LOGINA few minutes later, I posted an official announcement on Twitter.I included a picture of Hansel's and my interlocked hands, along with our marriage certificates, and finished the post with a flawless grid of photos from the ceremony.The comment section immediately flooded with messages from people gushing over how perfect we looked together.Charlie shut down his livestream.It wasn't long before an unfamiliar number texted me."Why did you marry someone else?"We promised we would spend the rest of our lives together."I can match whatever he's offering you. Leave him, and I'll put a ring on your finger tomorrow."The texts had Charlie's fingerprints all over them. I thought about it for a moment and fired back a reply."No thanks."Then, I blocked the number, and just like that, the noise faded away.…Hansel and I spent the next two months completely off the grid for our honeymoon. We went from place to place, practically having traveled the world.He even managed to
The scandal surrounding Vivian finally went viral on social media while Hansel and I were eating dinner. We had just started to map out our honeymoon and were narrowing down the list of destinations.We met when we were four and parted ways at 16 when he moved abroad for school, which caused us to lose touch completely.Since returning to the country two years ago, Hansel had watched me be toyed with like a fool 16 separate times, yet he never crossed any boundaries or interfered with my life.He simply sent me supportive messages whenever I felt lonely or helpless, and he quietly assigned his assistant to ensure that I had everything I needed.Fortunately, we didn't miss our second chance.I flipped through a travel brochure, feeling completely overwhelmed by the choices. "I want to go everywhere, but I doubt we can squeeze it all into one trip.""We can do a road trip or fly overseas," he said. "Just pick the spots, and I'll handle the logistics. I'll take you anywhere you wa
The blood in Charlie's veins turned to ice.It wasn't worth it.For three years, he had chased a ghost like an absolute fool, completely manipulated by Vivian.And what about me? How had I felt through all of this?'All of his memories came rushing back at once.The first time he'd stepped in to help Vivian wasn't even at a wedding. It happened at my product launch.I had stood on the stage, radiating confidence and grace as I prepared to pitch my product to the investors.But within seconds, Vivian stormed the stage, clutching a photograph of her supposed brother and weeping as she begged the audience to help her find him.At that exact moment, every ounce of color drained from my face.And how did he handle it?He had dragged me off the stage, ordered Caleb to secure the venue, and instructed the reporters to aim their cameras directly at Vivian. Looking down at my trembling, fragile frame, he tried to soothe me. "Don't worry. It's just an accident. I'll handle the crowd.
Charlie didn't catch a single word of the hotel attendants' conversation.He sped back to his downtown apartment and threw the front door open only to find the place dead quiet. On the surface, nothing seemed to have changed, yet it felt empty."Elena?" he called out.No one answered. "Elena, where are you?"He pulled out his phone and dialed my number, only to realize that I had blocked him."Unbelievable!" he muttered, his frustration flaring as he marched into the bedroom to change his clothes and go look for me.But the moment he swung the closet doors open, he froze.Every single piece of my clothing was gone.Something was off.First, I blocked his number. Now, I had completely packed up and moved out. If I were just throwing a temper tantrum, I was taking it way too far this time.Only then did he start to panic.He immediately called one of our mutual friends to track me down, but the friend's tone was dripping with sarcasm."Wow, look who finally has time to worr
Almost eight hours later, while I was resting in my new apartment, a text from Charlie popped up on my phone."It's pouring up here, and the mudslides are brutal. Thank goodness I found Vivian."He had sent over a photo of himself caked in mud.In his arms, he held a similarly muddy and unconscious Vivian. Looking at the picture, I couldn't even begin to guess how he had managed to pull her out of the debris.Several texts popped up on the screen right after."Vivian has a fever, so I'm taking her to the hospital first. We might have to push tomorrow's ceremony back by a few hours."Talk to the guests for me and tell them to grab a bite to eat. They can order whatever they want. I'll foot the bill when I get back."Don't worry about me. I'm safe."I didn't reply to a single message.Instead, I gathered the dossier compiled by my private investigator, the undeniable proof that Vivian didn't have a brother, and scheduled it to hit his inbox the following day.Everything was set
I coldly pushed Charlie's hand away. "There's no point. We aren't having a wedding."Charlie's expression darkened. "I already apologized. Stop throwing a tantrum—""Charlie, the person I'm marrying is—"All of a sudden, his phone rang. He answered it, and his entire posture stiffened with anxiety."Someone called in a lead on Vivian's brother," he said, his voice tense. "They want to meet in person. Vivian is too naive to go alone, and I don't trust her to handle this by herself. Stay home and stop talking about breaking up. You're just making a fool of yourself."My breaking up with him was a joke to him, yet Vivian hijacking my wedding 17 times was perfectly reasonable.I hadn't expected Charlie to vanish for three days.When he finally returned, his face was gaunt, and exhaustion ringed his eyes."It was a scam," he muttered. "If I hadn't stepped in and exposed the guy, Vivian would've lost her entire fortune. The poor thing cried for three days straight until she hypervent







