Chapter 1
For ten years in love, Jason Foster promised Rosalie Weller a traditional wedding.
But at the first-look moment, Rosalie spun around—and froze. Standing before her wasn't Jason at all.
It was a husky, dressed in a wedding suit, whining.
The entire hall erupted in laughter.
Rosalie went pale. She turned to Jason, her lips trembling.
Jason, however, was focused entirely on the woman beside him, his voice dripping with tenderness. "Well? Happy now? Didn't you say you'd never seen a wedding this fun?"
Lucia Lowell nestled against him, stifling a giggle.
She laughed—the woman who suffered from Laughter Loss Syndrome, the one who almost never smiled, was shaking with laughter.
In that instant, everything became clear to Rosalie.
There was no sweet ending.
No long-awaited fulfillment.
He'd agreed to marry Rosalie only to please the woman he truly loved—Lucia. He was putting on a comedy for her.
And Rosalie—the bride in white—was nothing more than the clown marrying a dog.
*****
This wedding wasn't just a joke for Lucia; it turned Rosalie into the laughingstock of the whole city.
Pics of her first look with the dog went viral on social media, and some people even made savage meme videos out of it and blasted them online.
Rosalie, still in her wedding dress, stumbled out of the hotel, completely numb, the rain soaking her to the bone.
The hotel staff were gossiping and pointing at her. "Everyone knows Mr. Foster has a crush. She's been his one and only for ten years. Who does the bitch think she is, trying to snag him away? Did she really believe Mr. Foster would dump his beloved one and marry her instead?"
"Honestly, this is exactly what a mistress deserves—making her marry a dog, now that's a story for the ages. Who'd ever dare marry her after this mess?"
"Seriously, I'm so jealous of Ms. Lowell. Mr. Foster treats her like she's the most precious thing in the world. I heard he set off 999 fireworks at the pier just to make her smile yesterday."
Every word of their mockery felt like a slap to Rosalie's face.
999 fireworks?
Rosalie had asked Jason to marry her 999 times, yet on the eve of their wedding, he set off 999 fireworks for Lucia. Bitterness twisted in her heart.
But what they didn't know was that Rosalie was the one who'd been by Jason's side for ten years, the woman he'd truly loved all along.
Jason was completely obsessed with Rosalie. In the years when their love burned the brightest, he was so clingy and neurotic that he couldn't bear for her to be even a breath out of his sight.
Just because Rosalie offhandedly mentioned liking a candy that had been discontinued for ages, Jason went wild; he ran through the city, soaking wet in the pouring rain, hunting everywhere for it.
After one vicious argument, he locked Rosalie up in the villa. He kissed her and had sex with her, so desperate and begging her over and over not to leave him.
The worst incident? He took a knife and sliced open his forearm, blood streaming everywhere, just because Rosalie dared to say a single word to another man.
During the year of that hospital fire, Rosalie was trapped inside. Without a second thought, Jason dove into the flames, carried her out on his back, risking his life for her. Later, he turned the ugly burn scar on his arm into a rose tattoo—because Rosalie's name literally meant rose.
Back then, people used to say Jason was crazy about Rosalie, loving her so much that he couldn't live without her.
Rosalie always thought their love could survive anything—until she took on Lucia, a girl from a struggling family dealing with Laughter Loss Syndrome, as her patient.
Lucia had never smiled in her whole life—until the moment she met Jason. That day, she actually cracked her first smile.
Using all those therapy sessions as an excuse, Lucia kept popping up around Jason more and more. Jason, who used to keep everyone at arm's length, let Lucia get closer without ever pushing her away.
After a while, a sense of unease started gnawing at Rosalie. She finally built up the courage to ask Jason to marry her, but he rejected her without hesitation.
"I'm still not fully there emotionally. If we rush into marriage now, I'd only end up dragging you down. Rosalie, please—just wait a little longer," Jason said.
No matter how hard Rosalie tried to convince herself otherwise, her anxiety only kept getting worse. The only thing that helped—the only thing she could cling to—was desperately asking Jason to marry her.
And in just one year, she'd asked him to marry her 999 times. Every single time, Jason just gave her another excuse, dodging her pleas like it was nothing.
Right now, she realized it was never really about being not ready for marriage. All those excuses were just smoke and mirrors; Jason already had another woman in his heart.
Rosalie's chest hurt so much that she could hardly breathe. Not caring about the stares around her, she dashed desperately into the Foster Building, soaked to the skin by the rain, only to hear Jason's voice coming from just inside the door.
"Those photos of her getting hitched to a dog are all over the place. Aren't you worried she'll totally flip out?" his friend asked.
Jason replied in that icy, boss-like tone, full of authority, "It's just a joke. As long as Lucia's happy, I don't give a damn if Rosalie's mad or not."
His friend let out a low whistle. "Damn, so you've really got it bad for Lucia? What about Rosalie?"
Jason's voice softened. "After meeting Lucia, I finally know what love actually feels like. She's only ever truly smiled because of me. Every time I see her laugh, it makes me wish I could move heaven and earth for her."
He went on, "Rosalie's been warming my bed for all these years. She's put in her time, so I'll give her what she deserves. Maybe someday we'll get married, but there's really no point in throwing her a fancy wedding."
Jason scoffed, "A woman who's already married a dog? No way am I making that public."
His friend blinked, surprised. "Wait, didn't you guys already have the marriage license?"
"Of course, we had to go big—make it a whole production. The marriage license? It's between her and the dog," Jason sneered.
Jason sounded like he didn't care at all; he talked about Rosalie like she was nothing but a joke for his buddies to laugh at.
In that instant, Rosalie dropped to her knees, powerless, shaking so hard she thought she'd fall apart.
Even the marriage license was just another punchline for Lucia's amusement.
Ten years of love—and she thought she really knew him. It turned out, to Jason, she was just something to mess around with.
Hearing their voices inside, Rosalie doubled over, retching, as hot tears started streaming down her cheeks before she even knew what was happening.
Without turning back, Rosalie limped out of the Foster Building. She tore apart the marriage license she had treasured so much and watched the pieces fall away.
The downpour swept the fragments away. Rosalie slowly took out her phone and dialed a number.
"I agree to go abroad for your brother's treatment," she said, her voice steady but hollow.
A deep voice rumbled on the other end.
"Weren't you busy planning your wedding? Thought you weren't going to leave. Did Jason actually let you out?"
"This is my choice. I don't need his say-so," she shot back.
"I need a whole new identity. Help me get out, and I'll use everything I know to cure him," Rosalie said.
As the best psychologist at home, Rosalie had treated Jason's obsessive mind; she was confident she could save anyone, including this next patient.
The man chuckled softly, "Deal."
Rosalie hung up, her gaze lingering on the office with its lights still burning.
She had loved him for ten years and did not regret it, but now she was the one walking away.