Chapter 1

I arrived just as the wedding reached its centerpiece moment.

The lights flickered, but I recognized the groom at a glance. He was Victor Grosvenor, the campus heartthrob who had lived in the dorm next to mine in college.

Applause thundered through the venue. Familiar face after familiar face cheered from the crowd.

"Rose really lucked out. Even Victor, the school's biggest heartthrob, fell head over heels for her."

"Please, Rose is worth hundreds of millions. She could have any man she wanted."

"You see that watch? Rose spared no expense on it. It's priceless. A rich heir and a noble lady? This couple already has my full support!"

I stared at Rosalind Whitehall onstage in disbelief. Dressed in a luxurious wedding gown, she gently fastened the watch around Victor's wrist. Then the two shared a tender kiss.

The diamonds sparkled so brilliantly that they nearly blinded me.

Yet the Rosalind who had dated me had scrimped and saved on everything. She would rather pedal a rental bike for two hours than pay for a cab. She even delivered food after work just to earn extra money.

The crowd's cheers were deafening.

Rosalind turned her head without thinking, and her gaze landed on me.

She froze, then instinctively put some distance between herself and Victor.

I was about to speak when someone suddenly seized my wrist.

My best friend, Jayden Lloyd, dragged me into a corner with a reproachful look on his face. "What are you doing here? Are you trying to ruin this wedding?"

My gaze fell on the groomsman's suit he wore.

I remembered how Jayden had cursed me out right after Rosalind and I got together, telling me I had ruined my whole life over a woman.

Then he had turned around and spent two months' worth of his part-time wages on a tie for me.

I had been touched and a little embarrassed, but he had only snorted. "As your good friend, I have got to dress decently, don't I? When you two get married, I have to be the only groomsman!"

Now my voice trembled as I asked, "W-What the hell is going on—"

Before I could finish, Jayden cut me off, impatience written all over his face, "Samuel, you're standing right here at their wedding. What else is there to ask? Give it up. They've been together for five years."

But Rosalind and I had been together for seven.

Jayden pulled up the couple's blog account. Thousands of videos filled the page, more than I could possibly scroll through.

"This was last Valentine's Day. Vic got hooked on skiing, so Rosalind flew him straight to Scerdovia."

That day, I had been out making deliveries. The orders had not stopped coming.

On my way home after my shift, I had gotten into a car accident. I had called Rosalind again and again, but she had never picked up.

It turned out she had taken Victor to some far-off country.

"This was your birthday. Vic wanted to see fireworks, so Rosalind rented out all of Visenia Harbor."

That day, I had gotten off work early. I had gritted my teeth and spent half a month's wages on the imported lobster Rosalind had been talking about for weeks.

But late that night, Rosalind had called to tell me she had been sent on a business trip.

It turned out she had spent the whole night watching fireworks with Victor.

"There was also Norvaland for the northern lights and Ballese for diving. Honestly, I knew about all of it a long time ago. I didn't tell you because I was afraid you'd make a scene."

I stared at the video in front of me and suddenly struggled to breathe.

Frantic footsteps sounded behind me.

Rosalind had finished the wedding ceremony and rushed over.

She grabbed my hand. "Sam, listen to me. It's not what you think. Vic and I are only married because our families arranged it. It's all for show. You have to understand."

A sharp pressure gripped my chest.

I fought back my tears and stared at Rosalind. "An arranged marriage? So you're finally admitting it. You pretended to be poor this whole time just to fool me."

Rosalind froze. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, and she started to open her mouth.

Before she could speak, Victor walked over and stopped in front of me with a faint laugh. "Samuel, if I were you, I wouldn't have shown up at my wedding looking for trouble.

"There are 180 media outlets outside, and cameras are livestreaming everything in here. Are you worried people won't realize you're the other man?"

Rosalind gave Victor a helpless look. "Sam hasn't seen much of the world. Don't scare him."

She lowered her voice and spoke gently as she tried to soothe me. "Vic was just joking. Don't take it to heart."

I tried to push Rosalind away, but she wrapped her arms tightly around my waist and refused to let go.

I could not stop the tears from falling.

"Why would you do this to me..." I murmured.