On our wedding day, Lily, the apple of Patrick Luther's eye, tried to kill herself.

I grabbed onto his sleeve. "Please don't go."

He pried my fingers off, one by one. "Don't make a scene. Lily needs me right now."

I watched him walk away, laughing until my eyes turned red.

If you don't love me, then I'm done with you.

“Patrick, this time I'm the one leaving you."

The day we buried Grandpa, the sky was gray and overcast. A lot of people showed up.

My friend tugged at my sleeve. "Patrick's here."

I smirked bitterly. A whole month had passed since he'd run out on our wedding. I'd honestly thought he might be dead somewhere by now.

His deep voice cut through the air. "I'm sorry I'm late."

I slowly turned around and, with everyone watching, raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face.

The slap knocked Patrick's head to the side. He looked annoyed. "Hannah Spencer, that's enough."

I stared at him coldly. "Get on your knees!"

The Luther family's golden boy, born with everything handed to him—there was no way he'd kneel. He walked straight to Grandpa's grave and set down the flowers he'd brought.

"Mr. Spencer, I'll keep the promise I made to you. Rest in peace."

"Ha ha ha..." I laughed bitterly. "So you do remember what you promised Grandpa."

The Spencer and Luther families went way back. We'd grown up together, childhood sweethearts.

Everyone knew I loved him with everything I had.

I loved him so much I followed him abroad for college, joined his company as his secretary. He finally admitted I was his girlfriend.

But it was never a secret that he kept another woman on the side.

Three months ago, Grandpa got seriously ill.

Patrick went to visit him. They made a deal at his bedside—if we got married, that prime piece of land in the south district would come with me as part of the arrangement.

That land was worth a fortune, with huge development potential. Patrick agreed.

He promised he'd treat me well and give me the wedding of the century.

After he left that day, I broke down crying at Grandpa's bedside. "Grandpa, I won't marry him. I'll stay with you. You have to get better."

Grandpa struggled to lift his hand and stroke my head. "When I'm gone, only he can protect you. I need to know you'll be happy before I can rest easy."

My parents died in a plane crash when I was five. I'd lived with Grandpa ever since.

Once he was gone, the company and massive inheritance he'd leave behind would put me in serious danger.

Patrick was the man Grandpa had chosen to protect me—and he'd profit hugely from it too.

Grandpa thought that between the money and all our years together, Patrick would be good to me.

Grandpa was wrong.

I looked at the man in front of me—black suit, sharp features, that elegant bearing. Everything I used to love about him.

The deeper my love had been, the deeper my hatred was now.

I said tiredly, "Just go. I don't want to see you anymore."

He grabbed my wrist and whispered in my ear, "Once Lily gets better, I'll make it up to you with another wedding."

I laughed in disbelief, enunciating each word clearly. "Tell Lily Chancer for me—I don't date cheaters. Feel free to enjoy the trash I dumped."

He got furious and yanked me so hard I stumbled. Then an arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me close.

"Mr. Luther, please show some respect for my wife."

Travis Miller had arrived. I leaned into him and looked down.

Patrick's face went dark. "What the heck is wrong with you?"

Travis lifted my chin with his hand, forcing me to look up, and said provocatively to Patrick, "Take a good look at who she belongs to now."

After saying this, Travis leaned down and kissed me. I didn't pull away.

Patrick narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to make me jealous with him right now?"

"That trick won't work. You know I don't like games like this."

He raised an eyebrow and confidently beckoned to me. "Come here."

He was so sure of himself.

That's what happens when you're someone's favorite—you think you can get away with anything. I stayed put in Travis's arms. "Since you left, I found myself a new groom."

On our wedding day, half an hour before the ceremony was supposed to start, Lily called.

Patrick answered right in front of me. I watched his face grow colder by the second, his eyes filled with concern.

He said to whoever was on the other end, "I'll be right there."

I looked up at him. "The wedding's about to start."

His voice was heavy. "We'll have to cancel the wedding. We can reschedule for later."

I didn't cry or make a scene. I just asked stubbornly and calmly, "All these media people and everyone from our circle are here today. If you cancel the wedding now, do you want me to become the laughingstock of the entire city?"

"Grandpa got a special injection just so he could hold on long enough to come and see me get married."

He interrupted me anxiously, "Lily tried to kill herself. She's in critical condition and they're trying to save her. I have to fly to Brookshire right now."

I finally broke down and screamed hysterically, “I don’t care if she’s dying! It’s my wedding!“

Patrick turned to leave. I grabbed his sleeve one last time, begging, "Don't go."

He pried my hand away. "There's no time. Stop making a scene."

The pain in my chest made it hard to breathe. I dug my nails into my palms. "If you walk out that door, don't ever come back."

He paused for a moment, then strode away, rushing off to another woman.

