Chapter 1

Everyone in the canal town knows that during the Flowerboat Festival, a man who chooses his beloved's boat can marry her right there on board.

In the first year, I built a flower boat, but my boyfriend, Julian Lowe, chose the black-canopied boat next to mine without hesitation.

The year after, I carved my favorite gardenias into the hull, only to wait in vain for him until the docks had completely cleared.

In the third year, I built a small covered riverboat, close enough that he could easily recognize me through the window.

Six years passed, yet every single year, Julian chose my stepsister Mia Clark's black-canopied boat.

Each year, he gazed at me tenderly and promised that he'd make sure he'd get on the right boat next year.

So, on the night before the seventh Flowerboat Festival, I take my boat's blueprints to Julian's place, hoping to give him a hint about which boat is mine.

Instead, I hear his close friend teasing him loudly in the courtyard. "Are you really going to pretend you accidentally chose Mia's boat again this year? Aren't you afraid someone else will choose Susan's and marry her?"

Julian gives a derisive scoff, his tone unbothered. "Who would want to marry someone like Susan Clark? If she realizes the man who boarded her boat isn't me, she'll probably be so mad she'll knock him straight into the water with her oar.

"Besides…" Julian sighs. "I can't be with Mia anymore. The least I can do is go through the ceremony with her."

Whenever he talks about Mia, his eyes soften with an affection I've never once seen directed at me.

I look down at my hand, scarred from months of building the boat, and let out a bitter laugh.

What Julian doesn't know is that in the canal town, choosing the same woman's boat seven times is considered a match blessed by fate. Once the marriage is entered into the clan register, there is no turning back.

I don't cry or make a scene. I simply go home in silence.

Then I dial a number I haven't called in years and say quietly, "I'll accept your marriage proposal."

Chapter 1

The docks were as lively as ever on the day of the Flowerboat Festival. Firecrackers crackled and popped along the waterfront.

One after another, couples who had already agreed on secret signals chose their partners' boats and sailed away in high spirits.

When it was my boyfriend Julian Lowe's turn, only about a dozen boats were left at the dock, each with a woman still waiting inside.

The crowd began to cheer him on. "Julian, make sure you pick the right boat this time! Susan has been waiting for seven years, and she puts so much care into the boat each year. Surely fate will finally bring you two together!"

Fate?

If I hadn't overheard what Julian said the night before, I might have believed it.

I stood inside the cabin, clutching my wedding fan. Its weight pressed against the tiny cuts on my hand, making them sting.

In our town, a finely crafted Flowerboat Festival boat was seen as a sign of how sincerely a woman sought her destined marriage.

So every year, I built a new boat, making each one more intricate than the last.

My hands had long been covered in scratches from wood splinters. Some had faded into thin white scars, while others remained. For seven years, new wounds kept piling over old ones, and my hands had never fully healed.

On the dock, Julian walked past one boat after another.

Through the window screen, I could have sworn our eyes met.

But this year, I didn't call out to him like I used to.

Instead, I watched as he walked past my boat without any hesitation. He went straight to a black-canopied boat, bigger and even more beautiful than last year's. "I pick this one," Julian said.

The last spark of hope in me went out.

My stepsister, Mia Clark, came running out of the black-canopied boat next to mine, lifting the hem of her white dress.

"Julian!" She threw herself into his arms, her voice filled with delight and triumph. "We really are meant to be!"

They were even wearing matching wedding outfits, custom-made in advance.

I looked down at my worn-out wedding gown and couldn't help but mock myself.

I'd spent countless sleepless nights sewing a matching wedding outfit for Julian, only for him to return it without so much as a glance. He told me to keep it and said he'd wear it once he boarded my boat.

I kept it for seven years.

Then I heard Julian call out to the remaining boats. "I'm sorry, Susan. I somehow picked your sister again. Don't worry, this will be the last time I spend the day with her. Tomorrow, I'll go register our marriage with you."

Unlike previous years, I didn't rush out to accuse him of secretly arranging all this with Mia.

The canal town wasn't as strict as it once was. People had long since turned a blind eye to couples making private arrangements before choosing their boats.

It was Julian who had convinced me otherwise. He'd said he wanted our relationship to be blessed by fate.

And so, year after year, I believed he would choose me.

Yet this time, I just opened the window and calmly met his gaze. "Don't bother. I've already agreed to let someone else onto my boat. Let's break up, Julian. From now on, you can spend all your time with her."

Chapter 2

Julian fell silent for a few seconds after hearing that.

Mia's eyes immediately filled with tears. "Susan, even if you're upset that Julian picked me, you shouldn't say you're going to marry someone else just to spite him."

She pressed her lips together, looking like she'd been terribly wronged. "Julian, if Susan's this upset, you should go be with her. It's just that, according to the festival rules, if no one chooses my boat, I'll have to stay here until dark before I can leave."

