After eight years of loving him in vain, my boyfriend, Gilbert Hughes, finally proposed. The wedding is set for a week from now.

However, just as I'm happily preparing for it, I accidentally overhear a conversation between him and his friends.

"I have to give it to Gilbert. The moment he proposes, his first love, Cheryl, gets restless."

"But now that Cheryl's back, what are you going to do with your girlfriend?"

Gilbert pauses for a moment, then replies casually, "It's fine. I'm not actually going to register my marriage with Jennifer. At worst, I'll just hold a wedding and play along."

At the party the next day, he wraps his arm around me dotingly and socializes with our guests.

Yet, the moment Cheryl Manning runs out in tears, he instantly lets go of me and chases after her in a panic.

I follow quietly and watch them embrace tightly in the dark, kissing each other deeply.

With my heart completely shattered, I turn away and dial a number. "Want to get married? I need a groom."

The other end of the line went quiet for a moment. "Are you serious?"

I replied, "I am."

The man paused for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. "Alright."

"Shouldn't you think more about it before agreeing?" I asked.

He let out a soft laugh and asked in a low voice, "Will you regret it?"

I responded, "No regrets."

"Then, that's all that matters. Let me sign this contract first. I'll be back in three days," came his reply.

Just then, Gilbert Hughes returned from the garden. He asked with some curiosity, "What did you mean by 'no regrets' on the phone earlier?"

I smiled at him faintly. "It was a call with a friend. We were talking about some pre-wedding stuff. A lot of people say they feel a little regret before getting married."

Then, I paused for a moment and looked him straight in the eye. "What about you? Will you regret marrying me?"

He was momentarily caught off guard. His eyes darted away as he deliberately changed the subject. "How are the wedding preparations going?"

A sense of bitterness welled up in my heart.

Truthfully, I had tried countless times to discuss the details with Gilbert since the day he proposed.

Whenever I would excitedly mention anything about the wedding, he would smile gently and say, "You make the decisions as you're the star of the day."

I always thought it was because he truly loved me and wanted me to plan things however I wished.

It was only that night, when I accidentally overheard his conversation with his friends, that I was abruptly awakened to reality.

I finally realized that, to Gilbert, this wedding was nothing more than a performance he was putting on for my sake.

At that moment, he suddenly leaned in close, just like he always did, to kiss my forehead.

However, as he approached, I caught a whiff of a familiar freesia scent. That was Cheryl Manning's usual perfume.

The image of Gilbert kissing Cheryl under the night sky earlier flashed through my mind. Instinctively, I turned away from the kiss.

Gilbert froze for a second and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," I replied softly. "I'm just tired."

He gently tried to reassure me. "You've been working too hard. Don't stress too much. Let someone take you home to rest, okay?"

I looked at him and asked, "Aren't you going home?"

He paused before he smiled, "I still need to keep company with my friends. But after the wedding, we'll have a happy future ahead."

Hearing his words, I sneered inwardly.

A happy future?

He never intended for us to have any kind of future together.

In the end, talking about things like our future, our marriage, and commitment was nothing more than sweet lies meant to placate me. They were meant to keep me playing along.

Those so-called excuses were just another veiled warning from Cheryl.

She was letting me know that Gilbert would always belong to her.

I remained silent. Gilbert looked at me, looking a little nervous and awkward as he tried to explain, "If you don't think it's okay, then I can…"

I cut him off. "No, it's fine. Go ahead. I'm looking forward to… a happy future ahead."

…

The next day, I arrived at the wedding planning company as scheduled to finalize the last wedding details.

By the agreed-upon time, Gilbert still hadn't shown up.

One of the staff members looked a little puzzled and asked, "Shall we wait for Mr. Hughes to join us?"

I smiled faintly and answered, "No need to wait.

After all, this wedding had been a one-woman show from the very beginning.

Just then, he finally rushed in.

I caught a glimpse of the red marks still lingering on his neck, clear evidence of the passionate night he spent with Cheryl.

Gilbert noticed my gaze and instinctively raised a hand to cover it, letting out a light, awkward cough.

The staff was waiting for his confirmation on the banquet dishes. Without thinking, he instructed, "Go with the most expensive set. Get the best lobsters and shrimps. Jen deserves only the best."

The staff looked at me with envy and raised his head, saying, "Mr. Hughes must really love you to pick only the finest."

I only felt a wave of bitterness. "Don't take the most expensive one."

He gently interrupted, "Let's not save money. This is our wedding."

"No." I paused for a moment, then added softly, "I'm allergic to seafood."

Gilbert froze for a moment. Then, he apologized awkwardly. "Sorry, I just thought…"

I shook my head and hid my emotions. "It's fine."

