Chapter 1
After five years of long-distance love, I secretly went to the City Hall and got a queue ticket.
The number was Alex's birthday, and it was also our anniversary.
Clutching the ticket and dressed in my wedding gown, I flew thirteen hours to his city.
To surprise him, I even hid it from my family, who happened to be vacationing in the same city.
But when I arrived at the venue, it was already packed with people.
There was already a bride standing next to Alex.
My parents, with tears in their eyes, gave the girl to Alex.
My usually stoic brother's eyes were red as he warned Alex to take good care of her.
My two best friends, dressed as bridesmaids, were cheering for the couple to kiss.
Alex, the man I loved, leaned in and kissed her without a second thought.
Everyone cheered for them, showering them with blessings.
If only the faces in the crowd weren't all so familiar to me.
If only she wasn't the one who drove me to the brink with her bullying.
If only I were the bride.
That would have been the moment I'd always longed for.
My scarred hand was trembling again, and tears dropped before I even noticed.
Turns out, everyone had disappeared at the same time just to attend this wedding—leaving me completely in the dark.
*****
Someone in the crowd spotted me.
"Isn't that Emily?"
"Seriously? Who let it slip? Weren't we all supposed to keep this a secret from her?"
The speaker was the girl I'd supported for seven years.
I paid for everything, from her college days all the way through her internship.
Just yesterday, she sent me a voice message, sweetly calling me "Emily."
She asked me to cover her car payment, since it was about to be overdue.
The moment my family saw me, they almost instinctively flocked to Sophie.
They looked at me like I was the bad guy.
But I was their own flesh and blood—their daughter, their sister.
My two best friends came running straight to me.
They were about to grab me and drag me away.
"Emily, seriously? Couldn't you at least wait until the ceremony was finished before showing up? Don't you know how long Sophie has been waiting for this moment?"
The one complaining impatiently was Rachel, my childhood friend—someone I've known since we were little.
She was the one who would always shield me, even when we ran into thugs.
She was the one who, when I tried to end my life, threatened to die with me.
She was the one who became a lawyer just to personally put my bullies behind bars.
Jessica, who had been bullied by Sophie just like me, quietly took my hand without saying a word.
Her hands bore the same permanent scars as mine, and right now, her scarred hand gripped mine right over my own scars.
Now, one of them was annoyed I showed up at the worst possible moment, and the other silently dragged me away as if I were nothing.
Alex was the only one who acted like everything was perfectly normal.
He pressed a gentle kiss to Sophie's forehead.
"Richard, Eleanor, Ethan, take Sophie back to the bridal suite and let her rest. I'll handle things here," he said.
My parents and brother walked right past me, shielding Sophie, not even sparing me a glance.
Alex walked up to me, his face softening into a gentle smile.
"Emily" Alex called softly.
A sharp slap echoed.
I finally lost control and landed a fierce slap right across Alex's face.
Silent tears streamed down my face.
Choking back sobs, I demanded, "Why? Why did you choose her?"
Alex kept smiling softly as he wiped the blood from his lip.
Before Alex could say a word, Rachel jumped in.
"Emily, this is so embarrassing.
"Sophie and Alex have been together for four years. Do you know how long they've waited for this? You just ruined everything by showing up like this."
My heart was pounding.
I looked at Rachel, utterly shocked. "What are you talking about? Wasn't Sophie sentenced to five years in prison?"
Jessica, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. "I wrote a statement of forgiveness, and Rachel withdrew the charges.
"Sophie never went to prison."
Rachel frowned, her tone sharp. "Come on, did you really think Alex went abroad for his career? He went there just to be with Sophie!"
A loud ringing filled my ears, and my vision kept going black. I could barely stay on my feet.
Just before I lost consciousness, a tear rolled down my cheek as I asked through clenched teeth, "Why?"
Why did you all betray me?