Julian's expression darkened, disappointment filling his eyes. "Susan, when did you become such a liar? Do you really have to be jealous and petty at a time like this? If I leave Mia now and go with you, is she supposed to stay here alone all day?

So, he knew how hard it was to spend the day alone on a boat.

Yet every Flowerboat Festival, I'd done exactly that, waiting on my boat all day without a drop of water.

I stared at him, my eyes stinging.

There was a time when I hated Mia and her mom for taking my dad away from me and tearing my family apart.

Julian knew that better than anyone.

After my dad's affair destroyed my parents' marriage, my mom, Diana Kurt, was forced to leave with nothing. She became depressed and nearly took her own life. That was when Julian stepped in and told me he'd take care of everything.

He went after my dad's company, acquiring the Clark family's assets one by one until my dad had no choice but to apologize to my mom and publicly compensate her.

When Mia wouldn't give up and tried to sleep with Julian, he showed her no mercy. He had her thrown out of his home with nothing on, where reporters photographed her. Humiliated, Mia had to leave Portville with my dad and return to the canal town.

The day my mom was well enough to leave the hospital, Julian showed up with a huge bouquet of gardenias and pressed it into my arms. The tips of his ears were flushed as he asked, "Are you happy now, Susan?"

Back then, my heart raced just looking at him.

But when did the person he wanted to protect change?

Was it when we agreed to come back to the canal town every year for the Flowerboat Festival, as our family tradition required?

People said that a young woman from the canal town had to take part in the Flowerboat Festival for seven years before she could have a blessed marriage and stay with her true love forever.

I remembered Julian holding me back then, his voice full of stubborn earnestness. "Susan, if everyone else gets that blessing, then we should have it too."

So, every year, we went back to the canal town and stayed for months.

Yet with each passing year, his eyes lingered on Mia more and more, until I could no longer lie to myself.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips as I stepped out of the cabin to find somewhere else to wait.

Just then, Mia jumped onto my boat and grabbed my hand. "Susan, it's all my fault. Why don't you and Julian have your wedding ceremony today instead?"

Before I could pull away, she let out a sharp gasp. "Susan, don't push me!"

A force slammed into me, and I was thrown into the water.

Julian's pupils widened. He rushed to catch Mia as she staggered, his voice full of panic. "Mia!"

The river water splashed over me, cold and painful, seeping straight into my heart.

The moment I surfaced, I heard Julian angrily shouting from the boat. "Susan, you knew Mia couldn't swim! How dare you push her?"

My chest ached. I looked up at him from the water and met his cold stare. "You think I pushed her?" I whispered.

Julian faltered. He parted his lips to speak, but Mia's whimper stopped him. "Julian, I think I twisted my ankle just now..."

Julian's expression softened. Without sparing me a glance, he scooped Mia up and carried her to shore. "I'm not going to choose you no matter what you do today, Susan. Stay here and think about what you've done."

The crowd, having gotten their fill of the spectacle, followed Julian as he left.

I silently climbed back onto my boat. My clothes were soaked, leaving water all over the deck.

I sat there, staring into space for a moment before picking up the oars.

I wasn't going to wait at this dock like a fool, hoping someone would come for me the way I had every other year.

Instead, I rowed toward the spot where I was supposed to meet someone else.

I held out my hand to the man waiting onshore and quietly asked, "Want to come aboard?"

But as soon as our eyes met, we both froze.

Chapter 3

The man was covered in mud and grime, looking as if he'd just crawled out of a dirt pit.

"There was an accident on the way, and my car skidded. My assistant's still taking care of things back there. I was worried you'd be waiting, so I came ahead," he said.

I hesitated for a moment before hearing his steady voice again. "Your leg's bleeding. Let me get a car and take you to the hospital. Wait here for me."

I looked down and finally noticed the long gash beneath my wedding gown. The skin around the wound was torn open, and the pain was only starting to register.

My nose stung, and my vision blurred.

The man hadn't gone far when my phone rang. As soon as I answered, Julian's furious voice tore into me. "Susan, how can you be so cruel? First you pushed Mia, and now you're spreading rumors that she's a homewrecker? Isn't it enough that she was forced to move back to the canal town?"

His voice turned icy. "And now you let that crazy mother of yours come to the Clark residence to shove Mia around? Do you really think I won't do anything to her?"

The line went dead, and my heart seized.

I hurriedly texted the man, then rushed to hail a cab to the Clark residence.

When I entered the courtyard, I saw my mom sprawled on the ground, her face pale. As soon as she saw me, panic filled her eyes as she urged me to leave. "Susan, don't come over!"

Mia, however, held up her arm, exposing large purple and red bruises. "Julian, Aunt Diana was furious because I ruined Susan's chance to have the wedding ceremony with you today. She came at me and started scratching and hitting me."

Rage exploded through me. I hurried forward to stand in front of my mom. "My mom would never lay a hand on you. Don't you dare make things up, Mia!"

