Chapter 2

"You already have my promise to marry you. What more are you nitpicking about?" Shane snapped.

Then, Tania called. His expression softened instantly, a smile spreading across his face as he walked out to answer.

My words scattered into the air, unheard. "It was you who proposed first. It was because I loved you that I said yes..."

In that moment, I shifted from a woman immersed in the joy of marriage to nothing more than a bystander left alone in an empty room. Even the choice of our wedding venue had nothing to do with me anymore.

That night I slept at a friend’s house. Shane never once tried to contact me.

The next day, after finishing my work handover, I stepped into the villa and was greeted by the sound of Tania’s laughter.

"During the vows, there must be rose petals drifting down from both sides. That’s what makes it romantic."

Shane sat beside her, his eyes locked onto her with a tenderness I had never once received.

"Anything you want," he said warmly.

She had his devotion, something I had never been granted.

When I appeared, Tania waved cheerfully. "Lila, come here! I just thought of the perfect idea for the wedding!"

From the corner of my eye, I caught Shane’s look of displeasure. "Why are you just getting home now? Tania’s been working hard for four months on this wedding, and you’ve done nothing but stand back. Well, maybe it’s for the best. Her taste is far better than yours. You almost embarrassed me with that country-style theme. You have no idea how close I came to being ridiculed."

Once again, that suffocating sense of being a spectator pressed down on me.

"I’m tired. I’m going to rest," I said, ignoring the tight knot in his brow as I headed straight for the guest room.

The moment I closed the door, my phone buzzed with another message, the kind I had rejected countless times before: "As long as you say the word, I’ll throw everything away. I’ll crash the wedding."

I smiled bitterly as my fingers typed a reply. "No need to crash it. You’re already my groom."

If Shane was destined to walk into that castle, then I would return south, back home. I would free both of us.

That night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw flashes of our ten years together, filled with endless love.

I had once been his only one, his fiercest devotion. Whenever anyone said I wasn’t worthy of him, he would take my hand and stand beside me without hesitation.

Back when Grandma Mae was alive, she had patted his hand and entrusted me to him. His eyes had blazed with certainty as he swore, "Don’t worry, Grandma. I love Lila more than I love myself. I’ll never let her suffer. I promise, we’ll marry in your courtyard, so you can watch her walk down the aisle with your own eyes."

Those words had been carved in stone, eternal and unshakable.

Alas, I had forgotten that even stone can be worn down, and time can dissolve even the most solemn vows.

The day before the wedding, I walked into the living room and saw a purple gown spread across the floor, its hem trailing, a massive red flower blooming across the chest.

Tania hurried toward me, her face alight. "Lila, look! I designed this wedding dress just for you. Shane said you like the rustic style, so I studied traditional wedding traditions for ages!"

Even though I had already decided to let go, my brows furrowed at the sight of what she dared call a wedding dress. "In our traditional weddings, the bride still wears a wedding dress, not a bridesmaid's gown."

Tania froze, her smile faltering as she stepped back. "I’m sorry, Lila. I shouldn’t have assumed. I just thought you’d like it... I’ll take it apart right now."

She snatched up a pair of scissors, but before she could cut, Shane rushed out of the study, yanking the fabric from her hands.

"How many times have I told you not to use scissors? What if you hurt yourself?"