Chapter 1

My boyfriend and I had been together for ten years, and he had canceled our wedding seventy-seven times.

The first time, the actress in my company had a minor hand injury on set and he left me standing alone at the altar, spending a whole month at her bedside instead.

When I became a joke online, he brushed it off, saying, "I'm her manager. It's just work."

The second time, the actress bombed an audition, so he ditched our wedding to pull strings to get her the lead role.

The third time, I waited in my wedding dress for three whole days. He never showed up.

Later, I found out he'd skipped town to throw her a birthday party—complete with fireworks lighting up the city sky.

The last time, me and him were one step away from saying "I do," when she called him, crying about breaking a vase. And just like that, he ran to her again.

I begged him, "At least finish the ceremony before you go."

He just sighed, his tone impatient, "Be good, okay? Amy is still young. She can't do without me."

We had been together for ten years and I had been humiliated for seven years.

That day, I finally let go. I ended my contract with my company and walked away.

And that was when he panicked, using social media to find me, forcing me to take him back.

*****

"And now, for the final part of the ceremony, let's have the bride and groom exchange rings!" the host announced.

I looked at Jonas Thune standing in front of me. I'd loved him for ten years. He was my agent since I entered showbiz, and the person I would spend my life with. I couldn't help but feel truly happy inside.

I let him take my hand, waiting for him to put the ring on my finger.

After seventy-six cancellations, our wedding was finally going to happen today.

Just then, Jonas's phone started ringing. He didn't even hesitate, dropping my hand and picked up the call.

On the other end, Amy Westerley was crying so hard her words were all jumbled. "Jonas, I'm so stupid. I was watering the flowers and broke a vase by accident. There's glass everywhere and I have no clue what to do. Can you come help me, please?"

The moment Jonas heard Amy's tearful voice, his whole expression changed. He spun around, ready to bolt from the wedding right then and there.

"Jonas, we're literally at the very last part of the ceremony. Can't you just hold on for a few more minutes?" I said, my face going dark.

I struggled to mask my embarrassment, forcing myself to look composed.

I held out my hand to Jonas again, signaling for him to put the ring on my finger.

"Jonas, I get that you're worried about Amy, but it's just a broken vase. If she can't handle it, she can call housekeeping. You don't have to rush off for something like this, do you?" I said.

Before I could even finish, Jonas shot me a look of pure disgust. He yanked my hand over, jammed the ring onto my finger, and gave a smirk. "There, happy now?

"Amy's a top actress! What if she gets cut by those glass shards? How's she supposed to keep acting after that? Seriously, Laura, why are you being so petty? Can't you tell what's actually important?"

The cold metal of the ring pressed against my skin, sending a chill straight to my heart and making my whole body tremble.

Petty? Couldn't tell what was important? This was our wedding. Who was the one who didn't know what was really important?

The host glanced at me nervously and asked, "So, is the wedding done?"

I didn't respond. I just stared at the diamond ring on my finger, my heart twisting with bitterness.

Jonas and I had been together for a decade and held our wedding seventy-seven times. If Jonas only ever cared about Amy, then there was no reason to bother with this wedding at all.

I let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh. I slipped the ring off my finger and tossed it away. Then I headed back to the hotel to change out of the wedding gown and into her regular clothes.

The media in the audience had seen it all before. Not a single reporter even bothered to lift their camera for yet another runaway groom moment.

After seventy-six times, they were already used to Jonas leaving me all dressed up, just to run after someone else.

The reporters looked completely unfazed, which only made me feel even more suffocated inside.

It seemed I was the only one still refusing to face the fact that Jonas had moved on long ago.

After leaving the wedding venue, I drove straight to the company to sign the contract termination papers.

The boss, Vincent Schumer, tried to convince me to stay. "Miss Moore, we've been working together for ten years. Why do this to yourself now?

"If it's about the company benefits, we can work something out. There's really no need for you to quit, is there?"

I was desperate to erase Jonas from my life. I shot down Vincent's offer without a second thought and shoved the signed termination papers right at him.

Seeing how determined I was, Vincent's expression turned cold. He pointed to a clause in the contract and said, "The contract isn't up yet. If you insist on terminating it now, you'll have to pay ten times the penalty. You'd better think this through."

I didn't say a word. I just stared at him with steely determination and shoved the contract even closer to him.