On our wedding day, my husband abandoned me to accompany another woman.
When I questioned him, he accused me of being petty and jealous.
I intended to leave before the final humiliation could reach me.
But the moment I stepped out of the dressing room, I ran into the one man Aaron never wanted anywhere near me. His gaze swept from my bouquet to my lips, slow enough to feel like a touch.
If you still need a groom, he murmured, I can stand where he ran.
I slipped my arm through his without hesitation.
And in front of everyone, I sealed the offer with a kiss.
One week before our wedding, my fianc Aaron Lambert told me he had to marry his first love before he could marry me.
His first love’s mother had passed away, leaving a dying wish for them to get married.
“Lily’s mother always hoped she would marry a good man. I’m just fulfilling the old lady’s last wish. Don’t overthink it,” Aaron said.
But our company had already decided to launch the True Love jewelry collection on the day of our grand wedding.
He impatiently replied, “It’s just a billion-dollar project. How can that compare to Lily’s filial piety? If you really want to earn that money, go find someone else to marry.”
Faced with his cold words, I understood everything. I turned and dialed my family’s number.
“Brother, help me find a new marriage partner.”
My brother asked in disbelief, “You’re calling off the wedding?”
“No, he’s marrying someone else,” I said with a bitter smile.
To be with Aaron, I had fought tooth and nail against my family’s objections to finally get my parents’ approval. We even scheduled the True Love jewelry collection launch for our wedding day.
But now, everything had fallen apart.
My brother was stunned for a long while before saying, “Then Arlo Shaw is our only option. His family has been pressuring him to get married, and he’s been looking for a partner recently.”
I frowned. Arlo Shaw was my sworn enemy. On my engagement day, he had even cursed that my marriage would fall apart. I never expected his prophecy to be fulfilled.
Time was tight, so I could only say, “Alright, it’ll be him then. Help me ask about his intentions. If he refuses, I’ll think of another way.”
My brother replied quickly, “No need to ask. He’ll definitely agree.”
“What?”
Before I could ask anything more, a group of people surrounded me.
“Are you Aaron’s fiance? You’re so beautiful!”
“Are you here to wait for Aaron to get off work? He’ll be down soon. You two are so sweet together.”
I gripped the steering wheel, lowering my eyes to hide the self-mockery in them.
Aaron had introduced me to his colleagues and friends early on. In everyone’s eyes, we were an enviable model couple.
But who could have guessed that he was about to marry someone else?
After saying goodbye to everyone, Aaron got into the car and handed me a necklace.
“Lily asked me to give this to you. You embarrassed her at the funeral yesterday, so take some time to apologize to her.”
This necklace was clearly a free gift that came with a purchase. I had seen it in Aaron’s shopping cart a couple of days ago.
I said flatly, “I don’t want it.”
Aaron frowned. “What are you upset about now? You barged into the funeral and said I wasn’t her fianc, embarrassing her. She didn’t hold it against you and even thought to bring you a gift. How can you be so ungrateful?”
The man who once protected me was gone. Now, he cherished someone else.
Aaron irritably opened the window to let in some air. After a long while, seeing that I wasn’t going to comfort him, he finally said, “Fine, we’re supposed to go try on wedding dresses today. I won’t argue with you.”
This was the first time he had backed down this year.
When we arrived at the bridal shop, the sales assistant greeted us:
“Mr. Lambert, Miss Quinn, the twenty custom wedding dresses and tuxedos you ordered are ready.”
But Aaron’s gaze wasn’t on these clothes. He was looking down at his phone, his expression somewhat urgent.
After noticing my gaze, he quickly put away his phone, his face showing a hint of apology:
“Genevieve, something came up with Lily. I need to rush over there right away. Try on the wedding dresses yourself, and just pick a tuxedo for me. I trust your taste.”
With that, he hurriedly hailed a taxi and left, leaving me alone.
The sales assistant quickly approached me and tentatively asked, “Miss Quinn, would you like to personally select the tuxedo?”
I looked away and nodded.
Of course I would choose a tuxedo. Just not for Aaron.
After all, the groom had changed.
I drove home, thinking Aaron wouldn’t return all night. But he came back before dinner.
He strode over to me, holding a takeout box.
“I went all over town to buy this for you. It’s from Harry’s Bakery.”
I looked at the box of Swiss rolls.
There were three fewer than usual, and one of them had a bite mark, obviously having been eaten.
Half an hour ago, I had seen Lily’s Instagram post.
The photo was of the Swiss rolls in my hand.
“Hubby bought me a midnight snack even though it’s so late. Thanks for working so hard, babe! XOXO!”
I put down my chopsticks with a self-mocking smile, instantly losing my appetite.
“I don’t want to eat it. Just throw it away.”
Aaron immediately looked at me with displeasure but held back from lashing out. He sat down beside me and complained:
“You have no idea how pitiful Lily was today. My parents went to her house and scolded her family for being poor, saying they couldn’t even afford decent jewelry. She was so upset she cried.”
“Lily just returned to the country and doesn’t have much money. I was thinking of lending her your jewelry.”
