Chapter 1

Years ago, a baby-switching scandal at the hospital left several children growing up in the wrong families.

The girl my fiancé, Ryan Smith, had always believed to be his sister turned out to be my long-lost sister.

At first, I thought it wouldn't make much difference.

However, the night before our wedding, Ryan sat me down and said, "Winnie grew up with a comfortable life. Ever since she went back to your family, she's been miserable trying to adjust.

"Here's what I'm thinking. I'll marry her instead and keep her with my family. That way, she can stay happy, and my sister, who has just reunited with us, won't feel uncomfortable about it."

I stood there frozen while he calmly laid out the rest of his plan.

He said, "You're not like Winnie. You know how to survive hardship. You're tough, calculating, and capable of handling things on your own.

"Give it a few years. Once she settles down, I'll hold a proper wedding for you."

He thought I would break down, make a scene, and eventually compromise for the sake of everyone else.

Instead, I calmly cut him off. "I understand. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness."

My words made him freeze for a second.

All the speeches he had prepared, all the moral pressure he was ready to lay on me, got stuck in his throat.

"Are you serious? If you don't want this, say so. Don't talk like that. It makes me uneasy," Ryan said.

I really couldn't figure out why he felt that way.

Wasn't this how it always went? He'd take a step forward, and I'd step back. And by the time I had nowhere else to go, I'd compromise.

I slowly lowered the hand that had unconsciously rested on my belly. "Yeah, I'm serious. The wedding goes on as planned tomorrow. Just swap the bride. No need to change anything else."

He looked puzzled, but didn't press the issue. He was worried I'd back out.

He reached over and ruffled my hair. "I knew you'd understand. Winnie used to be my sister, and now she's yours. We're all family here.

"Celine won't stop making a scene. She keeps saying Winnie stole her life for twenty years, crying and demanding she be kicked out.

"We'll go ahead and get our marriage registered as planned, okay? As for the wedding—

"Once things settle down for Winnie, we'll have a proper ceremony."

"Got it," I cut him off. "Go home. You're the groom tomorrow. Get some rest."

I turned around and threw the sample wedding invitation into the trash can at my feet.

He looked at me for a couple of seconds. Once he was sure I wasn't angry or upset, he finally left with relief on his face.

As soon as the door closed, I pulled out my phone.

Right then, a text notification popped up. [Your marriage registration appointment has been successfully canceled.]

I dug out that email from overseas and read it again and again.

After a moment's thought, I typed back: [Thanks. I'm glad to join your company.]

*****

At three in the morning, I was woken up by the noise coming from the living room.

I peeked through the door and saw Winnie curled up on the couch, wearing a white shirt with her legs bare, sipping milk.

Ryan was crouched in front of her, massaging her feet. "Babe, how many times have I told you? Don't walk barefoot on the floor.

"You called me in the middle of the night, saying your feet hurt, and made me rush over. Don't you know we've got something important tomorrow?"

Winnie giggled, acting all cute. "Come on, you'll be my husband tomorrow. I'm nervous."

Ryan tapped her forehead. "Alright, get some sleep. I need to head back and get ready for tomorrow."

Winnie tilted her head, blinking at him. "Since you're already here, aren't you going to check on Yvonne? She was in the bathroom, throwing up all by herself for ages today. She probably still can't handle it."

Ryan paused for a moment.

"It's fine," he said, sounding indifferent. "She's not as sensitive as you. She'll be okay. We need her help with the wedding tomorrow. She's been in charge of everything and knows the place best. Let her sleep."

As he spoke, he reached out and gave her nose a playful tap. "Stop worrying. You're the bride tomorrow. Go to bed now."

Winnie laughed and swatted his hand. "Alright, good night."

Standing behind the door, I felt sad and a little ridiculous.

Half a year ago, Ryan and I got engaged.

My parents weren't happy with the originally agreed wedding arrangement and made me go back to Ryan to push for more.

I refused, and ended up arguing with my dad.

He turned on me and beat me until I collapsed to the floor, unable to get back up.

It was also late that night. I couldn't stand the pain and called Ryan.

After I told him everything, he said, "That's how your parents are. If they want money, I'll give it to them. Don't fight them. I'll come pick you up tomorrow."

That night, I was in so much pain, but he never came to see me.

The one who could make him rush over in the middle of the night was never me.

As I was about to head back to bed, Winnie grinned and brought up something else. "We should thank Yvonne for taking care of everything for our wedding."

I paused.

She said, "The wedding was set in champagne gold, but you helped me switch it to pink. It's my dream wedding."

Ryan smiled sweetly at her. "Glad you love it."

I thought my heart couldn't hurt anymore, but it still hit me hard again.

For this wedding, I spent three months running through every wedding planning company in the city. In the end, because he said "pink suits weddings better", I changed the entire plan overnight.

Back then, I thought he had a simple romantic idea and wanted to make him happy.

It turned out the wedding was someone else's show.

And I wasn't the bride or a guest. I was only a tool who would show up tomorrow to help deal with the guests, watch the process, and make sure everything runs smoothly.

I walked back to bed, feeling nothing, and lay down.

Winnie's laughter came through the door, muffled and constant, ringing in my ears.

*****

At dawn, Ryan and his family arrived downstairs.

As the bride who got replaced, everyone had already forgotten about me.

Ryan carried Winnie out of the room. A few groomsmen followed behind, muttering as they walked.

I was close enough to catch every word.

"I thought I was drunk last night and misheard, but they really did swap the bride."

"Didn't you know? They printed two sets of invitations from the start, one for Yvonne, one for Winnie. They've been ready for this all along."

"I thought Yvonne would throw a fit. With her background, it wasn't easy for her to marry in. And now she's giving it to her sister. She's never going to make it in again."

"Can't believe how they made Yvonne agree. Guess that's why Ryan loves her."

"What else can she do? It's too late."

They all laughed.