Chapter 1

"Sylvie, I know you don’t like Hayden Simpson. I know you've always had feelings for me.

“We were so close, just one step away from being together, but you had no choice but to agree to be Hayden's girlfriend because your mom was ill and your brother couldn't afford his school tuition.

“He forced himself on you for years. Now that you’ve achieved success and things have changed, why are you still forcing yourself to marry him?

“I can't accept him marrying you! If you really want to marry him, I'll jump off from here right now!" Joshua Gillman shouted at Sylvie Scott.

They were in a 30-story office building. Sylvie's mother, Sally Scott, and her brother, Morgan Scott, were frightened and tried to persuade Sylvie quickly.

"Sylvie, I watched Joshua grow up. I’ve always regarded him as my son-in-law. You can't let him down!"

"Sylvie, why don't you just break up with Hayden? Joshua likes you so much. I want him to be my brother-in-law."

"Say something, Sylvie! You have the power to leave Hayden, so why won't you break up with him? You're even planning to marry him! Have you fallen for him? If you have, I'll kill myself!"

Faced with this chaotic scene, Sylvie remained completely silent.

When no response came, Joshua's emotions spiraled out of control. He lunged toward the edge, ready to jump.

Sylvie lunged forward and grabbed his hand, her voice low. "Fine. I won't marry him."

Joy washed over Joshua. "I knew you still cared about me! I want you to run away during the wedding. You should embarrass Hayden. Consider it payback for all the years he's forced himself upon you."

Everyone's expression shifted at that.

Seeing that Sylvie did not agree immediately, Joshua pulled her tightly into his embrace. "Sylvie, you hate him too, don't you? Just promise me this one thing, and I swear I'll never try to hurt myself again."

Having regained their senses, Sally and Morgan joined in to persuade her as well.

They insisted that running away from the wedding was a great idea and a perfect way to teach Hayden a lesson.

Sylvie frowned deeply, lost in thought, before finally relenting and agreeing.

Sally and Morgan's faces lit up with delight, and Joshua sighed in relief. He leaned down to kiss her cheek. "It's settled then. I can't wait to see the look of agony on Hayden's face."

Hayden had seen everything that had just transpired. Choosing not to expose them, he turned and headed downstairs without a word.

Back in the car, he sat in the backseat for a long while before calling his mother. "Mom, you were right. No matter how much Sylvie looks like Amelia Abrams, she isn't her. I'm calling off the wedding."

"Amelia has been dead for years. You've spent all this time looking for a woman who resembles her. Keeping Sylvie as your lover to reminisce about her is one thing, but there's no need to actually marry her."

Hearing his mother's sigh, Hayden's gaze froze as he looked through the car window, seemingly drifting back to a distant past.

Hayden had known Amelia, the girl next door who was two years his senior, for as long as he could remember.

They were childhood sweethearts, inseparable from their innocent childhood all the way through their restless youth.

He had been a rebellious child, a little troublemaker who gave everyone a headache, while Amelia was a well-known heiress in high society.

No matter what trouble he stirred up, Amelia always stood up for him, shielding him from any punishment by his parents, Donald and Mira Simpson.

He gave Amelia his most intense, unreserved love, vowing she was the only woman he would ever marry.

On the day of Amelia's 22nd birthday, they had arranged to meet at the marriage registration office to obtain their marriage license.

Hayden waited there from morning until night, but she never arrived. Instead, he received the devastating news that Amelia had died in a car accident on her way to meet him.

Since that day, his world plunged into total darkness.

Unable to accept the truth, he began a frantic, desperate search for any trace of Amelia—a profile that bore a passing resemblance, a pair of bright eyes, a gentle, familiar voice...

He met countless people, and an uncontrollable urge drove him to get close whenever someone carried even a faint echo of Amelia.

Four years ago, he met Sylvie, who was working part-time at a bar.

The moment he saw the young woman whose figure and features bore a striking 90% resemblance to Amelia, Hayden decided to keep her by his side.

He looked into her family's finances and used money and favors to become her boyfriend.

Once they were together, he never sought out another substitute.

Everyone around him assumed he had finally settled down because he had truly fallen in love with Sylvie. However, only he knew the truth—he was merely using her face to reminisce about Amelia.

He knowingly lost himself in the fantasy he created, almost believing it was real. Only when he saw the farce that had just unfolded did Hayden finally come to his senses.

A substitute would always be just that.

His voice was hoarse. "Mom, I'll come to Areland in a few days to join you. I'll settle there permanently with you."

He would spend the rest of his life cherishing Amelia’s memory.

After hanging up, he returned alone to their marital home, only to find a designer had been waiting there with over a hundred wedding gowns for hours.

Looking at the elaborate white wedding dresses, all custom-made for Sylvie, he felt no interest whatsoever. He waved his hand and casually dismissed them. "No need for any more fittings. The wedding isn't happening."

The very next second, Sylvie pushed the door open with a dark gaze. "What do you mean it's not happening?"