Runaway Bride, Runaway Heart

On the day of my wedding, my fiance, Oliver Parker, asks me to take off my wedding gown. He wants to let his childhood friend, Angela Summers, be the bride instead.

In helplessness, he tries to explain, "Angela has leukemia. Her dying wish is to be a bride and have a wedding. Once I've fulfilled her wish, I'll marry you."

Everyone seems to think I'll just go along with it and wait for him to come back and marry me. After all, I've spent three years preparing for this wedding. I've poured my heart into every detail and devoted so much time to making it perfect.

However, while Oliver and Angela celebrate their wedding that night, I gave my biological parents a call to tell them I'm coming to be with them.

I board a red-eye flight out of Stonevale, leaving everything behind without looking back.

…

Three years later, I flew back to Stonevale with my husband, Daniel Holden, to attend the anniversary celebration of the Holden Group's Stonevale branch.

However, I never expected to run into Oliver at the airport.

"You've been gone for three years. Isn't that enough time to let things go? Angela's leukemia is cured, and we're divorced now. Come back to me. Let's finally have our wedding. Don't be so stubborn anymore!"

On the day I returned to my home country, my husband, Daniel Holden, had a last-minute work issue and had to take a later flight, so I arrived in Stonevale on my own.

At the arrivals hall, I saw someone holding a sign that said "Samantha Miller". However, when I got closer, I was shocked to find my ex-boyfriend, Oliver Parker, whom I hadn't seen in three years.

Wearing a tailored suit, Oliver stood with Angela Summers and several friends, waiting for someone.

"Oliver, isn't this your ex-girlfriend, Jessica Brooks? Didn't you say she threw a tantrum and left without a word three years ago?"

Only then did Oliver notice me. He immediately became smug, boasting, "Didn't I tell you? She left three years ago without a single word, clearly wanting me to chase after her.

"I didn't call or look for her. Now, she's back here all on her own."

The others stared at me mockingly and whispered among themselves.

"Oliver, do you think Jessica came back because she found out you're now the general manager of Holden Group's Stonevale branch? You're making seven figures a year. Maybe that's why she's here."

"Jessica, we haven't seen you for three years. And now, you look terrible, wearing cheap clothes without a single recognizable brand. Did you dress like this just to pretend to meet Oliver by chance? With an outfit like this, how will you grab his attention and win him back?"

"Don't tell me you've become so poor since leaving Oliver that you can't even afford proper clothes?"

"Makes sense. After all, you're an orphan. Without Oliver, how could you possibly live well? Honestly, it's already a miracle you're not living on the streets."

It wasn't surprising they had such thoughts.

Back when Oliver and I were dating, I always wore my best dresses and matching heels, and carefully applied makeup to avoid embarrassing Oliver.

However, things were now different. I was three months pregnant. Wearing dresses was restrictive—even while traveling first class—and high heels were uncomfortable.

Now, my clothing choices were based entirely on comfort rather than pleasing anyone else.

Listening to their comments, I realized they didn't know I had changed my name, nor that I was the Samantha Miller they were supposed to pick up.

My original name had been Jessica Brooks. However, after reuniting with my biological parents three years ago, I officially changed it to Samantha Miller.

Maybe being mocked in such a manner left me looking pitiful. Someone whom I used to be close to quickly stepped in to ease the tension.

"Jessica, you might not know this, but Oliver has actually been looking for you for the past three years. Now that you're back, you two should really get back together. When you decide to hold the wedding, don't forget to send me an invitation."

Oliver looked a little awkward but didn't reject the idea of a wedding.

He quickly replied, "Well, now that you're back, we should start preparing for the wedding. Seeing how you've fallen to wearing cheap clothes, you probably don't have a proper job either.

"I'll arrange for you to work as a janitor at Holden Group. I'm now the general manager of their Stonevale branch, so I have the authority to do this."

Oliver wore a superior air, behaving as if offering me a job as a janitor was something to boast about. However, I wasn't the naïve woman who used to adore him. Now that I saw him again, I felt nothing but detachment and disgust.

I glanced at the time. I had a remote meeting soon, so I needed to get back to my hotel.

As I reached for my passport to reveal my new identity, Angela quickly acted as if she were kindly advising me to accept the cleaning job.

"Jessica, although Oliver is now the general manager, he can't openly give you a decent position. After all, you've been unemployed for three years. Obviously, you have to start from the bottom. Otherwise, people might accuse him of favoritism.

"But don't worry, we're all friends here. Even if you're cleaning restrooms, we won't look down on you."

Frowning, I glanced at Angela. However, after all these years, she still spoke with that same harsh tone, acting like she was better than everyone else.

The others around us thought I was jealous and looked on eagerly, expecting me to cause a scene. After all, in the past, whenever I had such a feeling, I'd throw tantrums at Angela.

Oliver watched me smugly. He looked as if he were saying, "See? I knew you still cared about me."

"Cleaning is a respectable job," he commented condescendingly. "At least it's better than being unemployed and unable to afford decent clothes. If you do well, I'll promote you to janitorial supervisor. If your salary as a janitor isn't enough for rent, you can stay at my place for now."

As soon as Oliver finished speaking, everyone burst out laughing, openly mocking me.

"Jessica, look how good Oliver is to you. You disappeared for three years, yet he's still willing to give you a job and a place to live. He lives in a villa now. Without him, you'd never be able to live there."

"He doesn't even mind what you've been up to these past three years," commented another person. "He's still willing to marry you. Men like him don't come around often. Hurry and apologize to Oliver. Admit you were wrong to have left him three years ago!"

Angela pretended to mediate, adding, "Jessica, don't worry. I'm the operations manager now. If anyone at work gives you hell, just let me know—and I'll fire them!"

Oliver glanced at me dismissively. "What kind of trouble could she face? Due to something as trivial as a wedding, she ran away. Now, she's learned that making money isn't easy and wants to get back together. Even if she faces some hardships, it's still better than being unemployed."

Hearing Oliver speak so lightly about it, I couldn't help but frown.

The wedding I had meticulously planned for three years was given to another woman. How could he consider it trivial?

After three years, he still didn't realize his mistake. The Oliver Parker who once loved me deeply was long gone.

However, luckily, I had already left him behind. Now, I had found my own happiness and a husband who truly loved me.