His tone left no room for argument, making me feel sick.
I looked at him sarcastically. “So I have to provide jewelry for your wife?”
In the past, I cared about Aaron so much that I would give him anything he asked for and do anything for him.
But now he had personally woken me up.
Thinking back, ever since Lily returned to the country, everything he did was for her.
He had forgotten that I was supposed to be the one spending the rest of my life with him.
My response angered Aaron. “What do you mean by that? You’re not willing? You’d better understand this: Lily is my best friend. You’d better make her happy, or I might not marry you!”
With that, he slammed the door and left.
Feeling frustrated, I went downstairs to jog in the park.
After running one lap, I received a call from Arlo Shaw.
Thinking of Arlo’s perpetually stern face, I hesitated for two seconds before answering.
“Once you’re on my ship, you’re my person. If you dare to run, I’ll tie you up and bring you back!”
Arlo’s first sentence was a direct hit.
I remained silent, and he continued:
“Let’s get the marriage certificate.”
“I’m afraid you’ll change your mind.”
Arlo Shaw, you’re acting strange.
I had already imagined tens of thousands of scenarios in my mind where he would use our marriage to torment me.
In the end, I could only muster up a sentence: “See you at the wedding, Mr. Shaw.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Aaron appeared behind me out of nowhere:
“You’re inviting Arlo Shaw to our wedding? I forbid it!”
He stared at me as if facing a great enemy:
“Genevieve Quinn, didn’t I tell you not to associate with Arlo Shaw? His intentions towards you aren’t pure. If you insist on inviting him to our wedding, don’t blame me for getting upset!”
Before I could say a word, he had already laid down his threat.
Aaron had always disliked Arlo Shaw and harbored an inexplicable hostility towards him. When we first got together, he even became jealous because Arlo and I often bantered on SnapChat. After that, I gradually cut off contact with Arlo.
But he actually said… Arlo Shaw had impure intentions towards me?
I was about to ask further when Lily suddenly leaned against Aaron’s neck.
“Aaron, you’re hurting me…”
Only then did I notice they were holding hands while taking a walk.
Aaron coughed awkwardly twice but showed no intention of letting go of her hand.
Lily looked at Aaron with deep affection, then turned to me with a pretense of helplessness:
“Sister Genevieve, I’m sorry. Aaron and I were just practicing the wedding procedure in advance. Please don’t mind.”
“I won’t tell anyone about you hitting me or damaging my mother’s grave. But please don’t hurt Aaron. True love can’t withstand tests.”
Not wanting to watch her act, I turned to leave:
“Since you’re so looking forward to it, I’ll find someone to beat you up tonight and then dig up your mother’s grave!”
Slap!
Aaron slapped me hard across the face.
“Genevieve Quinn, how can you be so vicious?!”
His brows were furrowed, and his chest heaved.
I’m vicious?
He believed someone else’s manipulative words, but five years of our relationship couldn’t earn me even a bit of his trust.
I suddenly felt a surge of anger and wanted to confront Aaron, but Lily stepped in front of him:
“Genevieve, please, I’ll return Aaron to you as soon as the wedding is over.”
“Please have mercy and don’t hurt the people around me, or Aaron.”
As she spoke, she was about to kneel before me.
Aaron quickly wrapped his arm around her waist, preventing her from kneeling, while glaring at me angrily.
“Genevieve Quinn, stop playing your rich girl bullying games!”
“You know I hate that the most. If you still want to marry me, stop making trouble!”
With that, he warned me not to appear in front of them during the time before the wedding.
Unexpectedly, Aaron contacted me the very next day.
He started with a barrage of scolding: “Genevieve Quinn, did you really go and dig up Mrs. Lee’s grave?! I never thought you were this kind of person!”
Filled with confusion, I called my assistant to investigate, only to uncover an extremely shocking fact.
Lily’s mother… wasn’t dead.
No wonder Lily could be so ruthless as to dig up her own mother’s grave to frame me.
It turns out death was all a scam.
I sent Aaron a text message: “Lily’s mother isn’t dead. The truth is in the email I sent you.”
Whether he looked at it or not was no longer my concern.
The flight was booked for three days later, personally arranged by Arlo.
When Aaron returned, he saw me packing my things.
Half of my clothes were thrown away, with a small portion being shipped to South City.
“Why are you starting to pack clothes?” Aaron asked with a dubious expression.
I casually replied, “Moving.”
He fell silent for a moment, not noticing anything amiss, and continued talking to himself:
“The Quinn family company is in South City. We’ll settle there after getting married, so it’s good to start packing early.”
After saying this, he fixed me with a stern gaze.
“Apologize to Lily’s mother as soon as possible. Don’t make things difficult for me. How about on the wedding day? What do you think?”
He tossed his phone aside and went to look for his ID card. Today was the day he and Lily were getting their marriage certificate.
He didn’t return until late that night. I opened my phone to find a message from Lily pop up.
The picture showed Aaron and her wearing matching outfits, sharing a bed.
I closed my eyes, my heart still aching despite my efforts.
I suppressed that feeling and turned off my phone.
