Chapter 1

On the eve of our wedding, my fiancée snuck off to a wild bachelorette party without telling me.

I stayed up waiting for her past midnight. Instead of her coming home, I received a video call from her first love.

On the screen, Rowan was curled up delicately in Tristan's arms.

He suddenly looked down at her and asked, "Rowan, if I crash the wedding tomorrow and take you away, will you leave with me?"

Without a second of hesitation, she answered, "In a heartbeat!"

A chorus of drunken cheers in the background swallowed the rest of her words.

I watched the two of them passionately lock lips on camera.

Calmly, I hung up the call and summoned my system.

"Send me home."

1.

The wedding day arrived as scheduled, and the grand hall was packed with guests. Yet the bride never showed up.

Standing alone in the center of the stage, I instantly became the biggest laughingstock in the room.

As the wedding march neared its end, the officiant followed my prior instructions and connected my phone to the projector.

The massive screen behind me immediately flared to life, showing Rowan and Tristan making out passionately. The sickening sounds of their breathless moans and sloppy kisses echoed loudly through the entire venue.

Her relatives, who had just been snickering at my expense, went dead silent. They stared at the screen in pure horror.

At that exact moment, I raised the microphone and announced, "The wedding is off."

After heading back to the house, I grabbed a pair of shears and walked straight into the walk-in closet.

Staring at the custom wedding dress I had protected so carefully, I felt nothing but bitter irony.

From the moment Rowan agreed to marry me, I designed and sewed that gown for her with my own hands.

I had pictured her walking down the aisle in that dress a million times, tearing up at the mere thought of it.

And what did I get in return?

When she first saw it, she was not happy at all. Her eyes were filled with condescension and disgust.

She sneered, "If a dress is going on my body, it needs to be a luxury designer piece, not some no-name knockoff."

Back then, I was deeply hurt, yet I still nodded and apologized.

Looking back now, it was never just the dress she looked down on. She looked down on me.

I walked on eggshells by her side for five long years, only to lose to the boy from her past.

I used to treat every single word she said as gospel.

She said she wanted an extravagant wedding, so I poured my heart, soul, and savings into throwing one.

Yet one casual sentence from Tristan turned all my blood, sweat, and tears into a sick joke.

I really believed she loved me.

Only later did I learn that the only reason she ever gave me a chance was because my eyes and brows resembled Tristan's.

They were childhood sweethearts who had drifted apart only because they had different career plans.

Tristan moved across the country, and Rowan picked me in a fit of spite.

How laughable.

The entire time, I was nothing more than a stand-in.

Everyone in her social circle knew it, while I alone drowned in the delusion of being loved.

Resentment surged in my chest as I raised the shears and plunged them into the white fabric.

I did not stop until the floor was covered in torn shreds of lace and silk.

That was when Rowan finally returned.

The second she pushed the door open, her furious screech echoed through the hallway. "Elias, were you stalking me?! What the hell did you do at the venue today?!"

I did not answer.

Her voice turned sharper. "Don't play dead with me! If you don't give me a damn good explanation right now, we are over!"

I let out a dry chuckle. "Fine by me."

She stormed into the closet, ready to yell, but choked on her words when she saw the shredded dress on the floor.

Her eyes flared with rage as she glared at me. "Elias! You..."

"I what?" I interrupted calmly. "The wedding is canceled, isn't it? What's wrong with destroying a useless dress?"

It was the first time I had ever snapped back at her, and it rendered her completely speechless.

After staring at me for a few seconds, her tone softened. "Look, I'm sorry. Tristan just flew back into town yesterday and came down with a severe fever. I stayed by his side all night taking care of him until he stabilized."

She paused before adding, "The wedding... I'll make it up to you later."

Seeing no reaction from me, she stepped across the ruined fabric, holding up a takeout bag.

"Don't be mad, Elias. Look what I brought you. Your favorite spicy Cajun crawfish. Let's just eat, okay?"

I glanced at the bag, a cold smirk touching my lips.

"No need."

In exactly fourteen days and twelve hours, I would be able to leave this world forever.

I was exhausted.

I had no desire to humiliate myself just to cater to her tastes ever again.