Julian's face hardened. "Enough! Mia's a victim here too. Whatever happened between your mom and hers has nothing to do with her. Both of you, apologize to Mia now!"

Julian paused, his cold gaze boring into me. "You don't want your mom's private photos all over the internet again, do you?"

My breath caught. I stared at him, and for the first time, I felt like I was looking at a stranger.

Those were the photos my dad leaked to protect Mia's mom before. Julian had worked hard to keep them from spreading back then, but now he was using them against my mom and me for Mia's sake.

I turned toward my mom. Her eyes were wide, and all the color left her face. The next moment, a panic attack seized her, and she collapsed backward.

"Mom!" I lunged forward and caught her, tears spilling over as I shouted at Julian in despair, "I don't care what you want from me. Just let me take my mom to the hospital first!"

Julian seemed taken aback and started forward, but Mia stopped him through her tears. "Julian, Aunt Diana is even pretending to be sick now. Maybe we should just let it go."

I gritted my teeth, but I couldn't stop the bodyguards from wrenching my mom out of my grasp.

"Julian Lowe! Don't touch her!" I screamed, my voice echoing through the courtyard.

Julian only replied coldly, "If your mom is too stubborn to apologize, I'll help her."

They hauled my mom's limp body upright and forced her to kneel in front of Mia, who watched with a smug smile.

I clenched my jaw, furious. "Enough! Don't touch her! I'll apologize to Mia! Just let us go!"

Chapter 4

I ignored Julian's shocked expression and knelt in front of Mia. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have accused you of being a homewrecker."

I bit down on my lower lip and looked at Julian wearily. "I apologized. Can you let us go now?"

Mia looked startled and took a step back, though her phone remained aimed right at my face. "But Susan, your mom also called mine a homewrecker who stole her husband..."

She trailed off.

The sheer absurdity of it hit me hard. I stared at Julian's indifferent expression, my whole body shaking.

"Mia's mom admitted she was wrong a long time ago," Julian said coldly. "That was years ago. Does your mom really have to keep holding onto it?"

At that moment, I finally understood. Any lingering attachment I had to Julian snapped completely.

Julian parted his lips, trying to reason with me again. "Susan, if you've done something wrong, you have to apologize..."

"Fine." I turned blankly toward the camera and spoke each word slowly. "Mia's mom isn't a homewrecker..."

Mia's mouth twitched, but she quickly hid it. "Back then, you made my mom kneel and bow to yours three times."

Julian had forced Mia's mom to kneel back then, all to stand up for me.

Julian shot me a glance, his voice hard. "Do as she says."

He stepped closer to Mia, as if expecting me to lash out.

I knelt upright, my eyes empty, and bowed three times.

With three loud thuds, my forehead swelled red, and blood began to seep from the wound.

A trace of concern crossed Julian's face. He took a hesitant step toward me, as if to help me up, but Mia gave a soft laugh and caught his sleeve. "Alright, Julian. It's getting late. If we don't leave now, we'll be late for the ceremony."

A wave of unease washed over me. I rushed toward my mom and wrapped my arms around her cold body, desperate to get her away, but the bodyguards blocked my path.

Anger burned in my eyes as I glared at Julian's retreating back and shouted, "Julian Lowe! Tell them to let us go!"

Just then, Mia spoke up timidly. "What if Susan and Aunt Diana try to disrupt our wedding ceremony again? We can't afford to be late. It could ruin everything!"

Without missing a beat, Julian said coldly. "Stay here. No one picked your boat anyway. Kneel here until we get back. Consider this a lesson for both of you."

Every word of his struck deep, tearing me apart from within.

The courtyard gates slammed shut, drowning out my final cry for help.

I watched my mom's breathing grow weaker, my heart sinking deeper into despair. Just as I was about to fight the men holding me back, the gates were kicked open.

An angry, apologetic voice rang through the courtyard. "Sorry. I'm late."

…

Soon, festive music drifted across the docks, followed by excited voices from the boats.

"We're pulling in!" someone shouted.

Before getting off the boat, Julian casually texted me. "Be good. I made an appointment for us to register our marriage tomorrow. We can always have the ceremony later."

But I didn't reply.

Julian suddenly remembered the empty, lifeless look in my eyes as I knelt before Mia. It left him deeply unsettled.

After their names had been entered into the clan register, Julian, still lost in thought, felt Mia slip her arm through his. Her voice was sweet and soft. "Julian, let's officially register our marriage tomorrow."

Julian froze for a moment before pulling his arm free. "Susan can be difficult sometimes, but I still love her. I'm going to register our marriage with her."

Just then, the curtain outside the chapel was pulled back, and thunderous drumming filled the room.

"Susan finally found herself a husband! Someone finally picked her boat this year!" a voice called out.

Whoever said it didn't notice how pale Julian's face became.