Chapter 4

Elizabeth's POV

I didn't know where Owen lived, so my only option was to dig through Louise's social media accounts.

She was beautiful, came from a wealthy family, and had a massive following on Instagram. Her page had always focused on beauty content, but today, she suddenly posted a rant video.

"Babes, this is absolutely hilarious! I've never seen a woman this desperate to throw herself at a man!

"If I hadn't paid good money to get her wedding schedule, my childhood sweetheart would've never believed she was already preparing everything on her own!"

The longer I stared at Louise's face, the sicker I felt. I quickly went through the locations she had tagged and eventually found Owen at a club they frequently visited.

The moment I stepped out of the elevator, Louise's over-the-top laughter reached my ears.

"When the time comes, I'll live-stream the whole wedding. Owen, don't you dare show up. Let her stand there and humiliate herself."

Another woman spoke up hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper, "Isn't that a bit much? Louise, you've got hundreds of thousands of followers on your account. If you go through with it, how is she supposed to deal with the backlash?

"Owen, why don't you talk to her again and offer some kind of settlement?"

After a brief silence, Owen gave a contemptuous laugh. "We'll do exactly as Lou suggests. I can't wait to watch Elizabeth become a total laughingstock all on her own."

My hands curled into fists. I turned and walked away.

Over the next few days, Owen didn't receive a single message from me begging for forgiveness. The group chat, however, was practically exploding.

Louise chimed in proudly, "Thank goodness I pretended to be her landlord so she wouldn't block me. I can still see everything she posts.

"Look at her wedding dress, you guys! The style is so outdated. Even if she were my worst enemy, I'd still feel embarrassed for her!"

Attached was a nine-grid photo collage, with each image showing me in a modest wedding gown that covered my arms.

The photographer's skill was undeniable. The camera perfectly captured my silhouette by the window, wrapping the scene in a soft, almost ethereal beauty. I looked like a drifting cloud, as though I might fade away at any moment.

Owen felt his throat tighten. Without thinking, he tapped the image and saved it to his phone. For a brief moment, his mind drifted to the thought of me walking down the aisle toward him in that gown.

A faint flutter stirred in his heart. Completely unaware, Louise continued making snide remarks.

"This idiot even sent me a wedding invitation. She said she invited over a thousand guests and wants me to show up too.

"How hilarious! Of course I'm going. I absolutely can't wait to see her face when she's left stranded on that altar!"

Soon, the wedding day arrived. True to form, Louise kept the group chat buzzing with a real-time commentary on my social media updates.

"Grandma finally gets to watch my happily-ever-after unfold."

In the attached photo, my grandmother sat in a wheelchair while I stood next to her in my wedding dress. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears.

One of Owen's friends spoke up, "Damn, why do I suddenly feel a bit uneasy? Won't the shock be enough to kill Mrs. Greenfield Senior right then and there?

"Owen, are you seriously not going?"

Owen tried to say something, but Louise cut in before he could. "It's only fun if her family is there to witness it! That old hag literally camped outside the school district office for a whole week with her cane. She was dead set on filing a complaint against me for bullying her granddaughter.

"My dad even had my yacht confiscated because of it! I've been dying to settle the score ever since!"

Then, she probed carefully, "Hey, Owen, you're not backing out now, are you? You promised you'd help me!"

Owen gritted his teeth. "Of course not. She brought this on herself by trying to force me into marriage. She should've expected the consequences."

Relieved, Louise sent a blowing-kiss emoji.

"Alright, I'm off to get my makeup done for the wedding. Don't forget to tune into the live stream! I even paid extra to boost the algorithm and push traffic. I can't wait for the show to start."

The group chat fell silent for a moment. All of a sudden, someone uploaded another screenshot of my social media post.

"Forever and always." The accompanying photo showed two marriage certificates.

Confused, Owen's friend immediately tagged him. "Owen, didn't you say she had gone crazy and burned the fake certificate? What's this then?"

But there was no reply. At that moment, Owen was behind the wheel of his fastest supercar, hurtling toward the wedding venue at full speed.

"It's just a ceremony anyway. If she wants it that badly, I'll let her have it. It's no big deal. Besides, we aren't legally married yet, so I'm not breaking my promise to Louise," he thought.

In a race against time, he pulled up to the venue just as the ceremony started. Thankfully, he wasn't late.

Owen reached into his pocket and took out the wedding ring he had prepared. Almost without realizing it, he had stopped by a jewelry store along the way. It turned out that the size of my finger had long been engraved in his memory.

Down in the audience, Louise's expression tightened. Her live stream had already attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers, all eager to see the face of this "shameless" woman.

Against all odds, it was Owen who stepped onto the stage first. As the wedding march played, he looked expectantly toward the end of the red carpet.

The bride, however, still hadn't appeared. Suddenly, the emcee raised the microphone and announced, "On behalf of Ms. Greenfield, I would like to welcome you all to today's program. Let's begin by watching a short video."

Today's program?

A strange, unsettling feeling rose in Owen's chest. "Maybe the last-minute emcee they hired just isn't very professional," he thought.

His gaze moved to the screen, and within seconds, everything around him seemed to spin out of control.