Chapter 1

Twenty-eight minutes before the wedding was set to begin, I was stopped outside the bridal suite.

The hotel manager swiped the master keycard three times. The lock stayed red. "Ms. Warren, the system shows you don't have access."

I thought I'd misheard. "I'm the bride today."

The manager's forehead beaded with sweat. "But this room is registered to Ms. Olivia Scott.

"She changed the permissions when she checked in early this morning. Without Mr. Reed's authorization, no one is allowed in."

The hallway fell silent.

My mother stood there holding my wedding gown, her smile slowly freezing.

Inside that room were my veil, my jewelry, my shoes, and my bouquet.

In twenty-eight minutes, the ballroom doors would open. And I couldn't even get into my dress.

I called my fiancé, Andrew Reed. He arrived in under a minute. But his first glance wasn't at me.

He pressed his ear to the door, listened for a moment, then let out a visible sigh of relief. "Olivia stayed up all night helping us with the venue setup. She lay down to rest.

"You go do your makeup next door and let her sleep a little longer."

I stared at the man blocking my way. "Everything I need is in there."

"Do your makeup first. Once she wakes up, I'll go in and get your things."

I glanced at the clock. "Open the door in thirty seconds. Or the wedding is off."

*****

Andrew frowned. "Emily, don't get upset today.

"We've been together for seven years. I know better than anyone how much you've been looking forward to this wedding.

"Are you really willing to call off the wedding because you can't get into the room right now?"

He said it with such certainty.

To him, those seven years weren't something to treasure. They were a leash keeping me tied down.

The wedding planner came running over with a walkie-talkie. "Ms. Warren, all the guests are already seated.

"The ceremony starts in twenty-five minutes. Why aren't you dressed yet?"

Andrew immediately put a finger to his lips. "Keep it down. She fell asleep."

The makeup artist's voice was tight with anxiety. "Hair and makeup takes at least forty minutes, and the wedding dress has more than twenty buttons on the back.

"We only have twenty-three minutes left. If we don't open the door soon, we won't have time to do your hair or put on the veil."

Andrew replied instantly, not missing a beat. "Then forget the fancy hair. Just stick the veil on and go light on the makeup."

I looked at him. "Why is it my style that's getting sacrificed?

"There are plenty of empty rooms in this hotel. Why can't Olivia sleep in a different one?"

Andrew didn't even hesitate. "Because she's already asleep.

"She has a heart condition. If she gets woken up suddenly, it could be dangerous."

My dad stepped forward, his face grim. "Who's getting married today?"

"Sir, I know it's Emily and me getting married today."

"Then if you know that, open the door."

My mom hugged the wedding dress tightly, her voice almost pleading. "Andrew, we won't go in. Crack the door open so Emily can get her stuff, alright?"

Andrew shook his head. "No. The moment we open the door, she'll wake up."

My mom's fingers clenched the white wedding dress so hard, she left a deep wrinkle in the fabric.

She'd been by my side since four in the morning, helping me get ready.

And now, to get my wedding dress back, she was forced to swallow her pride, begging someone to let her daughter have her own room again.

There were only twenty minutes left before the wedding started.

The photographer leaned in and whispered, "We can't do the morning robe photos anymore. Ms. Warren, the farewell shots with your parents will take at least eight minutes."

Andrew didn't even hesitate. "Let's skip the morning robe photos. We can do the farewell shots after the ceremony."

My dad's back went rigid.

He'd rewritten his speech over and over, for that photo moment, practicing every night alone in his study.

Yesterday, I'd overheard him stumbling over his words, "Emily, today I'm not handing you over to someone else..."

At this moment, that speech was tucked away in his suit pocket.

My eyes suddenly burned with tears. "We can't make it up later. Those farewell shots have to be taken today."

Andrew's tone turned cold. "Then stop standing here wasting time."

Grace Carter finally lost her patience and banged hard on the door. "Olivia, if you're awake, open up!"

She'd barely knocked twice before Andrew grabbed her wrist and yanked her away from the door. "Stop knocking!"

Grace stumbled back, her face pale with anger. "Emily is the bride today, not Olivia!"

"She's emotionally unstable right now. Is that what you want, for something to go wrong?" Andrew snapped.

The wedding planner's walkie-talkie kept crackling with urgent messages. "The live stream is up. The emcee wants to know if the bride can make it on time."

Andrew grabbed the walkie-talkie. "Tell the emcee the bride's feeling a bit anxious, so we'll push everything back by ten minutes."

I looked up sharply. "Why are you saying I'm the one who's anxious?"

He avoided my gaze. "Are we supposed to tell hundreds of guests that Olivia took over your bridal suite?

"She had her engagement broken off. She can't handle the gossip.

"It's a temporary excuse. Once the wedding's over, who's going to care?"

Just to keep Olivia's reputation intact, he threw all the mess on me without a second thought.

There were only sixteen minutes left before the wedding started.

Grace was anxiously scrolling through her phone when her expression shifted dramatically. "Andrew! Olivia's not even asleep."

I grabbed my phone too.

Olivia had updated her social media a minute ago.

The photo showed the river view outside the bridal suite window, with her silhouette reflected in the glass as she snapped the picture. Her hair was immaculately styled, every curl in place.

She only wrote one line: [Some days are a happy ending for others, but all I have is regret. At least someone still remembers.]

And the very first person to like it was Andrew.

I held up my phone right in front of him. "She's awake."

Andrew glanced at it and turned off the screen. "She probably woke up for a moment."

"She can snap a pic and post it online, but can't even open the door?" I shot back.

He went quiet for a few seconds, finally running out of excuses. "Today was meant to be Olivia's wedding day too.

"Her engagement got called off six months ago, and her wedding date was supposed to be today.

"Last night, seeing the hotel all decked out for the wedding, she lost it and cried her heart out in there.

"She already missed out on her own wedding. You're about to get your happy ending. Can't you let her have a little peace?"

My fingers grew cold. "So because she lost her wedding, she gets to take over mine?"

"Who's taking your wedding away?" Andrew's irritation was starting to show. "The ceremony's going ahead, and I'm still marrying you.

"Just keep the makeup simple, skip the photos, and push the ceremony back a few minutes. It's not a big deal."

Every time he spoke, another piece of my wedding was taken away.

But as long as he could still put that ring on my finger at the end, he thought everything was fine.

The elevator doors slid open, and David Reed and Monica Reed, Andrew's parents, rushed out.

Monica grabbed my hand, and the first thing she said was, "Emily, it's your big day. Don't make a scene. Olivia had her engagement called off. Try to be more understanding."

I pulled my hand away. "Everyone keeps telling me to be understanding, but has anyone ever cared about how I feel?"

"You're about to marry Andrew. Why are you feeling wronged?

"She was supposed to be the bride today too. You're the one who gets everything. Why are you so hung up on this?"

My mom was shaking with anger. "My daughter still can't even get into her wedding dress, so tell me, what has she actually gained from all this?"

Monica's expression soured. "There are hundreds of relatives and friends downstairs. If this turns into a scene, both families will be humiliated.

"The Warren family already received the gifts. Do you really want to become the laughingstock in front of all your relatives?"

My dad shot her a cold look. "My daughter is standing at her own wedding, and you're all making her step aside for another woman.

"Is this the respect the Reed family gives her?"