Chapter 2

Larry placed a bandage on the table in front of me and asked quietly, "Amber, do you still want to go through with this?"

I looked toward the stage. Julian was holding a microphone, playing along with the crowd's teasing, while Nicola stood beside him with a sweet smile.

With my head bowed, I peeled off the bandage backing and pressed it to the back of my heel. Then, I looked up at Larry.

"No, I'm done. Let's go."

Halfway through the reception, Larry and I slipped out without anyone noticing.

Nearby, surrounded by guests, Julian was posing for photos with Nicola. He had his arm around her shoulders, grinning from ear to ear. It was as if he were certain that no matter how far he went, I would never leave him.

Larry turned to look at me. "Did you mean it when you said you wanted to marry me?"

I pulled my gaze away from Julian and met Larry's eyes. "Yes."

Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled out his phone and made a call. "Mom, can you clear out the ballroom on the top floor right now? We're moving the wedding upstairs, so please have everything set up immediately."

I froze for a moment. "What are you doing?"

Larry smirked, looking more handsome than ever. "I'm going to give you the grandest wedding imaginable, so you can walk down the aisle with your head held high and marry me in style."

In that instant, tears stung my eyes. After everything that had happened, the person who truly cared about me wasn't Julian at all.

As soon as Larry hung up, the hotel staff quickly sprang into action. They took down the floral decorations, moved the signboards, and carried the tableware and tablecloths up to the top floor.

Quite a few guests downstairs noticed the commotion and began asking what was going on.

When Julian heard the news, he simply glanced indifferently toward the elevators.

"Larry's just trying to show his support for Amber. Let him be. She'll come back in the end anyway."

He still thought I was just throwing a tantrum.

Nicola, however, couldn't sit still any longer. After glancing toward the elevators several times, she suddenly hooked her arm through Julian's.

"Julian, since the ceremony has already gone this far today, why don't we just see it through to the end?"

Julian's relatives and friends immediately egged them on.

"Exactly! You've already come this far."

"It's bad luck to break it. Keep it going."

"Come on, hurry up! The cake's already set up!"

With everyone urging him on, Julian eventually got to his feet and walked over.

From the corner of the staircase, I watched as Julian took Nicola's hand and cut the wedding cake with her. I'd spent ages choosing that design, and now another woman was holding Julian's hand as they sampled it together.

Just then, the elevator doors opened.

A hotel staff member wheeled out a garment rack with a new wedding dress hanging from it.

Larry stepped up beside me and steadied the rack. "Mom had this brought over at the last minute. It's not a perfect fit, but there's still time to make some alterations."

I stared at the wedding dress for a long moment without saying a word.

He looked at me, his voice steady. "Amber, I'm going to ask you one last time—are you sure you want to do this? If you're only doing this to make Julian jealous, there's still time to stop."

I reached out and touched the layer of white tulle with trembling fingers.

Downstairs, waves of laughter continued to rise one after another.

But my expression was resolute. "I'm never going back to him."