Chapter 8

“Wait! Priest, you said the wrong name!”

The sharp click of leather shoes against the floor shattered the sacred silence surrounding the outdoor wedding altar. Aaron Wellington strode forward, breathing heavily, his face flushed with barely contained fury.

With his free hand, he roughly grabbed the wrist of the elegantly dressed woman standing to his left, her face hidden beneath a bridal veil, and yanked her closer.

“The woman standing beside me is Irina Crawford, not Lilian!” Aaron shouted, his voice ringing across the venue and immediately sparking a wave of hushed whispers among the guests.

The reverend conducting the ceremony stopped mid-sentence, looking confused for a moment before glancing down at the documents in his hands.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Aaron. According to the official civil registry documents and the agreement approved by both families…”

“Then the documents are fake, or your administration is incompetent!” Aaron snapped furiously, refusing to listen.

He lowered his head and stared at the veiled woman beside him, his eyes filled with misplaced certainty.

“Irina, stop this childish act. I know you’re jealous of Lilian and deliberately pulled this ridiculous stunt on our wedding day just to get my attention. But this has gone too far!”

The woman beneath the veil slowly raised her hand.

With an elegant motion, she lifted the translucent fabric covering her face.

But it was not Irina’s face that greeted Aaron.

It was Lilian’s deathly pale face, her eyes wide with fear.

“A-Aaron…” Lilian whimpered, trembling. Her voice was almost swallowed by the roar of the sea breeze.

Aaron’s heart seemed to stop.

His grip on Lilian’s wrist immediately loosened.

“L-Lilian? How… how is this possible?” His eyes darted around wildly. “Where’s Irina?”

He turned toward the other side of the altar, searching desperately for the woman who had been standing there moments ago.

There, beneath an elaborate canopy adorned with white flowers, stood Irina.

She wore her late mother’s vintage wedding gown, its timeless elegance perfectly complementing her calm demeanor. Not even the chaos unfolding before her seemed capable of disturbing her composure.

A faint smile touched Irina’s lips as she met Aaron’s gaze.

“Why are you looking for me, Aaron?” Her voice was cold, cutting cleanly through the commotion among the guests. “Isn’t this what you wanted from the beginning? To marry the woman you love?”

“Irina! What the hell did you do?!” Aaron snarled.

He released Lilian without another thought and started toward Irina.

“What kind of game are you playing?! Why did you switch places with Lilian? You know I was supposed to be your husband!”

Before Aaron could get any closer, a tall man in a black suit stepped forward.

His posture was imposing, his gaze as sharp as an eagle’s.

Elijah Wellington extended his right arm, completely shielding Irina from his younger brother’s rage.

His face remained cold and expressionless, yet his presence alone was enough to make Aaron instinctively falter.

“Keep your distance, Aaron,” Elijah said, his deep baritone voice carrying unmistakable authority. “The woman I just exchanged sacred vows with before the reverend and God is my lawful wife. Irina Crawford is now Mrs. Wellington.”

“Don’t talk nonsense, Elijah!” Aaron screamed hysterically, refusing to accept the bitter reality standing before him. “She’s only trying to provoke me! She loves me! Irina would never willingly marry a monster like you!”

“That’s enough, Aaron!”

The sharp crack of a crystal-tipped cane striking the pavilion floor silenced Aaron’s outburst.

Landon Crawford, Irina’s father, stepped forward, his expression hardened with disappointment. Behind him stood several family lawyers, each carrying thick folders of documents.

“Father, tell him! This has to be a misunderstanding! Irina is my fiancée!” Aaron pleaded desperately, turning to his would-be father-in-law for support.

Landon gave a cold, cynical snort.

“There is no misunderstanding, Aaron. The exchange is legally valid and was carried out at my daughter’s own request, with my approval.”

“But… but I never signed marriage documents for Lilian!” Aaron protested, his voice beginning to tremble violently.

One of the family lawyers stepped forward and held up a stamped document in front of Aaron.

“Mr. Aaron Wellington, this is the marriage registration form you personally submitted and signed at the civil registry office three days ago. On the third page, you signed the clause approving the exchange of spouses and the family guardianship agreement.”

Aaron had never bothered to read it carefully.

His mind had been completely consumed by his determination to protect Lilian and prevent her from marrying his own brother.

His body went rigid.

His memories flashed back to that night at the boutique, when Lilian had pleaded with him to sign the expedited administrative documents immediately for their “safety.”

He had signed them without even glancing at a single word, too preoccupied with defending Lilian to care about the paperwork.

“No… No, that’s impossible…” Aaron murmured, his strength draining away.

His eyes snapped toward Lilian.

“Lilly… you knew about this?”

Lilian shook her head frantically, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“I didn’t know, Aaron! I swear, I didn’t know anything!”

She wore the same pitiful, helpless expression she always used whenever she needed Aaron to believe her.

Irina watched the miserable scene before her without a trace of sympathy.

She walked toward Elijah, slipped her fingers around his arm, and leaned close to her husband before fixing Aaron with an unwavering stare.

“You can’t have everything, Aaron,” Irina said firmly, her voice carrying clearly through the silence that had fallen over the guests.

“You wanted Lilian, and I gave her to you. So accept the fate you chose for yourself. And never interfere in my life again.”

In the front row of seats, Rebecca Wellington gripped her expensive handbag tightly.

The middle-aged woman’s breathing quickened as she stared at the chaos unfolding at the altar.

Years of carefully laid plans to gain control of the Crawford family’s assets through Aaron’s marriage to Irina had just been reduced to ashes.

She hurried toward Aaron, who had gone deathly pale.

“What kind of stupidity have you committed?” Rebecca hissed, keeping her voice low enough to avoid drawing the guests’ attention.

Aaron looked at his mother desperately.

“The documents… They switched her position, Mom! Irina was supposed to—!”

“Enough!” Rebecca snapped coldly, brushing her son’s hand away.

To Rebecca, this marriage had been the only path for Aaron to seize power from Elijah by gaining access to the Crawford family’s immense wealth.

Yet her foolish son had ended up marrying Lilian instead—a penniless orphan with no assets, influence, or family connections to offer.

Her ambition had collapsed in an instant.

With her expression hardening, Rebecca turned toward Landon Crawford, who stood nearby.

“Landon, this marriage is invalid. Your daughter manipulated—”

“There was no manipulation, Mrs. Wellington,” Elijah interrupted coldly as he wrapped an arm protectively around Irina’s waist.

“Every document was knowingly signed by Aaron himself.”

Rebecca glared at Elijah with deep hatred before turning her attention to Lilian, who stood frightened beside Aaron.

She finally realized that her son was now trapped in a marriage with a woman who brought them absolutely no benefit.

Overwhelmed by desperation, Rebecca could do nothing but grit her teeth and silently swallow the crushing defeat.