Chapter 001 Run Away From Wedding

I stood before the mirror, adorned in a beautiful white wedding gown, clutching a bouquet of garden roses and pink ranunculus.

Everything, from the makeup to the accessories, was flawless. Joy and hope sparkled in my azure eyes.

My wedding stylists bustled around me, performing the final checks on my appearance. In the background, the symphonic music played in the hall, enveloping us in a soothing ambiance.

I had, for God knows how many times, imagined the image of Damon's face, brimming with excitement as he beheld me in my wedding attire for the first time. Each time I imagined it, my anticipation to see him looking handsome and debonair in his tuxedo grew stronger.

Damon and I had been in love for years. He was the ray of light in my dark life, and today, we were taking the step into marriage. It also meant I could break free from my suffocating and toxic family.

The lavish wedding reception held at the upscale hotel was graced by influential figures from politics and business. The sparkling diamond ring on my finger reminded me of his vow.

"Fiona, I will make you the most remarkable bride in the world!"

Thinking of his vow, a smile of happiness unconsciously formed on my lips.

The makeup artist reminded me that the ceremony was about to begin. Glancing at the time, I saw that it was twelve—less than eight minutes until the ceremony's start. My heart raced, and I tried to steady my breathing.

Suddenly, someone pushed the door open. It was my friend Rachel, her expression frantic.

"Fiona!" She grabbed my hand, attempting to speak but quickly swallowing her words. A sense of foreboding grew within me.

"What... happened?" I swallowed a lump in my throat, my attempt at composure evident.

"Fiona... I..." Rachel's voice trembled.

"Say it!" I gripped her shoulders, urgency coursing through me as I needed to know what had happened. Rachel was my maid of honor, but her joyful expression was now entirely gone.

"Damon... he's run away from the wedding!"

Her words hit me like a bomb, and I stood frozen for what felt like several seconds.

"No, this can't be! Damon wouldn't do this to me!" I shook my head.

Rachel angrily tore her wrist corsages off. "Fiona, come on! Can't you see it? Damon took off. He ditched you at the wedding and ran off to find your sister, Katherine!"

The name 'Katherine' burned into my mind. She was my non-blood-related sister, adopted by my parents during the years when I was abducted in my early childhood, separated from the family.

Ever since I, the true heiress, returned to the family, I saw endless resentment and jealousy in her eyes.

She had said she would take everything from me.

No! I refused to believe that Damon, who loved me so deeply, would betray me like this!

I grabbed my dress and rushed into the wedding place.

Most of the guests were already seated, but they didn't have those happy, awe-filled expressions you'd expect when people saw the bride.

Instead, it was all sympathy, pity, and even some mockery.

Some even purposefully turned up their phone volumes, allowing every humiliating news report to flood into my ears—

Turns out, some paparazzi had been lurking outside, catching my sister Katherine leaving for the airport ahead of Damon, my fiancé, who was hot on her heels.

A scandalous twist at the wedding of the eldest daughter of the Green family?

Those tabloids, always eager to stir up trouble, couldn't pass up such a juicy story. They cranked up the drama, turned the whole thing into a sensational story, and added fuel to the fire.

They even claimed that I had always been the third wheel between Katherine and Damon! According to them, I'd cunningly stolen my sister's boyfriend, and now the groom had seen the light and was chasing true love!

In the crowd, I saw my parents approach, both elegantly dressed yet their expressions marred with frustration and blame.

"Fiona, seriously, what the heck is happening here?"

"On such a big day, with the governor and all, you really wanna drag the Green family through the mud?"

"Fiona, is all that gossip true? Did Damon and Katherine have a thing before this? What the heck, Fiona? Are you really stealing your sister's man?"

"For all these years, we have bent over backward to give you everything you wanted. And you couldn't stand to see Katherine happy? Why are you being so nasty?"

"You've messed up the Green family's name big time! If we'd known you were a jinx, we wouldn't have gone through all this trouble to bring you back home!"

Facing my parents' angry accusations, my heart seemed to freeze layer by layer. Each beat felt like a painful, suffocating stab. They were finally speaking the truth. Since I returned to this family at the age of 14, my parents had regarded me as something filthy. They thought I had no manners at the dinner table, no resemblance to a proper lady. They believed Katherine was the epitome of what the Green family had nurtured—a refined lady.

But they forgot that I was their true biological daughter!

They've always had it out for me! And now, Katherine's swiped my fiancé, made me look like a fool at the wedding, and had the whole world laughing at me.

But somehow, they still think I'm the one to blame!

It's honestly laughable.

I clenched my teeth, speaking in an emotionless tone. "Mom, Dad, now is not the time for baseless accusations against me for the sake of the Green family's name. I need to bring Damon back first. And the wedding... it has to go on as scheduled!"

"You! You want to bring even more shame upon us!"

I pushed away my father's hand, which had been poised to slap me, and hurried into the dressing room.

I needed to contact Damon.

When I picked up my phone, I was surprised to see a message—

It was from Damon.

My heart skipped a beat. Damon must have had a reason for not coming to the wedding. It couldn't be as the media reported! But once again, the truth pierced through my heart like a dagger.

"Fiona, I'm truly sorry. It's only when Katherine said she was leaving New York that I realized the only sunshine in my life was slipping away. I can't lose her. The wedding today is off. Please convey my apologies to Mr. and Mrs. Green."

THAT was Damon's explanation?!

My lips trembled as tears fell onto the screen.

Frantically, I tapped the dial button for the call, but all I got was a harsh, busy tone.

I raised my eyes and gazed at my reflection in the mirror, my makeup now smudged.

In a daze, it felt like I could also see Katherine's smug and twisted face—

She had warned me.

Fiona, I'm going to take it all from you.

Even your lover, Damon.

The most ironic thing was - I had thought she couldn't pull it off.

I believed her childish tactics, like scalding herself with boiling water and then blaming me, would never stand a chance against Damon, the man I loved so profoundly.

Sadly, as it turned out, the true fool in this story was none other than myself.