Chapter 4

On the wedding day, Charlotte put on her bridesmaid dress as we'd agreed. The guests quickly realized Charlotte was Ethan's legal wife.

People started whispering among themselves.

"Why is Mrs. Rowe being a bridesmaid at her own husband's wedding to someone else?"

"So who's the real bride here?"

"What on earth is the Rowe family doing?"

Every time someone called her "Mrs. Rowe," Charlotte's eyes would get teary, and she'd quickly correct them. "I'm not the bride today. Please don't make Olivia upset."

The more pitiful she sounded, the more conflicted the guests' gazes became when they looked at me. It felt like I was the one who had stolen someone else's wedding.

When Georgia heard the gossip, her expression soured right in front of everyone.

She said, "Making Ethan's real wife stand there in a bridesmaid dress, watching Ethan marry someone else? That's humiliating for us. Our Rowe family can't take that kind of embarrassment."

Charlotte took off her bridesmaid corsage. She said, "I can skip the ceremony. But I can't stand there and watch my husband marry someone else."

She didn't ask for a divorce or pack her bags and leave. She only stood there, waiting for Ethan to make his choice.

Ethan glanced at the corsage in her hand, then finally walked over to me.

I was already in my wedding dress. My veil draped over my shoulders, and the ring was on my ring finger.

Ethan stood in the doorway, his voice heavy as he said, "Olivia, Charlotte's going to be the bride today."

I didn't say a word.

He continued, "We've been together for seven years. We can always have our wedding another time. But Charlotte's been suffering for a whole year.

"If we let her leave today, she'll never come back to the Rowe family."

I looked at him. "Everything, including the marriage certificate, family ceremony, and even the public wedding, belongs to her now. So what's left for me?"

Ethan replied instantly, "You still have my love for you."

I almost laughed out loud.

That so-called seven years of love? He'd already edited every bit of it into Charlotte's anniversary video.

All I ever got from him was a hollow relationship. Nothing real, nothing lasting. He gave every memory, every vow, and every future that should've been mine to someone else.

Ethan took off my veil without a second thought. Then he took the bouquet right out of my hands.

He said, "Wait for me in the lounge. After the ceremony, I'll come back and explain it all to you. I promise, I'll throw you an even grander wedding next time."

He was so confident, as if he believed that another promise would be enough to keep me waiting for him.

The welcome screen flashed, and the bride's name was swapped out in an instant. [Bride: Charlotte Lane]

Charlotte put the bracelet back on, then made her way down the aisle in her wedding gown.

Ethan stood before all their friends and family, proclaiming that she was the only woman he acknowledged as his wife.

Then, he recited the vows he'd once written for me, not changing a single word, now speaking them to her. "Thank you for being with me through these seven years.

"And for every year to come, I still want to be right by your side."

The crowd erupted in applause.

I sat alone in the lounge, listening in silence to the whole ceremony.

After the ceremony, Georgia Rowe suggested we take an official wedding family photo.

Ethan and Charlotte stood front and center. Parents from both families, Thomas, and the rest of the Rowe family crowded around them.

As he'd done for the past seven years, Thomas handed me the camera. "You're the best at this. Go ahead and take the photo. Snap it for everyone."

I didn't refuse. I set the camera to a ten-second timer and set it up on the tripod. Then I walked over to the center of the banquet hall. The countdown blinked on the camera.

I stood at the far edge of the group. No one made room for me. Their smiles were picture-perfect for the camera.

I turned and walked out of the hall. The project team's car was already waiting outside the hotel. My luggage and documents were all in the car.

Ten seconds later, the shutter clicked behind me. The photo was taken.

Ethan saw me get in the car and instinctively took a step forward.

But the emcee called out from behind, "Mr. Rowe, you still need to toast the guests with your bride."

Ethan stopped in his tracks and turned to the people nearby. "She's sulking. She'll be back tonight."

The car door closed, and I didn't look back.

That afternoon, after wrapping up the wedding reception, Ethan hurried to the airport.

On the electronic board, the status of my flight had changed:[Departed.]

Ethan stood in the middle of the hall, staring at the message on his phone for a long time. It was the last message I sent him: [Ethan, we're done.]

He called me, but I didn't answer.