The next morning, I was awakened by a loud, insistent knocking at the door.

It had been the best sleep I'd had in a long time. So deep, in fact, that when I got up, I was still dazed. I didn't even check the peephole—just opened the door.

Standing there were Jayden's parents.

They didn't look pleased. His mother took one look at my bleary eyes and gave a cold, sharp laugh.

"Leah! I heard from your parents—you're not planning to keep looking for Jayden? What's that supposed to mean? Do you not love him at all?"

"That's right, Leah. Why would you suddenly stop looking? As his parents, of course we're worried!"

Her voice was sharp and aggressive, while his father chimed in almost instantly, brushing past me and walking straight into the apartment.

I looked at the two of them—dressed plainly, yet with an air of calculation that felt almost practiced. Something inside me gave a dry chuckle, though on the surface, I let my face take on just the right amount of sorrow, my eyes even turning red at the corners.

After everything Jayden had put me through, wearing that expression took no effort at all.

I said quietly, "But we've been searching for so long already. Maybe… maybe something bad has happened. Perhaps it's time we called the police."

"What do you mean something bad? Are you cursing your own fiancé? Our Jayden's probably just gone out to clear his head!"

His father immediately grew angry, settling heavily onto the sofa and reaching for my cup of coffee.

Jayden's mother snapped, "Leah, you're my son's fiancée. The wedding's almost here—how can you just stop looking? Go find him now. Then we'll have the wedding as planned!"

"But I really don't know where he is," I said, trying to keep the annoyance from leaking into my voice. "Maybe we should just call the police."

Every time I brought up the police, her reaction was unusually intense.

A flicker of guilt passed over her face, quickly masked by a burst of false bravado as she slapped the coffee table. "Calling the police? What would that look like? The wedding invitations have already gone out. Do you know how unlucky that is? How disgraceful?"

"Exactly," her husband echoed. "The police would have to investigate, ask questions—how would it look to have the groom missing right before the ceremony?"

I laughed silently to myself. They said calling the police was bad luck, but the truth was, they were all in on it—two of a kind, and not the good kind.

"Oh, my poor son!" Jayden's mother wailed, suddenly reaching for tissues. "Leah! If you hadn't been so controlling, he wouldn't have run away! You rich girls are all the same—spoiled! If I'd known, I never would have agreed to this match. I should've let him be with Sophie instead!"

Her words turned to sobs, painting me as manipulative, high-maintenance, and unworthy of their precious son. I wondered how Jayden had twisted the truth so thoroughly to them over the years.

They complained about me now, but had they forgotten how they fawned over me in the beginning? Every visit to their home ended with them nudging me to stay the night, calling me "daughter-in-law" like it was already written in stone.

Their family had relied on mine for years. And now, with a little money in their pockets, they suddenly found fault in everything I did—said I was extravagant, looked down on me for my background.

Yes, I'd studied abroad. But I came back with a degree, just like anyone else. Why should I be looked down upon? What made Sophie, with her local degree, so superior?

The bitterness stirred, but I kept it buried, and let sorrow show on my face.

"You're right. If you're so dissatisfied with me, then maybe—since Jayden and I haven't married yet—we should just call it off. From now on, let's go our separate ways. It might save us all from suffering later."

Just then, Jayden's mother's face flickered with the shadow of a smile. She opened her mouth to speak, but her husband cut in, placing a firm hand on her arm.

"Leah," he said gently, "let's not be hasty. We're still planning to look for him. Marriage isn't something to joke about. It's not just on-again, off-again. Don't make a decision out of anger. We only said those things because we were worried."

I nodded in response and saw Jayden's parents to the door. Just as it clicked shut behind them, I heard their voices echoing down the stairwell—Jayden's father scolding Jayden's mother.

"What were you thinking just now? Sure, our family's doing better these days, but we're not at the top yet. We still need her family's help to rise in the business world. If we break things off now, what does that make us look like?"

Jayden's mother seemed to realize something and kept repeating, "You're right, you're right."

I gave a soft, mirthless laugh in my heart. Just then, my father called.

"Leah, I've found you a potential fiancé. The two of you should meet, get to know each other a bit. Come home tonight for dinner."

I said yes without hesitation and threw on something simple.

When I got home, though, I was so shocked I nearly dropped my purse.

"Nick? What are you doing here?!"

Nick Parker was sitting on the living room couch, wearing a well-cut suit, posture straight and composed. When he saw the surprise on my face, he stood up, raising an eyebrow slightly, a trace of amusement playing at his lips.

"What, am I not good enough for you?"

I stared at the Parker heir, frozen for a long moment.

It was true that our families had a number of business ties, but Nick had never gotten along with Jayden. Not even a little.

He and I had studied abroad together, and we were friends, in a way. But when I came back and officially started dating Jayden, Nick's attitude toward him turned openly hostile. He picked fights, made digs, said we weren't even from the same world.

At first, I tried to smooth things over. Tried to be polite. But the more I tried, the more aggressively he targeted Jayden. In the end, I started to lose patience with him, too.

And now, here he was, not only willing to marry me, but willing to take Jayden's place—even after the wedding date had already been set. It would be a proper family alliance.

It was unbelievable.

