Three days before my wedding, I find out that my fiancee, Ivy Carlton, has changed the wedding venue from my grandfather's home—that's located up in the south—to Jonah Jennings, her childhood friend's favorite castle in Staravia.

When I'm about to confront her, I overhear her complaining to her friend, "Thank goodness Jon's a man with taste! Otherwise, everyone's going to make fun of me for the rest of my life!"

Her friend asks, "Didn't you agree that you'd hold the wedding ceremony in Theo's grandpa's house? Aren't you worried that he might not marry you out of fury when he finds out?"

Ivy chortles in response.

"The Sterlings are on the verge of bankruptcy. Marrying me is Theo's only ticket out of poverty. He can't risk losing me at all.

"I've already arranged for the wedding planner to call him and inform him about the change. He's most likely rushing to change his flight."

Rage and resentment swell in my heart. I clench my fists tightly, but in the end, I turn on my heel and leave.

Three days later, the wedding is held in the castle, just as Ivy has planned.

I never changed my flight, nor did I show up at the castle. Instead, I choose to exchange rings with another woman in my grandpa's courtyard.

Till now, Ivy still doesn't understand that I want to marry her because we've been dating for ten long years, not because I view her as a ticket out of poverty.

But now that I've woken up from my dream woven of fantasies, it's time for me to make choice.

Not long after I left Carlton Corporation, Ivy Carlton sent me the address of a castle in Staravia, along with a photo of it. It was a cream-colored castle with limestone walls and a red and gold dome. It looked extremely opulent.

And right in the center of the photo was Jonah Jennings, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, standing tall and straight.

My finger lingered on Jonah's smiling face for two seconds, and a wave of absurdity washed over me.

I was supposed to be the groom, and this was the wedding venue Ivy had chosen for us. Yet, the star of the photo she sent me was her "childhood friend" whom she had always told me not to worry about.

After that, Ivy went silent. I knew her well enough. She probably figured the wedding planners had already contacted me, so she just simply sent me the address, as if afraid I wouldn't know where to go when rebooking flights.

There was a tight knot in my chest. I could not understand it. She had already agreed to hold the ceremony at my grandfather's home. So why did she change everything just because Jonah liked it?

By the time I got home, it was already dark. I happened to overhear Ivy snapping at the housekeeper.

"Theo isn't a child. Why does he have to bother me just because he got back a little late?"

"But Mr. Sterling received a call from the wedding planners this afternoon and left right after. I was worried he might get angry and…"

Ivy let out a mocking laugh. "He went out to deal with visa paperwork and rebooking flights. With the Sterling family's size, it's not a simple process.

"Relax. Theo dreams of marrying me. He'd die if he left me. Even if I booked the wedding venue on a glacier in Arendia, he'd crawl there for it, let alone a Staravian castle that Jon personally selected."

The housekeeper said nothing more. Instead, Ivy muttered to herself, "It's already been five minutes, and Jon still hasn't replied… I should go check on him."

When she rushed out of the villa, I was already gone.

That villa had always belonged to the Carlton family. It was never my home. For convenience during wedding preparations, Ivy had suggested I move in.

At first, we were like any other engaged couple, sweet and inseparable.

Then, one day, Jonah returned to the country after a breakup. Ivy said she needed to comfort him, and that comforting lasted four months. Whenever Jonah was upset, she'd drop everything and run to him.

I was left to handle all the wedding preparations alone. From sourcing the attire to personally designing the layout of my grandfather's courtyard, I dealt with every detail while she remained completely absent from the process.

When I voiced my dissatisfaction, she didn't even look up—just tilted her head away from her screen, mid-chat with Jonah. She sighed, her voice laced with irritation. "You only want to marry me to save the Sterling family's business."

Ivy snapped, "I've already agreed to marry you. What are you still fussing about?"

Before I could respond, she was gone, drifting out of the room with a smile to talk to Jonah on the phone. My words were left hanging in the air, losing their shape and meaning before they could even reach her.

"But you were the one who proposed to me first. And I said yes because I loved you…"

In an instant, I had been demoted from a groom-to-be to a ghost haunting the sidelines of my own life. Even now, I had no say in choosing the wedding venue.

That night, I stayed at a friend's. Ivy never bothered contacting me once.

The next day, I finished my work handover and returned home, only to be met by the sound of Jonah's laughter. "There have to be flower petals drifting in from both sides during the vow exchange. That's romantic."

Ivy sat beside him, her eyes bright and fixed on his face in a way they hadn't been on mine. "Whatever you want," she responded.

When Jonah noticed me, he waved. "Theo, come here! I've got a brilliant idea for the wedding!"

I caught the flash of displeasure in Ivy's eyes the moment she saw me. "Why are you only getting back now? Jon's been busy planning the wedding for the past four months. On the other hand, you've done absolutely nothing.

"But it's just as well. Jon's taste is far superior. If we used your old-fashioned ideas, I would be the laughingstock of our social circle."

The familiar ache of being an outsider washed over me. "I'm tired," I said flatly. "I'm going to rest."

