Chapter 3

I had dreamed about this wedding more times than I could count.

For five whole years, I revised and refined it. I stayed up countless nights to piece together my vision of perfection. Nobody knew every detail better than I did, from every angle of the lights to every shade of the flowers. I memorized them all by heart.

Today's rehearsal brought out a crowd. Officially, it was just a rehearsal, but the scene was as grand as the real thing.

Jason even called in a pretty well-known photographer from his circle. I knew him as well, and his name was Zeke Wood.

Zeke walked over with a big smile as soon as he spotted me.

"Congratulations! I knew something's up with him lately! He even asked me where to buy a Cartier ring. Said he wanted to pick the perfect one. Don't worry, I'll make you look like a movie star today. You'll be absolutely stunning!"

I didn't say anything; I just gave him a faint smile and motioned toward the bride's hand.

There, on her finger, was a brand-new Cartier wedding ring. The same style that had just been released.

Zeke followed my gaze, and his smile froze.

The soft music kept playing. Confetti and flower petals drifted down from above.

But inside me, something was being torn out, piece by piece.

Zeke just stood there, speechless. He didn't know where to place his hands.

Jason quickly noticed and pulled him away, his face red.

I overheard a low exchange in the distance.

"What are you thinking?! This is crossing a line… No matter what's going on, you can't do that in front of her. She's right there. How can you just pretend nothing happened?"

It sounded like Zeke was quietly scolding Jason.

Not long after, the lights dimmed.

In the center of the stage, Wendy appeared, arm in arm with a man in a white suit. She had changed into another wedding dress. It was discreet but lovely, with lace and pearls along the hem, making her skin smooth and radiant.

Jason couldn't take his eyes off her.

In that moment, everything became painfully clear. My heart felt like it was being wrapped tighter and tighter, to the point of suffocating.

Under the soft blue glow of the chandelier, guests whispered over champagne, their faces full of admiration.

Someone couldn't help but sigh, "This is just too romantic. I almost want to get married myself after seeing this."

"If you didn't know Miss Kate was standing there, you would never guess the groom actually belonged to someone else."

That came from one of Zeke's friends from the industry. "You know, everyone says Wendy was his first love. If her family hadn't stepped in all those years ago…"

"Alright, that's enough. His girlfriend is right here. Let's not talk about this."

I smiled and nodded, pretending not to hear a thing. But the longer I smiled, the more my lips started to tremble.

So, as it turned out, I was just a stand-in all along.

I looked around at this dreamlike wedding scene. Everything was so familiar, but it all felt like it didn't belong to me. All the things I used to look forward to now cut deep into my heart.

I quietly slipped into the shadows at the edge of the room without anyone noticing. My whole body was tense, but the tears kept falling despite how disgraceful it was. My chest ached as if it had been torn open.

I pulled out my phone and sent my boss a message.

"Something urgent came up. I'm leaving early."

I got in the car, my mind blank. Suddenly, I remembered what the doctor had said and patted my chest, whispering to myself.

"Don't cry… The doctor said I can't have any strong emotions… No crying…"

Eventually, the sobs and hiccups faded.

Suddenly, it hit me just how cruel life could be.

From the glove compartment, I pulled out the scans from my last appointment along with the diagnosis. Late-stage breast cancer. I looked over them again, page by page.

I closed my eyes and took a long, deep breath.

Time to accept it.

My hands were shaking as I picked up my phone and typed, then hit send.

"Jason, let's break up."

I was about to leave after packing my things when I ran right into Jason at the door, who just wanted to come in.

The moment it opened, I was hit by a powerful scent of sweet perfume mixed with alcohol.

Jason frowned, his tone tinged with confusion. "It's late. Where are you going?"

He didn't ask anything else. He probably ignored my earlier message, like always.

I shrugged and couldn't be bothered to explain. I calmly said, "Check your phone."

He unlocked his phone, and his face immediately darkened. He rubbed his temples, sounding irritated, as if I were a child throwing a tantrum.

"Are you upset because I asked you to hand over that project? Or are you using a breakup to push me into proposing? Didn't I already say—"

I cut him off. "You've got it wrong. Marriage doesn't matter to me anymore. Since you're here, let's just make it official. I've packed everything. We're done."

I turned, wanting to leave, but he grabbed my wrist.

"Fine! I'll marry you right now, alright?" Jason was becoming somewhat annoyed. "It's been delayed for so long, anyway. If you really care about this, why did you use this to provoke a reaction from me? Are you happy now that you get what you want?"

I looked at his impatient expression and felt a chill in my heart. I thought back to the beginning, when things were so sweet.

On our second anniversary, after I had given myself to him, he held me tight, promising me, "As soon as my career's stable, I'll propose right away."

He promised a proposal I would never forget. He wanted me to stand in a garden full of white hydrangeas, with me smiling as I said yes.

Those youthful promises were so passionate that they always made us believe they would come to fruition.

But as the years passed, our apartments got bigger while our relationship just grew colder. My desk was filled with bottles of pills that he never even noticed.

I let out a soft, bitter laugh.

"I'm not acting. And there's no need to pretend anymore. Honestly, I should have realized a long time ago that our wedding was never going to happen."

Before he could speak, I pulled my hand free and walked out.

At the door, I paused and looked back.

"At the end of the day, you need to have some boundaries. She's about to get married. No matter how hard it is for you to let go, you shouldn't go meddling at someone else's wedding."

With that, I dragged my suitcase out the door without looking back.

Behind me, his expression was dark.

But I never looked back.