Late at night, the phone by my pillow started vibrating every hour. Each vibration was Lily sending me videos of her and Aaron to taunt me.
Until early the next morning, when I received a message from Arlo.
“Miss Quinn, the flower has bloomed.”
The accompanying image showed a marriage certificate and a pot of vibrant red roses.
I was surprised that he had kept the plant I casually gave him years ago.
Inexplicably, a strange emotion welled up in my heart.
I replied with a single word: “Okay.”
I put down my phone and went to pack up my work files on the computer. I didn’t notice when Aaron had returned.
He was packing his daily essentials: “I’m moving in with Lily for a few days. She’s too busy preparing for the wedding alone. Remember to show up on time for the wedding the day after tomorrow. Don’t be late.”
After saying this, he explained at length that he was just going to help normally and told me not to cause trouble again.
“Mm, I won’t go,” I said, lowering my eyes.
After last night, my last bit of affection for him had completely dissipated.
Aaron looked at my calm demeanor, and a nameless panic swept over him. He suddenly became hesitant.
But thinking of Lily’s cloying clinginess, he loosened his grip on his phone.
Genevieve loved him so much, what could possibly go wrong?
Thinking this, he breathed a sigh of relief and no longer lingered with me, disappearing from my sight.
I watched his departing figure and made a phone call.
That evening, a helicopter landed in the square.
A man approached me: “Miss Quinn, the helicopter you ordered has arrived. It will safely transport you to South City in half an hour.”
I nodded, then handed him an envelope.
“Deliver this envelope to the wedding venue tomorrow. It’s my wedding gift for the bride and groom.”
The next day, I sent Aaron a message right on time:
“Congratulations on your marriage!”
At the wedding venue, Aaron kept looking towards the entrance, asking his secretary:
“Why hasn’t Genevieve Quinn arrived yet? We agreed she would apologize to Mrs. Lee in public today.”
The secretary scrolled through the news, frowning:
“She probably can’t make it. She’s busy with her own wedding right now.”
Hearing this, Aaron stood frozen in the center of the banquet hall.
The wedding venue was decorated with Lily’s favorite champagne roses, making the entire hall look like a dream.
Below the stage, guests were toasting and chatting.
Everything seemed perfect.
However, Aaron was tightly gripping his phone, staring intently at the news headline: “Quinn Group’s Female CEO Gets Married, True Love Collection Officially Launches”.
Cold sweat broke out on his palms as he hurriedly dialed the number he knew by heart, only to find it unanswered.
“How can this be happening?”
Lily walked straight towards him, grasping his hand.
“Aaron, what’s wrong? Your hands are so cold.”
Aaron gripped her hand in return: “Genevieve Quinn… she, she married someone else!”
Lily took the phone and glanced at it, frowning slightly before smiling:
“That’s impossible. Sister Genevieve loves you so much. This must be some kind of business tactic. These businesspeople will do anything for money, even fake marriages.”
“Fake marriage?” Aaron’s panicked expression eased slightly.
“Come on, Aaron. The wedding is about to start. Let’s go up,” Lily said.
The officiant stood on stage to host the wedding. Aaron forced a smile back onto his face and exchanged rings with Lily, kissing each other.
Just when everything seemed perfect, the doors of the banquet hall were suddenly flung open with a bang.
A group of people walked in orderly.
Aaron instinctively thought it was Genevieve coming to make trouble. He had just raised a smile, ready to lash out, when he suddenly froze.
It wasn’t Genevieve who had come, but a group of uniformed police officers.
He immediately panicked and asked, “Officers, we’re just ordinary citizens. We haven’t done anything wrong, have we?”
The lead officer ignored him completely and simply unfolded a document.
“Miss Genevieve Quinn has filed charges against Lily Lee for illegal possession of property. The evidence is conclusive. Please come with us.”
Aaron was completely flustered.
“Officers, what illegal possession? Those were jewels I legally gave to Lily from Genevieve.”
The officer frowned: “Your so-called legal channels are not recognized by us, and the plaintiff Miss Genevieve Quinn does not acknowledge this either.”
Aaron desperately argued: “This is just Genevieve’s tactic! She’s doing this to ruin my wedding with Lily!”
The officer glared at him coldly: “Sir, please don’t obstruct official business. Take her away!”
As Lily was taken away, the wedding instantly descended into chaos.
The Lee family relatives loudly discussed how Lily’s jewelry turned out to be someone else’s, calling her shameless.
Aaron’s parents’ faces turned black as the bottom of a pot, pointing at Aaron’s head and scolding him.
“You fool! What have you done!”
“You gave up on Genevieve, who was so good, to marry this penniless woman. Now look what’s happened! You’ve lost everything!”
Aaron calmed down.
“Mom, this is Genevieve’s tactic to force me to comply. I’m going to find Genevieve now to save Lily.”
Just as he was about to step forward, a man blocked his path.
“Mr. Lambert, this is Miss Quinn’s wedding gift for you.”
A phone was connected to the big screen.
When the phone was opened, obscene images and words that were unfit for viewing assaulted everyone’s eyes.
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