Yesterday, I broke up with Julian. Today, we ran into each other at the "wedding of the century" he was throwing for his childhood sweetheart. Taking in my flawless, head-to-toe styling, Julian's voice was low and icy: "Are you here to congratulate me, or to crash the party?" "Harper, Chloe and I didn't save a seat for you at our wedding reception." I casually tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, flashing the diamond ring on my left hand: "Oh, there's a seat for me. Right next to my husband." He let out a harsh scoff, his gaze sweeping over the room full of elite guests: "Do you even know the net worth of the people here today? You're not even fit to shine their shoes, and you dare talk this kind of nonsense?" I didn't talk back. I just smiled and placed my red envelope of wedding cash on the reception table. It didn't matter. In a few minutes, my husband would come out and personally escort me to the head table. When the time comes, we'll see exactly who is shining whose shoes. 1 The red envelope was thick. Julian's face darkened the moment he saw it. Before he could speak, Chloe stepped out from behind him. Seeing me, she covered her mouth in feigned surprise: "Harper! What are you doing here?" Her voice was overly sweet as she linked her arm through Julian's: "It's such a shame. Julian said he absolutely wasn't inviting his ex, so he didn't save you a seat." "But that envelope is terrifyingly thick. If people didn't know it was wedding cash, they'd think you brought a stack of your own resumes to hand out." A chorus of mocking laughter erupted from the people standing nearby. I remained completely unfazed, responding calmly: "Since we're all family, it's only right to give a generous gift." Hearing the word "family," Chloe seemed to misunderstand. Her perfectly curled eyelashes fluttered nervously. Julian finally looked up from the envelope, his tone dropping to freezing: "Where did you get that kind of money?" "I earned it," I replied evenly. Those three words made Julian's face look even worse. He knew very well that two months ago, just to avenge some petty grievance for Chloe, he used his industry connections to fabricate evidence claiming my patented designs were stolen. My company furiously sued me for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Not only did I lose my job, but I was blacklisted from the entire tech industry. My university stripped me of my honors, and Julian gave orders to blackball me from even getting minimum-wage gigs. Right now, I supposedly couldn't earn a single dime through legitimate channels. Catching onto his mood, Chloe's eyes lit up: "Then we definitely can't accept this! Your situation is so difficult right now..." "Julian, let's just find her a seat. Harper came all this way to hunt for a new sugar daddy. I don't have the heart to let her leave empty-handed." Julian narrowed his eyes: "No wonder you're dressed like that. So you're here fishing for a new meal ticket." "Are you really that desperate? You couldn't even skip your ex-boyfriend's wedding?" Hunting for a sugar daddy? If my husband heard that, he'd probably flip this entire hotel upside down. Thinking of this, I glanced toward the inner doors of the ballroom, but I didn't see him yet. To Julian, however, my glance was solid proof: "Harper, give it a rest. To even get an invite to my wedding, you have to be the CEO of a publicly traded company. Anyone with a shred of dignity wouldn't look twice at you." My phone buzzed. Ignoring his insults, I opened the message. "Are you there yet? Are you tired? I got held up, I'll be there in thirty minutes." "If you don't want to wait, go inside first. Your seat is at the head table." It was followed by a cute sticker of a serious-looking cat getting headpats. I couldn't help but smile. I typed a quick reply, and when I looked up, I met Julian's livid glare. "Don't trouble yourselves. My husband has already arranged my seat." With that, I turned to walk into the ballroom. I hadn't taken two steps before Chloe suddenly gasped: "Ah! Why are you wearing that..." Julian immediately lunged forward, his large hand aggressively swiping at my shoulder. A sharp pain tore across my skin. I winced and turned around, shocked to see that he was holding the official bridal corsage! But I definitely wasn't wearing that when I walked in! Julian threw the corsage onto the floor, grinding his teeth in absolute fury: "And you said you weren't here to crash the party!" "You just have to humiliate Chloe and me, don't you?! You just can't stand seeing us happy!" My shoulder throbbed intensely; it felt like it was bleeding. I was about to explain that I didn't put it there, but Chloe cut me off with theatrical sobs: "Harper, I know you're obsessed with Julian, but today is the wedding we've dreamed of since we were kids. How could you..." "I never should have come back to the States! I should have just died in that plane crash!" Right