In my memory, Nick had always thought I was too sentimental. Too easily fooled.

I couldn't help laughing softly, more in resignation than anything, nodding my head. "Good enough, for sure. But weren't you the one who…"

'Didn't you hate me the most?' were the words I wanted to say, but didn't.

He clearly caught my drift and looked a little awkward.

"I—I never really hated you. You were just always chasing after Jayden. I mean, I'm willing to marry you now, aren't I? Who else would want to deal with that mess you've got?"

"You're… willing to marry me?" I repeated, my voice distant, like it didn't quite belong to me.

My mother, standing to the side, gave a heavy sigh and scolded me with thinly veiled exasperation.

"Leah, can't you see? Nick's always liked you. Always. He just told me, all those times he clashed with Jayden—it was because he could tell Jayden was just using you. He wanted to stand up for you!"

Nick looked even more uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. "You just never got it. That guy was only after your money, and you couldn't see it. Then you stopped talking to me altogether. What kind of friend does that?"

"I was wrong," I said quickly, feeling a pang of guilt. "Jayden fooled me. I didn't see it. I'm sorry, Nick."

He brushed it off with a wave, his tone unusually calm. "Forget it. I'm marrying you anyway."

With Nick and his family's full support, our engagement moved ahead swiftly. The details were finalized almost overnight.

News spread fast. Everyone in the city with any kind of status heard about it. They called it a perfect match—two strong families, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, a textbook union.

Jayden's parents came to find me the very next day.

They looked haggard, hollow-eyed, standing at my door with none of the arrogance they'd shown before. The moment I opened the door, they leaned in urgently.

Jayden's mother spoke first, her voice timid. "Leah… is it true? They're saying you're marrying the Parker heir. What's going on? Weren't you supposed to marry Jayden?"

Under Jayden's parents' puzzled stares, I no longer bothered with pretense.

I nodded plainly. "Yes. I told you before. I'm done with Jayden. He's vanished now anyway, and I don't intend to wait."

"Leah! Don't be impulsive. Just wait—I'll find him! You can't possibly throw away six years of love just like that!"

I said nothing. I simply watched them leave, the corners of my lips lifting into a slow, mocking smile.

Not long after, a video arrived on my phone.

"Ms. Devin, here's the latest footage." It was from the person I'd hired to keep tabs on Jayden.

In the frame, he was walking hand in hand with Sophie down a street, smiling like a man without a care. Then his phone rang. He answered, listened for a moment, and his face fell.

"What? Mom, you want me to come back right now? What? Leah's engaged to someone else?! Mom, calm down, we'll talk when I get back!"

His face drained of color. He turned abruptly, clearly ready to flee. But Sophie grabbed his arm, leaned in close, whispering at length.

I could imagine what she was saying.

Sure enough, the panic soon ebbed from his expression. A flush returned to his cheeks, then was quickly replaced by a kind of offended fury. He called his mother back.

"Mom, I'm not coming back! Calm down and listen to me. I know Leah. She loves me too much to really do this. She's just trying to force me home, that's all. She's always been controlling—this is just another one of her cheap tricks. And the more she pulls this crap, the less I respect her."

It seemed Jayden's parents didn't quite agree. I could hear them faintly pressing him again, likely bringing up family interests, making appeals on behalf of the Jayden name.

"I got it! I'll come back and marry her, all right? But seriously, if I didn't want to marry her, what's the point of everything we've worked for all these years? Enough already. I'm hanging up. When I get back, I'm going to make Leah beg to marry me."

The video ended there.

I honestly had no idea where Jayden got his confidence.

Behind me, Nick emerged. He'd been watching too.

"Leah," he said, his tone dry, "I heard he wants you to beg for his hand? You're not planning to ditch me again, are you?"

I met his eyes and laughed softly. "No. I'll marry you. Jayden can do whatever he wants."

He raised an eyebrow at that, his lips tugging into a knowing smile. "Good. That's how it should be."

The wedding day drew near. Jayden never showed.

Jayden's parents tried to console me, saying not to worry, and at the same time frantically urged him to come back. Judging by the silence, it seemed he wasn't listening.

On the day itself, my parents had booked the rooftop garden of the city's most luxurious hotel. Guests came from all corners—public figures, business elites, media from home and abroad.

The ceremony was curated by a professional design team. It looked tasteful, high-end, and impeccable.

Just as I was having the fireworks arranged, my phone buzzed. I took it out and glanced at the screen.

For over a month, this name hadn't shown up—not one call, not one message.

It was Jayden.

I curled my lips faintly and picked up. As if expecting my immediate response, he spoke with unmistakable arrogance.

"Leah, today's our wedding, right? I bet you're panicking now. No groom. What a scene. But if you beg me, I'll come marry you."

At this point, I no longer understood how he could still be this naive.

Softly, I said, "Jayden, look up."

He sounded confused, frowning across the line. Then I heard him inhale sharply.

I knew what he was seeing—my wedding, live-streamed across the giant screen of the building opposite.

My family and Nick's family had partnered to buy every major screen in the city. At this moment, every one of them was broadcasting the wedding.

As the camera shifted slowly, it showed Nick stepping out in his tailored suit.

Jayden's face turned ghostly pale in an instant.