Dumping Him for His Valiant Uncle

"Claire, what's taking you so long? Do you even know what day it is? Everyone's waiting," Luke grumbled as he stormed into the dressing room.

I frowned and pointed at the blue gown on the table. "I ordered a white dress with crystal embellishments. Why did they send this one?"

His eyes flickered. "I like blue, so I made the change. This one looks better. Try it on."

I stared at the dress. Everything about it, from the color to the style, wasn't to my liking.

"Maybe I should call the boutique and..." I said.

Luke irritably cut me off, "This is our engagement ceremony. Can't you just go along with it? I went through a lot of trouble to get Anderson, the most powerful man in my family, to attend. Don't embarrass me, okay?"

He paused and added, "And anyway, who are you dressing up for if not me?"

I wanted to argue, but then I heard him mutter under his breath, "Emma wouldn't fuss over things like this."

A sharp pain twisted in my chest as he brought up Emma Collins again.

He always liked to compare me to her. To make him happy, I had mimicked Emma and grown my hair long.

I had tried to be as gentle and elegant as her. Yet he was still not satisfied.

I suppressed the bitterness and nodded, knowing fussing over a dress wasn't worth it.

So, I stayed quiet, got dressed, and took his hand before we walked onto the stage.

The venue was filled with streamers, balloons, and the excited chatter of guests.

The host took the mic and announced the beginning of the engagement ceremony. Just then, a soft voice came from the entrance.

"Am I late?"

The room fell silent. Then, within seconds, Luke's friends erupted in excitement.

"Emma's here."

"Finally. She almost lost Luke to someone else."

"Perfect timing."

I looked over, and my breath caught.

Emma stood there, wearing the very white gown I had spent three months designing.

That was my dress. Every stitch and every detail had been made just for me. It should have been worn by me.

But now, Luke's first love was wearing it.

My heart sank as I understood Luke's earlier guilt. He had known this all along.

I clenched my fists and turned to face him. "What is going on? Explain this."

He wasn't even listening. His whole attention was on the woman running toward him.

And then, right in front of everyone, they embraced each other.

Their friends started cheering and applauding.

"Kiss. Kiss. The perfect couple is back together."

"Luke finally got his happy ending."

Encouraged, Luke cupped Emma's face and kissed her.

I stood alone on the stage, bouquet in hand, feeling like a clown.