I tilted my head back, refusing to cry. My heart felt empty and numb. This was the man I'd loved for so long. I'd given my heart to the wrong person.

My assistant asked carefully, "Should I tell the guests the wedding is canceled?"

I wasn't afraid of embarrassment. I was afraid Grandpa couldn't handle a shock like this. I thought for a moment. "Go get Mr. Miller."

When Travis knocked and came in, I was sitting at the mirror touching up my makeup. He leaned against the doorframe with that careless, rebellious look of his.

"Calling me in now—don't tell me you want to rekindle our old flame. I'm always available."

I finished the last stroke of my eyebrow and raised an eyebrow at him. "Good boy."

That clearly caught him off guard.

I slapped the contract my assistant had just drawn up onto the table. "Help me finish this wedding, and that south district land is yours."

"Where's Patrick?"

"Dead..."

He laughed happily. "Now that's what I like to hear."

The two of them were equals when it came to family background—one was an elegant, aloof prince, the other a wild, rebellious bad boy. They seemed naturally incompatible, never getting along since childhood. They were famous enemies in our circle.

I was really desperate to come to him.

Our relationship wasn't as hostile as it appeared on the surface. We'd even watched the sunrise together at four in the morning.

Just like everyone thought I was madly in love with Patrick, but I wasn't really that in love with him.

I looked down. "The wedding starts in fifteen minutes. If you don't do it, I'll find someone else."

"I'll do it." He took the contract and raised an eyebrow. "But I won't accept a fake wedding. After the wedding, we're getting legally married."

"Fine."

With the last-minute groom switch, the wedding proceeded smoothly amid all the shocked whispers. When it came time to exchange rings, the Luther family finally couldn't take it anymore.

Patrick’s father stood up and said sternly, "This was supposed to be your wedding with Patrick. How can you just replace the groom like that?"

I laughed softly and shot back, "Well, Mr. Luther, do you know where your son is right now?"

I took the microphone from the officiant.

"Patrick's side piece Lily tried to kill herself, and right now he's on a plane to Brookshire. From today on, I have nothing to do with him.

"I refuse to marry a cheating scumbag like that."

The Luther family looked mortified. Mrs. Luther actually fainted on the spot.

Patrick's reputation in our circle took a nosedive. The Luther family spent a fortune trying to suppress the scandal online.

I wasn't about to just roll over and take it. If he could be heartless, I could be ruthless too.

I wanted Lily to understand that some circles aren't easy to break into, and the path to marrying into wealth isn't as smooth as she thought.

After that day, the Luther family publicly announced that Lily was a scheming homewrecker, that they would never accept her, and she could forget about ever being a part of the Luther family.

After our ugly confrontation at the funeral, Patrick didn't contact me for a whole month.

That was his usual pattern—I was always the one who reached out first to make peace.

But not this time. I wasn't turning back.

I quickly took over the family company and dove into business. After four years as his chief secretary, I'd seen everything. I settled into the chairman's role smoothly.

Family members who'd been eyeing my inheritance were too intimidated by Travis's ruthless reputation to make any moves.

Everything was going well when suddenly the internet exploded with stories about the "jilted rich bride."

The articles painted me as the woman Patrick had abandoned on our wedding day, claiming he and Lily were true love, casting me as the villain in some soap opera.

The coverage went viral instantly, causing a massive online uproar.

Before I could even respond, Travis posted our marriage certificate online along with a photo of me at eighteen in my school uniform.

"This is the woman I've loved for years—and Patrick thinks he gets to ‘jilt’ her? As if."

That caused an even bigger sensation. So very Travis.

I smirked and played along, posting the only photo we had together.

"I may have been blind before, but my vision's crystal clear now."

The narrative completely flipped. My phone started buzzing.

It was Patrick calling. I declined.

That evening, one of Travis's friends was throwing a birthday party, and he came to pick me up.

In the car, I studied his sharp profile and blinked. "You haven't been secretly in love with me this whole time, have you?"

"Cough..." He nearly choked. "Well, you're my wife now anyway."

When we walked into the private room, I immediately spotted Patrick sitting in the corner looking thunderous, his mood so dark that everyone was giving him a wide berth.

Travis shot his friend a death glare. His friend said innocently, "I didn't invite him. He just showed up."

Travis walked over with his arm around my waist. Patrick stood up and fixed me with an intense stare. "Enough with the games. Come home with me."

I lifted my chin defiantly. "Are you volunteering to be my side piece now?"

"Hannah!"

"Don't shout at me, I'm not deaf." My expression turned icy. "I'm married now. You need to remember your place and stop making inappropriate remarks, Mr. Luther."

Patrick's face darkened with rage. He strode over, grabbed my arm, and started pulling me toward the exit.

"Are you completely deaf?" Travis tightened his grip on me.

Patrick locked eyes with me. "Come with me. You want a wedding? I'll give you one."