his temper, the hotel manager rushed in, his forehead covered in sweat.

"Mr. Farrell! Please wrap things up here as soon as possible! The Hammond family has reserved the top floor for Mr. Austin Hammond's wedding.

"It's the event of the century, and all of the most prominent people in Jarlesbury have come! We'll all be screwed if any of these distinguished guests are inconvenienced in any way."

Isabel froze for a moment before tugging on Joshua's arm, whispering, "Why don't we head up there to take a look, Joshie? What if Ellie told us the truth the other day? We should at least congratulate her."

Joshua scoffed. "That's impossible! Fine. Let's go and take a look ourselves!"

He led Isabel and his friends up to the ballroom on the top floor. Along the way, he took out his phone and sent me a voice message.

"Stop throwing a tantrum, Ellie. Mr. Hammond is about to get married today, so I already know you were lying to me before. If you show up in front of me in ten minutes, I can forget about all the foolish things you've done so far."

The moment his voice message was sent, the expensive mahogany doors in front of him slowly opened. Beneath the cascade of spotlights, I stepped forward, holding the edge of my shimmering gown as I slowly walked down the aisle.

My breathtaking face was now fully displayed before everyone.

Meanwhile, outside the ballroom, Joshua looked as if he'd been struck by lightning. His eyes were fixed on my unmistakably familiar figure.

His mind went blank. Completely incredulous, he stammered, "E-Ellie… No… That can't be… That's impossible!"

As if he'd lost his mind, he tried to storm down the aisle toward me. However, he didn't even get within ten feet of me before a few bodyguards in black pinned him to the floor.

A cold, intimidating voice rang out behind me, "Who's this piece of trash who has the nerve to stop my wife from walking down the aisle?"