on cue, Julian pulled her into his arms, comforting her softly: "Don't cry. You still have to change into your ceremony dress soon. What if you ruin your makeup?" "I'll kick her out right now. Don't worry, my bride will only ever be you. Didn't we swear during the plane crash that we would never be separated again?" Then, he glared at me viciously: "Get the hell out of here!" "Let me spell it out for you, Harper: We are broken up, and I have only ever loved Chloe! You will never, ever be my bride!" This exact melodrama had played out countless times over the last six months. In the past, I would have become hysterical. I would have smashed everything in sight, crying and screaming at him. I never did any of those things! Why do you torture me just because of a few words from her? I didn't book that doomed flight! I didn't send those texts cursing her to die! Why did you destroy my entire life without even listening to my explanation? But now, all that resentment was completely gone. I didn't want to ask, and I didn't want to fight. My heart only had room for my husband. I hadn't seen him in two days, and I missed him terribly. Enduring the pain in my shoulder, I shook my head: "I was invited to attend this wedding. Why should I leave?" Julian was enraged. He raised a hand to signal security: "Still lying! Your name is absolutely not on my guest list!" "Harper, the biggest regret of my life is meeting you. I never want to see your face again!" 2 Once you break up, words don't cost a thing. Gone were the days when he sobbed, thanking me for dragging him out of a burning car wreck. Gone were the days when he had a 104-degree fever and begged me never to leave him. We dated for three years. I poured my entire heart into it, genuinely believing we would make it to the end. Then, halfway through, his childhood sweetheart swooped back in, and everything went back to zero. His savior became the villain hurting his true love. He said he never wanted to see me again. But he was wrong. Whether we saw each other again wasn't up to him. As the security guards rushed over, I quickly looked down and texted my husband. Chloe suddenly sniffled: "Forget it, Julian. While I was away these past three years, Harper did keep you company..." "Isn't Mr. Sterling from the recycling conglomerate looking for a new wife? Why don't we introduce Harper to him? We'd be doing a good deed..." Julian gently wiped away her tears, sighing affectionately: "Even now, you're still trying to help her. It's because you're too soft-hearted that she keeps walking all over you." While the bride and groom were putting on their sickening display of affection, someone behind them laughed out loud: "Mr. Sterling? You mean the old geezer who started out collecting scrap metal, then made a fortune importing foreign trash until his garbage dump went public?" "I heard he's married four women to help him sort trash. He refuses to give them an allowance, and if they don't pop out a son, he divorces them and leaves them with nothing... But Harper is young and pretty. She could probably last a few years." It was Julian's frat-boy buddies. When we were dating, they never missed a chance to mock me to my face. "Some small-town nobody thinks she can snag the Pierce family heir just because she saved his life? Keep dreaming." "Chloe has always been Julian's true love. If she hadn't gone abroad for grad school three years ago, you wouldn't even be in the picture." In the past, hearing those insults, Julian would coldly demand they apologize to me, then reassure me that Chloe was just history. But today, he just gave me a complicated look and said absolutely nothing. Not that I needed his protection anymore. "I'm already married, so you don't need to trouble yourselves." Seeing me twirl the diamond ring on my left hand, Julian inexplicably ground his teeth. "You really went all out. Even bought a fake diamond ring." Chloe blinked innocently: "That must have... cost a lot of money. It's been so hard for Harper..." "Julian, let me take her to Mr. Sterling's table first. They can chat for a bit." With that, she walked through the doors, making a huge, dramatic show of adding a chair to the very last table in the back of the room. Taking a deep breath, I started to walk forward. But a hand blocked my path. Julian lowered his voice: "Harper, can't you just swallow your pride for once?" "I know you love me, but Chloe and I have been through life and death together... For the sake of our past, if you sincerely apologize to Chloe right now, I'll move you to the friends' table." "Mr. Sterling's empire is massive. Someone like you could never reach his level." I looked up at him: "Julian, if you block me right now, when my husband gets here, you're going to severely regret it." He narrowed his eyes, his anger flaring up again: "Still running your mouth? Then don't blame me." "It's a good thing Mr. Sterling knows how to discipline