Chapter 1

Ryan Pierce left me at the altar three times, each time for Natalie Grant, his precious first love. The first time, she threatened to jump off a building, and the second, she said she was moving abroad. The third, she told him through text that she'd agreed to an arranged marriage. On that last day, the unflappable Ryan unraveled, abandoning a church full of guests and turning me into a public joke once more. My call to him was a final ultimatum. "Come back now, or I will marry someone else today." He only laughed in response, saying, "Nat's dramatics are expected since she's young. But are you, a grown woman, really resorting to the same cheap ploy?" My fingers clenched around the phone. Despite knowing it was one of Natalie's ploys, he chose to indulge her anyway. That was when I finally let go. Once he had finished soothing her, he turned his attention back to me as an afterthought. "Choose a date to reschedule," he told me. "Don't worry. It will be even grander than before." However, the man standing beside me smiled and interrupted him, "You'll have to excuse us. My wife and I have a plane to catch." … The line was busy the first time I called. On my second attempt, it wouldn't connect at all. That was when I realized Ryan had blocked me. He knew perfectly well that Natalie's "arranged marriage" story was just a scheme to ruin our wedding. Yet, he seemed to enjoy every moment and participated voluntarily. Any interruption from me was clearly unwelcome. The crowd's stares from below felt crushing. My chest tightened, and I couldn't seem to draw a full breath. I bit my lip, holding back the humiliation swelling in my chest and forcing the tears back. Seeing more guests turn to leave, this wedding was about to become a farce, just like the previous two. I snatched the microphone and did my best to calm the tremor in my voice. "The wedding isn't over. Everyone, please sit down." The crowd looked surprised. "Has Jane Morgan lost her mind from the shock? She's talking nonsense now." "God, she's shameless. Ryan clearly doesn't give a damn about her, yet she's still clinging on." "How's she supposed to get married without a groom? Does she really think she can force him to acknowledge her by going through with this alone? He was just toying with her and never had any intentions of marrying her." I took a deep breath and tightened my grip on the microphone. "Since the groom has left, we'll just replace him. Whoever wants to marry me can do it right now," I announced. The room erupted, but after a long pause, no one stepped forward. "She's been with Ryan for ten years and is just his hand-me-down. Who'd want her?" "Playing around is fine, but marrying her? No way." Their words were like arrows to my chest. Just as despair began to set in, a hand snatched the microphone from me. "I do." I looked up and saw Ryan's friend, Marcus Sutton, who had always been cold toward me. I hesitated at his response. Back when Ryan was trying to win over Natalie, he'd told his friends to text me, saying he was sick. I drove over in a panic, only to be locked in a cold storage room all night. Even now, my knees ached when the weather turned damp. There was also the time they forced me to catch a fish in the river during my period. Besides that, they also left me alone in the wilderness during a thunderstorm while camping. Marcus had never participated in those cruelties. Occasionally, he even spoke up for me. Still, I couldn't shake my fear that this had to be another one of Ryan's tricks. But what tortured me more at this moment were the sneering faces below the altar. "Does someone actually want her? Does he actually like this slut?" "I bet she's all talk. The second Ryan crooks his finger, she'll come running back like a dog wagging its tail." The jeering grew uglier. I looked at Marcus and bit down hard. "If you're willing, I'll marry you." We held the ceremony that morning and got our marriage license that afternoon. Staring at the marriage certificate, my mind went blank for a moment. It had never hit me so hard that Ryan and I were really over. Marcus looked at me, and he said flatly, "If you regret this, we can apply for a divorce." I sniffled, swallowing the bitterness rising in my throat. "I don't regret it. Dear, let's go on our honeymoon." He seemed taken aback, perhaps by my decisiveness. After all, he'd watched me chase after Ryan like a lovesick puppy for ten years. I knew exactly what my reputation was among Ryan's friends—clingy, desperate, and pathetic. I'd heard every vile word because they'd never bothered hiding their contempt when they said them. Ryan never cared if I was humiliated. His only concern was whether the wine was to Natalie's liking or if the air conditioning was too cold for her. Maybe I should have given up this one-sided love long ago. I shouldn't have tied my entire life to him over a scrap of gratitude from the past. Just then, my phone buzzed with a new message from Natalie. "Jane, I'm borrowing Ryan for a few days and will return him to you soon. I'm sorry that I couldn't make it to your wedding today. Next time, I'll definitely send my blessings." This was her third time declaring victory to me. Once again, she was hinting that she'd ruined my wedding again. When Ryan abandoned me at the altar in the past, I'd gotten angry, made scenes, and completely lost my mind over it. But he'd always brushed me off with the same old line. "Nat is like a sister to me and the most important person in my life. If you can't accept her, then we should break up." I was never strong enough to walk away, so I choked down every bit of that bitterness. Looking at the picture Natalie had sent me, my fingers finally moved to type out one final message before blocking her. "Ms. Grant, you don't need to go to such lengths anymore. I don't want Ryan. He's all yours."