Chapter 1

Shannon's POV

"Ian Chilton, let's call off the wedding," I said.

As soon as the words left my mouth, the atmosphere in the wedding hall grew tense.

The host was left at an awkward loss for words.

On the other hand, Ian's childhood friend, Richard Price, burst into laughter.

He said condescendingly, "Shannon, stop saying things out of anger. Everyone knows that you can't live without Ian. All he had to do was make a casual remark about liking short hair, and you cut off the long hair you'd been keeping for a decade.

"You were as fat as a pig back in junior high, but you went on an extreme diet for half a year and almost starved to death just to court him. Later, you heard that someone was trying to win his heart while you were in a long-distance relationship with him.

"As a result, you bought the cheapest bus ticket and spent more than ten hours to visit him, all because you were afraid that he'd have a change of heart. If you really call off the wedding, you're the one who'll end up in tears."

Laughter filled the venue, and the atmosphere became lively once more.

Ian strode off the stage and placed his hand on my forehead, looking like the perfect boyfriend.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling under the weather?" he asked.

Perhaps because he'd been hugging my best friend, Rebecca Cross, for too long, he was giving off a sharp scent of jasmine.

I was allergic to jasmine, so I reflexively pushed him away.

"I'm not feeling unwell. I'm serious. Let's break up. I just don't think I'll be happy marrying a man who doesn't put me first," I replied.

The guests immediately burst into an uproar.

Richard was the first to express his displeasure. "Shannon, what's wrong this time? Do you really have to throw a fit just because you lost a game? That's such sore-loser behavior."

Ian's older sister, Anne Chilton, sounded highly impatient. "Shannon, why are you so immature? There are so many guests present today! Are you trying to embarrass us by abruptly calling off the wedding?"

My stepsister, Chelsea Whitmore, leaned in close to me, tugged on the hem of my skirt, and muttered quietly, "Shanny, don't be so sensitive. It wasn't intentional—we were all just too engrossed in the game. Everyone was having a good time, but you just had to be a buzzkill."

Rebecca trotted over to me with teary eyes and said, "Shannon, I wasn't intentionally trying to steal the spotlight from you. The others were just overly concerned about me. This round doesn't count, so let's trade places. Please eliminate me instead. After all, you're the star of the show today."

Ian frowned and tugged her back toward him.

"It's not your fault. You don't have to make compromises at your own expense every time," he told her.

My parents-in-law looked displeased.

My mother-in-law, Helen Pennington, asked, "Alice, why is your daughter so ill-mannered? She just had to make a scene on such a joyous occasion. Look at how sensible Rebecca is! It would've been a blessing to welcome a daughter-in-law like her into the family instead."

My mother, Alice Linden, hurriedly stood up and apologized repeatedly.

"Yes, of course. You're right, Helen. Shannon grew up in the countryside with her grandmother, and she's always been a rebellious child. We were the ones who failed to educate her properly. Please bear with her…"

As she spoke, she gave me a look that indicated she wanted me to quickly lower my head and apologize.

I suddenly felt very aggrieved.

When I was young, an old man in the village peeked at me while I was bathing, so the village chief summoned my parents home. I was fully convinced that they had arrived to speak up for me.

However, my stepfather, Robert Whitmore, slapped me before dragging me over to apologize to the old man.

"It takes two to tango. You were the one dressed too provocatively," he scolded.

Mom sighed and added, "You're always giving us a headache. Chelsea's still attending tuition classes in the city, yet we're forced to rush back here to clean up your mess."

That day, I cried so much that I developed respiratory alkalosis and even considered jumping into the river.

It was Ian who grabbed hold of me and broke the old man's window with a rock.

"With me around, nobody will be able to bully you," he declared.

Rebecca slept by my side every night and helped me get through my trauma.

From that day onward, I developed a deep attachment to both of them. I thought that even if the world were to cast me aside, at least I would still have them.

But now, in a hall filled with guests and countless "friends", not a single person was on my side.

In that case, I had no more lingering attachments here.

The next moment, I took off my veil and walked out into the rain without a backward glance.