Three days before my wedding, I found out that Shane Dawson had changed the venue from Grandma Mae’s home in the South to Castillo de Sol, the Spanish castle that Tania Collins, his childhood sweetheart, adored.

I confronted him, only to overhear him complaining to his friend, "Thank God Tania has taste. Otherwise, I’d be laughed at for life."

His friend reminded him, "Didn’t you promise her you’d hold the ceremony at her grandmother’s house? Aren’t you afraid she’ll get angry and refuse to marry you?"

Shane just laughed, sharp and dismissive. "The Quinns are on the verge of bankruptcy. Marrying me is her only way out. She can’t afford to gamble. I’ve already asked the planner to call her. She’s probably scrambling to change her flight right now."

Anger and humiliation burned in my chest. I bit down on my lip and, in the end, turned away.

Three days later, the castle wedding went on as scheduled, but I didn’t reschedule my flight. I didn’t show up.

Instead, I stood in Grandma Mae’s old courtyard and exchanged rings with another man.

To this day, Shane doesn’t understand. I never married him for some so-called escape route. I married him for a love that lasted ten years.

However, once the dream was over, it was time for me to choose a different path.

Not long after I left Dawson Corporation, Shane Dawson sent me an address and a photo of our wedding venue: a Spanish castle named Castillo de Sol.

The picture showed the castle’s facade consisting of ivory limestone walls and a blazing golden dome, luxury carved into every line. Right in the center of the shot stood Tania Collins, her curls tumbling over her shoulders, a crimson gown hugging her figure.

My fingers hovered over her radiant smile for two long seconds. The absurdity sank in like ice.

I was the bride. This was supposed to be our wedding venue, chosen for me. Nevertheless, the star of the photo he sent wasn’t me at all. It was her, the so-called "just a friend, don’t overthink it" childhood sweetheart.

After that, Shane went quiet. I knew him too well. He probably thought the wedding planner had already informed me of the change, so he simply passed along the address, just to make sure I’d know where to fly when I rescheduled my ticket.

The anger sat heavy in my chest. I couldn’t understand. He’d promised me the ceremony would be at Grandma Mae’s house. How could he toss that aside without hesitation, just because Tania liked a castle?

By the time I got home, the sky had already darkened. I stepped inside just in time to hear Shane snapping at the housekeeper, Mrs. Dorothy Kent, "Lila Quinn’s not a three-year-old. Do you really have to bother me if she comes home a little late?"

Mrs. Kent hesitated. "But Miss Quinn answered the planner’s call this morning and left afterward. I worried she might have stormed off to—"

Shane cut her off with a sharp laugh, "She went out to get her visa and change her ticket. The Quinn family is huge; it’s not like changing flights for all of them is simple. Don’t worry. Lila dreams of marrying me. Without me, she’d die. Even if I set the wedding in Antarctica, she’d crawl there on her knees. And this… this is the castle Tania handpicked."

Mrs. Kent fell silent, but Shane muttered on to himself, "Tania hasn’t replied in five minutes. I should check on her."

He bolted out the door just as I slipped away into the night.

That house wasn’t mine anyway. It was the Dawsons’ villa. Shane had only asked me to move in so it’d be easier to plan the wedding. At first, we’d been like any other couple, sweet and inseparable.

Then, Tania came back, heartbroken from a failed relationship abroad, and Shane rushed to comfort her. A single conversation turned into four months.

From that day on, the moment Tania said she felt down, Shane would drop everything, including me, and run to her side.

I chose the wedding dress alone. I designed Grandma Mae’s garden for the ceremony by myself. Shane took part in none of it. Whenever I complained, he would glance up from his phone, irritation flickering across his face as he chatted with Tania.

"Isn’t the only reason you want to marry me to save your family’s company?"

"You already have my promise to marry you. What more are you nitpicking about?" Shane snapped.

Then, Tania called. His expression softened instantly, a smile spreading across his face as he walked out to answer.

My words scattered into the air, unheard. "It was you who proposed first. It was because I loved you that I said yes..."

In that moment, I shifted from a woman immersed in the joy of marriage to nothing more than a bystander left alone in an empty room. Even the choice of our wedding venue had nothing to do with me anymore.

That night I slept at a friend’s house. Shane never once tried to contact me.

The next day, after finishing my work handover, I stepped into the villa and was greeted by the sound of Tania’s laughter.

"During the vows, there must be rose petals drifting down from both sides. That’s what makes it romantic."

Shane sat beside her, his eyes locked onto her with a tenderness I had never once received.

"Anything you want," he said warmly.

She had his devotion, something I had never been granted.

When I appeared, Tania waved cheerfully. "Lila, come here! I just thought of the perfect idea for the wedding!"

From the corner of my eye, I caught Shane’s look of displeasure. "Why are you just getting home now? Tania’s been working hard for four months on this wedding, and you’ve done nothing but stand back. Well, maybe it’s for the best. Her taste is far better than yours. You almost embarrassed me with that country-style theme. You have no idea how close I came to being ridiculed."

Once again, that suffocating sense of being a spectator pressed down on me.

"I’m tired. I’m going to rest," I said, ignoring the tight knot in his brow as I headed straight for the guest room.

The moment I closed the door, my phone buzzed with another message, the kind I had rejected countless times before: "As long as you say the word, I’ll throw everything away. I’ll crash the wedding."