Ignoring her deepening scowl, I retreated to the guest room. As I closed the door, a message that I had rejected countless times before popped up again. "As long as you agree, I'll give up everything and crash the wedding."

Through the walls, I could still hear Jonah describing his dream wedding with castles and blooms. And again, Ivy's voice, soft and yielding. "Whatever you want."

It was fine. If Ivy belonged in a castle, I would head south and return home. I would let her go, setting myself free too.

I barely slept that night. Every time I closed my eyes, the last ten years with Ivy came flooding back. I had been her entire world; no matter who told her I wasn't good enough for her, she never wavered. She was always there, standing firmly by my side.

When my grandfather was still alive, he had once patted the back of her hand and told us he hoped we would be happy. Her eyes glimmered as she nodded and said, "Grandpa, don't worry. I love Theo more than I love myself. I'll never let him suffer. I promise we'll hold the ceremony in your courtyard so you can watch us get married!"

It was a promise that felt as solid as stone. But I had forgotten that time and tide could erode even the hardest rock.

The day before the wedding, I found a suit laid out in the living room. It was a gaudy, electric-purple jacket with pants so long they dragged on the floor. On top of that, a massive, garish red flower was pinned to the lapel.

Jonah greeted me eagerly. "Theo, look! I designed this for you. Vivi said you like the vintage vibe, so I studied vintage wedding styles and came up with this!"

Even with my heart already out the door, I still frowned when I saw the so-called wedding suit. "This looks like something worn in a circus, not a wedding."

Jonah's face fell. He took a slow, dramatic step back. "I'm sorry, Theo. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just thought you'd like it… I'll destroy it right now."

He grabbed a pair of scissors, aiming them at the fabric. Right on cue, Ivy rushed out of the study, snatching the blades from his grip.

"How many times have I told you not to use scissors? What if you hurt yourself?" Ivy snapped.

Jonah's eyes reddened, his voice trembling. "Vivi, did I do something wrong? Theo got so angry…"

Before I could explain, Ivy glared at me. "Jon spent four months preparing your suit, staying up through countless sleepless nights to coordinate with designers. And this is how you repay him? If it weren't for Jon, you wouldn't even have a suit for your wedding. Apologize to him!"

Meeting her disdainful gaze, I felt a wave of irony. When I had tried to discuss the wedding attire with her, she had told me not to bother her; she was too busy taking Jonah to Bonobo Island to clear his head.

Yes, Jonah always mattered that much. When he was heartbroken, she stayed up all night to comfort him. On my birthday, she booked out an entire theatre to watch a romantic movie with him. When I ran a dangerously high fever from overwork, she told me to drink more water, then turned around and drove Jonah to a private hospital to have a minor wound treated.

This was my wedding. I had done everything I was supposed to do. Yet, because Jonah was involved, Ivy saw him as the sole architect of the event. Even the Carlton family had begun to view me as a useless hanger-on and looked down on me.

My actual suit and her wedding dress were sitting in the guest room closet. Ivy hadn't even looked at them, yet she demanded I apologize to Jonah. The more I thought about it, the colder my expression became.

Ivy sneered. "You won't apologize? Then the wedding's off. Unless you apologize to Jon, don't even think about getting married!"

I loosened my clenched fists and looked at her seriously. "Alright."

I then headed to my room to pack my things. Rebecca Stinton had told me that the bougainvillea at Grandpa's place was in bloom. I wanted to go back as soon as possible to see it. I had planted those flowers with Grandpa before my parents took me to the city.

In the living room, Ivy was comforting Jonah, though she was clearly radiating annoyance. She glanced at the guest room door and discreetly messaged her assistant, Chase Palmer.

A reply came quickly. "Ms. Carlton, Mr. Sterling does have a flight change on record with Carlton Airlines. But I don't have the authority to view his latest itinerary. You'll need to check it personally."

Ivy's tense expression relaxed. She typed back, "It's fine."

After I finished packing, I received a message from Ivy. "If you want to marry me, you'll have to fix that temper of yours sooner or later. Jon only wanted to help you. Why make him upset?

"There's a family lunch today. I'll take Jon over first. The driver will pick you up later. Apologize to Jon then, and we can put this behind us and have the wedding tomorrow. Don't rain on everyone's parade."

It was a Carlton family gathering, yet she was escorting Jonah.

When the driver knocked, I took one last look at my luggage.

Fine. She had proposed to me in front of everyone. Now, I would call off the engagement just as publicly. At least that way, there would be a clean ending.

When I arrived at the Carlton residence, Jonah was already the center of attention.

"Theo, over here!" As he walked toward me in his leather shoes, I noticed he had changed into a black suit—identical to the one I had prepared for myself.

I gritted my teeth. Just then, Ivy came downstairs. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw him. "Jon, you look amazing!"

Jonah blushed. "Vivi, stop it. Theo's right here."

Then, he turned to me and said, "Theo, don't take it the wrong way. I feel awful about causing that fight between you and Vivi this morning."

Ivy didn't take her eyes off him. The admiration in her gaze was unmistakable. She didn't even look at me; she reached out to brush a stray strand of hair from Jonah's cheek.

The crowd burst into teasing laughter.