Just then, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen, and his eyes lit up as he answered. His voice softened as he asked, "Cheryl? What do you want for lunch? How about Aroma?"

There was an urgency and warmth in his voice that made it hard for me to breathe.

I lowered my gaze, suppressing the sharp pain in my chest.

Suddenly, he paused and reminded her anxiously, "Right, don't order their desserts. You're allergic to mango."

When the call ended, Gilbert seemed to realize something and explained softly, "Cheryl used to come over for meals a lot. That's how I know."

I opened my mouth, but no words came. I could only force down the bitterness in my heart and nod without asking any further. He looked visibly relieved.

Moments later, Cheryl actually showed up.

She had a faint smile and spoke cheerfully, "Gilbert, Jennifer, I wanted to surprise you, so I came by. Let's have lunch together later. You don't mind, do you?"

She looked at me with a smile, as if she genuinely cared about how I felt.

However, I clearly saw the pride and provocation in her eyes.

It seemed like she knew this wedding was nothing but an empty performance that Gilbert was putting on for my sake.

Her appearance here was simply so she could enjoy the spectacle of my humiliation firsthand.

I smiled calmly. "Of course. I wouldn't mind it."

The staff, unaware of the tension, continued asking about the details.

Yet, every time, Cheryl would interrupt before I could answer. "Use the freesia for the flowers. They're elegant and simple. Cool tones work best for the color scheme."

She had said that casually, as if she were organizing her own wedding, and I was just an observer.

Gilbert didn't utter a single word of objection the whole time. In fact, he smiled approvingly and went along with every decision she made.

The two of them sang the same tune, looking like they were in perfect harmony.

The staff looked a little awkward and glanced at me, hesitating on whether to proceed.

I took a deep breath and cut Cheryl off. "Ms. Manning, this is my wedding. If you have your own design preferences, feel free to choose them at your own wedding."

I gave a faint, mocking smile. "Or are you hoping I'll hand this one over to you?"

Cheryl's expression darkened slightly, but she quickly composed herself. She flashed an innocent smile, "I'm so sorry. I might have been too straightforward. I didn't mean to offend you, and I hope you won't take it the wrong way."

The way she said it made it seem like I was the petty one.

And of course, Gilbert rushed to defend her, even chiding me slightly, "Jennifer, Cheryl doesn't mean it that way. Don't misunderstand her."

A surge of bitterness and fury rose in my heart, nearly forcing me to cry.

There was no way he couldn't see Cheryl's provocations. He simply chose to ignore them.

With just one excuse from her, she easily earned his defense. Meanwhile, whatever I did was nothing but an irrational tantrum.

The eight years of love we shared had been wiped out in an instant in front of Cheryl.

Gilbert must have sensed that I was upset. Forcing out a smile, he said, "I'll go with you tomorrow to pick up the custom-made wedding dress."

I wanted to refuse him, but he insisted.

…

However, when we arrived at the bridal boutique the next day, what we saw made my heart stop.

Cheryl was standing in front of the mirror, wearing my wedding dress.

She looked at me innocently and smugly, "Jen, I didn't realize our body shapes were so similar. But it's a bit tight around the chest. I feel like it's about to tear."

She looked down dramatically at the straining fabric and feigned guilt. "Sorry, Jennifer. Why don't I buy you a new one?"

My expression darkened as rage surged through me.

Gilbert saw my expression and stepped in before I could speak. He frowned and said to her, "Cheryl, take it off."

Then, he turned to me and tried to smooth things over. "Don't be mad. She just wanted to surprise you and help you try on the dress. She said she wanted to be your bridesmaid, which is why I gave her the address."

I looked at him coldly, feeling my heart sink. Then, I let out a mocking laugh. "She wants to be my bridesmaid? That's why she wore my wedding dress?"

With a sigh, Gilbert replied helplessly, "She's just being childish. Don't take it seriously."

I stared at him and sneered. "Childish? Gilbert, she's older than I am."

He froze, clearly thrown off by that. Even his forced smile faltered.

At that moment, Cheryl walked out with her carefully staged apology. "I'm sorry, Jen. I just really like that dress. That's why I couldn't stop myself from trying it on. Please don't hold it against me."

I gave her a cold glance and didn't bother to respond.

The boutique staff sensed the tension and wisely brought me a new gown.

I took it and turned to the changing room, ready to put it on, only for Cheryl to follow me inside.

I stared at her and asked, "What are you trying to do?"

She smiled as her eyes gleamed with triumph. "Do you really think Gilbert's marrying you out of love?"

Her words enraged me as I shot back, "So what? No matter how much tantrum you throw, I'm still the bride the day after tomorrow. If you're so amazing, go ahead and get him to cancel the wedding."