I smiled bitterly as my fingers typed a reply. "No need to crash it. You’re already my groom."

If Shane was destined to walk into that castle, then I would return south, back home. I would free both of us.

That night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw flashes of our ten years together, filled with endless love.

I had once been his only one, his fiercest devotion. Whenever anyone said I wasn’t worthy of him, he would take my hand and stand beside me without hesitation.

Back when Grandma Mae was alive, she had patted his hand and entrusted me to him. His eyes had blazed with certainty as he swore, "Don’t worry, Grandma. I love Lila more than I love myself. I’ll never let her suffer. I promise, we’ll marry in your courtyard, so you can watch her walk down the aisle with your own eyes."

Those words had been carved in stone, eternal and unshakable.

Alas, I had forgotten that even stone can be worn down, and time can dissolve even the most solemn vows.

The day before the wedding, I walked into the living room and saw a purple gown spread across the floor, its hem trailing, a massive red flower blooming across the chest.

Tania hurried toward me, her face alight. "Lila, look! I designed this wedding dress just for you. Shane said you like the rustic style, so I studied traditional wedding traditions for ages!"

Even though I had already decided to let go, my brows furrowed at the sight of what she dared call a wedding dress. "In our traditional weddings, the bride still wears a wedding dress, not a bridesmaid's gown."

Tania froze, her smile faltering as she stepped back. "I’m sorry, Lila. I shouldn’t have assumed. I just thought you’d like it... I’ll take it apart right now."

She snatched up a pair of scissors, but before she could cut, Shane rushed out of the study, yanking the fabric from her hands.

"How many times have I told you not to use scissors? What if you hurt yourself?"

Tania’s eyes brimmed with tears, her voice trembling. "Shane, did I do something wrong? Lila just snapped at me so badly..."

Before I could say a word, Shane’s face hardened. He turned on me with a glare. "Tania spent four months preparing that wedding dress for you. She stayed up late countless nights to coordinate with designers. And this is how you repay her? If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t even have a dress. Apologize!"

The disdain in his eyes made me want to laugh, bitter and hollow.

When I had asked him about the dress, he’d brushed me off, saying not to bother him because he was busy taking Tania to Bali to "cheer her up".

Of course, she was important. When she said she was heartbroken, he spent the whole night consoling her. On my birthday, he rented out a theater to watch a romantic movie with her. When I collapsed with a fever from overwork, he told me to drink more warm water and immediately turned to rush Tania to a private hospital for a tiny scrape.

This was my wedding. I had handled everything I was supposed to, but because of Tania’s constant presence, all credit suddenly went to her.

Even Shane’s relatives saw me as useless, dismissing me as the bride who lifted not a finger.

The dress and his suit were both untouched in the guest room closet. He hadn’t spared them a glance, but now he demanded I apologize to Tania.

Disappointment carved itself deeper into me. My face darkened.

Shane sneered. "So you won’t apologize? Fine. Then the wedding’s off. When you apologize to Tania, that’s when we’ll marry."

My clenched hands slowly loosened. I looked him straight in the eye. "Alright."

Then, I turned and began to pack my things.

Ryan Lane had told me that the bougainvillea in Grandma Mae’s courtyard was blooming again. I wanted to see it as soon as possible. It was the very plant she and I had planted together before my parents took me to Eastbourne city.

In the living room, Shane tried to soothe Tania, but irritation simmered under his skin. His eyes flicked toward the guest room as he quietly sent a message to his assistant, Mark Sullivan.

The reply came quickly. "Mr. Dawson, Miss Quinn has rescheduled her flight with Dawson Airlines. But I don’t have clearance to check the new details. You’ll need to look it up yourself."

Relief eased his features. He typed back a curt: "No need."

As I zipped the last of my luggage, a message from Shane lit up my phone. "Since you’re going to marry me, you’ll have to learn to control your temper. Tania is doing everything for you. How could you hurt her feelings? Anyway, there’s a family lunch at noon. I’ll bring Tania over first and send the driver for you later. Just apologize to her and let’s move on. Tomorrow’s the wedding, so don’t ruin everyone’s mood."

It was the Dawson family lunch, and he was bringing her as his date.

When the driver knocked at my door, I glanced at my suitcase one last time.

So be it.

He had once proposed to me in front of everyone. Now I would return the gesture by breaking the engagement in front of them all. It was an apt beginning and an end.

I arrived at the Dawson estate to find Tania glowing in the center of the room, surrounded by relatives showering her with praise.

"Lila, over here!" she called, teetering over in stilettos. She was dressed in a red evening gown, identical to the one I had chosen as my own dress for the toast.

My teeth sank into my lip. At that exact moment, Shane descended the staircase. His eyes landed on her, widening in awe. "Tania, you look stunning!"

Her cheeks flushed. "Shane, don’t tease me... Lila’s right here." She turned to me quickly, smiling sweetly. "Lila, I’m sorry about this morning at Shane’s place. I feel awful for causing you both to argue."

Shane’s gaze never left her. His eyes sparkled as if she were the only woman in the world. He even reached up, carefully plucking a stray false lash from under her eye.

The scene drew laughter and teasing from the crowd.

Mr. Timothy Dawson, his father, sighed in regret.