Chapter 1

On my wedding day, I stood there in a sharp, tailored tuxedo. My heart was bursting with joy as I waited for Chloe Vance.

The wedding officiant had already called out, "Please welcome the bride!" three times. But my fiancée was nowhere to be seen. The guests started whispering, their eyes shifting from confusion to suspicion.

Finally, someone couldn't help but let out a mock chuckle. That laugh was like a sharp blade. Soon, the quiet sneers rippled through the chapel like a rising tide.

"The bride ran away. That is so brutal."

"I bet there’s some dirty secret! Maybe he forced her into this? One-sided love?"

"I always said Ethan was punching above his weight with a beauty like Chloe."

"This wedding is a total joke!"

Every whisper hit me like a sledgehammer, crushing my pride. Swallowing the humiliation, I dialed my fiancée’s number.

The moment the call connected, deafening music, roaring laughter, and screaming voices blasted through the speaker.

"Chloe, did you forget what day it is today?"

I pressed the phone tightly against my ear, my voice trembling.

Silence came from the other end. My heart squeezed tight.

"Ethan, Julian just got dumped. He's a mess right now and I need to look after him. Let’s push the wedding back a bit."

Chloe gave me the most ridiculous excuse.

She wanted to take care of her first love, her "one that got away." For him, she stood me up at a wedding we spent over half a year planning.

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