Chapter 5

Over FaceTime, Rachel continued, "I know that I'm always very happy when I'm with you, but… but I need to face reality and allow myself to be tied down for real this time…"

Ted sounded low and dejected.

"Why can't I crash the wedding and whisk you away, Rach? You've already run away from the wedding 100 times. Why can't you run away again?

"Have you never heard of medieval stories where the prince rescues the princess in the tower from the evil dragon? You're the princess, and I'm the prince who'll save you from the dragon! I'll arrive on a majestic white horse and be your legendary hero!

"Don't you see how thrilling it would be? It would be so much fun!

"Just think about it! I'm supposed to be your wedding singer, but then I'll run off with the bride. You in your wedding gown and me clutching my guitar—we'll sprint away hand in hand across the lawn, racing toward love and freedom! It will be an instant classic! This will be art!"

Ted kept trying to persuade Rachel with all his might, and she was beginning to sway.

"No, stop it, Ted. Don't say anything anymore. I'm trembling all over with goosebumps…

"You're like a poppy. I know you're toxic, yet I'm still hopelessly addicted to you, Ted… Fine, I'll do it. I'll run off with you at the wedding.

"But I swear, this will be the very last time I'm doing it! After this last stunt, I'll register my marriage with Felix for real. There'll be no more messing around next time.

"I won't be holding a wedding next time either. We'll just go through the process at City Hall. If not, I'm worried Felix will actually lose his mind if he has to go through a few more weddings."

It was just as I expected. Rachel merely put up a token resistance before giving in and starting to plan her 101st runaway wedding with Ted.

I knew better than to interrupt them in the midst of their planning. I didn't bother retrieving my phone anymore and turned to leave.

That afternoon, Rachel deliberately came to the company to return my phone to me.

She used to be very diligent and hardworking, but everything changed after she met Ted. Now, she would only show up at the company at most twice a month. She felt at ease knowing that I would be there to hold down the fort.

"You forgot your phone at the cafe, you scatterbrain," she joked. "You'd better not be like this for our wedding this weekend. What are you going to do if you forget me too, hmm?"

She continued joking around with me, but I just smiled and said nothing in response.

I wasn't going to forget her. I was just going to abandon her.

The week passed by quickly, and Saturday arrived in the blink of an eye.

The wedding was going to be held at the castle on Sunday. That night, Rachel came up to me and said, "I'm going to a bachelorette party with my girlfriends tonight. I'll see you at the castle tomorrow at 10:00 am sharp, okay? Make sure you're not late!"

I knew that her "bachelorette party" was just an excuse for a night out with Ted and his type of crowd. However, I just replied, "Don't worry. I'm punctual."

At 7:00 am the next day, I received a text from Rachel.

"I'm already at the venue getting my hair and makeup done. I'm going to be the most beautiful bride you've ever seen. Drive carefully! I'll be waiting for you."

I blocked her number, deleted all of her contact details, and took a cab to the airport, all while maintaining a blank expression.

At 9:00 am, the plane soared into the sky.

At 10:00 am, Rachel waited for me at the castle entrance, radiant and glowing while dressed to the nines.

Thousands of influencers and paparazzi held up their phones and cameras, waiting in eager anticipation.

They were all waiting for the groom, who had been stood up 100 times. Some of them had even placed bets on what kind of stunt the bride would be pulling off this time to cancel the wedding.