his wives. I'll let him grind that temper out of you!" By the time Chloe came back out, Julian had already grabbed my arm and forcefully dragged me to the back table. I struggled to stand up, but he shoved me back down into the chair. "Mr. Sterling doesn't like women dressed so provocatively. Get her a change of clothes!" Julian pointed at a janitor passing by, his tone dropping to absolute zero: "That outfit is perfect. I'm sure Mr. Sterling will love it." 3 He handed the janitor a stack of cash, and the dirty uniform was brought over immediately. "Put this on before Mr. Sterling gets here." I sat there, refusing to move: "I came to attend a wedding. Why the hell should I wear this?" Julian looked down at me from his high horse, throwing the filthy uniform right in my face: "Because today is my wedding, and everyone here is here on my terms!" "Harper, if you put that on right now, I'll let you leave. If you don't, the next wedding Chloe and I attend will be yours and Mr. Sterling's." I tilted my head up and locked eyes with him, catching a flicker of conflict in his gaze. It was almost as if he was hoping I would obediently change, rather than fight him to the bitter end. What was this? A sick little loyalty test? Checking to see if, even after breaking up, I was still his obedient, desperate girlfriend? But that obedient Harper had vanished completely the day Chloe returned—the day he started punishing me for her sake, the day he methodically destroyed every patent I had ever worked for. Seeing us at a stalemate, Chloe pressed her lips together tightly. A bridesmaid reminded her she needed to change into her ceremony gown, but she pushed her aside and enthusiastically walked toward me: "Is Harper just feeling shy? I'll help you change." There were already a few dozen guests in the banquet hall, and a crowd had gathered to watch the drama. Bursting with excitement, she aggressively yanked at my collar, exposing half of my shoulder. A few men in the crowd let out sleazy catcalls. Julian shot them a glacial glare, and they instantly shut up. Expressionless, I shoved Chloe's hands away and fixed my collar: "You two are getting married today, and you've decided to make me the punchline of your wedding hazing?" More and more guests were filing into the hall. I glanced at the head table. It was still empty, save for a few impeccably dressed men standing nearby chatting. If I had known they were going to be this delusional, I wouldn't have wasted my time out here. I stood up, taking firm steps toward the front of the room. Chloe gasped dramatically, yelling loudly: "Harper, don't go over there! That table isn't for just anyone... You're going to ruin Julian's reputation!" Julian lunged forward like an arrow, clamping his hand around my wrist. All his previous mockery had morphed into explosive rage: "I warned you! Everyone here today is someone of status, and the head table is strictly for our parents and the elite titans of the city!" "Do you really think your pathetic little tricks are going to turn you into a Cinderella?!" "Harper, if I let you walk over there today, I'll be the laughingstock of the entire city!" He gripped me with all his strength; it felt like my wrist was going to shatter. I struggled a few times but couldn't break free. Pushed past my limit, I decided to lay my cards on the table: "Julian, my seat is right over there. If you don't believe me, go ask—" "Julian, why don't I take Harper to the bridal suite to change? There are too many people here, it makes sense she's shy." Chloe smoothly interjected, stepping up to grab my other wrist. Julian let go, his tall frame blocking the view of the guests at the head table. He stopped looking at me. Instead, he stroked Chloe's hair, his voice softening: "Chloe, thank God for you. I'm sorry you had to deal with this today. Once the wedding is over, I'll make it up to you." "Don't say that, Julian. Marrying you is the greatest blessing of my life." While they put on their sickeningly sweet PDA, my patience finally ran out. I violently yanked my wrist free, intending to call my husband. But Chloe's bridesmaid suddenly rushed forward and snatched my phone out of my hand. "Give that back!" "Oh, don't rush, Harper! Let's go change your clothes first. Mr. Sterling is almost here." They half-pushed, half-dragged me, forcefully hauling me into the bridal suite. The moment the door clicked shut, Chloe's glam squad swarmed her to help her change into her main wedding gown. Her entire demeanor shifted. She let out a disdainful sneer and barked orders at her bridesmaids: "Strip her clothes off and take some explicit photos. Keep them as leverage so she doesn't try any of her slutty tricks to seduce Julian later." "I officially got my marriage license with Julian this morning, and you still think you can stand in my way? Well, you delivered yourself right to my doorstep!"
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