On the day of my ex-fiancé’s escape, I married the prince

At my meticulously planned wedding, my stoic childhood sweetheart and fiancé, Jason, eloped with my bridesmaid, Sarah, who was ironically wearing a wedding dress.

His younger brother, Alex, abruptly boarded the wedding car.

Ignoring my panic, he dragged me to the courthouse, insisting we get married.

The backdrop suddenly collapsed, revealing a room full of guests laughing at me.

The two childhood sweethearts who had sworn to cherish me forever tore up the fake marriage certificate and threw the pieces at me, all for a laugh from Sarah.

The three of them clinked glasses on stage, oblivious to my humiliation.

“Your wedding plan was so outdated. You’re lucky Sarah turned it into a bachelorette party!”

“The real wedding is on Sunday! Isn’t Sarah’s idea a great surprise?”

They were so sure I couldn’t live without them.

But I calmly picked up my phone.

“My wedding with Mr. Carter is scheduled for this Sunday.”

Excited messages flooded in: “Wedding planning starts now!”

Sarah pouted and leaned on Jason: “I’m not really into marriage, I just wanted to experience the feeling, and the Jason brothers immediately arranged it!”

I didn’t reply. Jason snatched my phone and threw it across the room.

“Are you deaf? Where are your manners? Sarah is innocent, do you have to be so petty that you don’t even reply?”

Jason, my fiancé, stepped in front of me, shielding Sarah.

He glanced at my phone. “…what schedule? Are you going on a business trip?”

I quickly turned off the screen and picked up my phone. “A company project.”

The three of them looked so perfect together, making my wedding dress, covered in fake certificate scraps, look ridiculous.

The guests whispered amongst themselves.

“Look at her, she still thinks she’s the bride. This is a party the Jason brothers threw for Sarah!”

“The minute Jason runs off, she tries to marry his brother. Alex really has her wrapped around his finger…”

The guests, all wealthy acquaintances, only had malicious mockery for me.

And the two childhood sweethearts who promised to protect me forever only had eyes for Sarah.

I looked around, the romantic decorations I had painstakingly designed were ruined.

The white balloons and roses were spray-painted with bright red paint – “Happy Single Life!”

This whole charade, with me as the punchline, was orchestrated by them, to showcase their favoritism towards Sarah.

I picked off a piece of the certificate, my hand trembling uncontrollably.

Sarah paused, her eyes instantly reddening.

“Emily, it’s my fault. I suggested they surprise you with a bachelorette party. I’m sorry…”

Jason patted her head and coldly reprimanded me.

“Stop playing the victim. You’re a wedding planner, haven’t you seen it all?”

Alex exploded, grabbing my wrist and shoving me towards Sarah.

“Emily! Sarah is just a naive young girl, how can you bully her like this? She’s the only one who falls for your fake pity! Apologize now!”

Wincing, I steadied myself and simply removed the ring I had designed.

Jason’s expression changed, he instinctively covered his hand.

The handmade wedding ring I had painstakingly designed over three months had been replaced with one identical to Sarah’s.

I replied quickly.

“You’re right. Enjoy the bachelorette party.”

They looked at me in surprise.

This was the first time I had ever given in to them regarding Sarah.

Before, I would always argue with them because of her.

When Sarah threw away my stomach medicine, they intercepted all the ambulances.

Before leaving, they just looked at me coldly.

“Can you stop throwing tantrums and faking illness? You always target Sarah whenever she’s around!”

Now, I wouldn’t make a fuss anymore.

“Let’s break up.”

I decisively tossed the ring. Jason froze, his face hardening.

I smiled. “Happy single life, right?”

Alex was the first to lose his composure.

“Are you crazy? Even if you don’t accept Sarah’s surprise, you can’t just break up! If you don’t marry one of us, who else would want you?!”

My heart, which I thought wouldn’t ache anymore, chilled further.

I smiled, calmly throwing the shredded fake marriage certificate at Alex.

He grabbed my wrist in disbelief and roared.

“How dare you—?!”

The pain was sharp, reminding me of when they used to nervously apply medicine to my injuries, protectively shielding me.

Now, I was no longer someone they wanted to protect.

I responded indifferently, “This is Miss Sarah’s idea. You should experience it.”

Alex was speechless, his face alternating between red and white, as he disgustedly threw the scraps at me.

“Have you had enough? Emily!”

Jason frowned and walked towards me. “Our wedding is next week. If you embarrass me like this again, I’ll cancel it!”

2

In the past, I would have begged for their forgiveness.

My parents died protecting me, which led my grandmother to resent and refuse to raise me.

So I was taken in by the Jasons, our close family friends.

The insecurity of living under someone else’s roof made me the one who always apologized first, no matter who was angry, back when we were childhood sweethearts.

They felt bad and promised to cherish me, never letting me feel upset again.

After seventeen years together, Jason and I officially started dating.

Alex threw a fit but continued to treat me like a younger sister as we grew up.

But things changed. Mrs. Jason went abroad for treatment, and I, like an old toy, was discarded and unloved.

The wedding I had looked forward to became a joke, just like me.

The guests’ mockery grew louder, some even started egging them on.

“Dump her, teach her a lesson!”

The two brothers looked down at me, waiting for my apology, devoid of any warmth.

I forced a smile. “Then I wish the three of you a happy marriage!”

The room fell silent. Alex, enraged, raised his hand to hit me.

“What do you mean? You know how important a girl’s reputation is, why are you spreading rumors about Sarah?! You’re ruining everything!”

He knew, he knew this was the wedding I had poured my heart into designing.

Yet he still humiliated me for someone else.

When his eyes met mine, wet with tears, he suddenly paused.

I strode out.

Alex panicked and instinctively tried to follow, but Jason’s calm voice stopped him.

“Let her go! I don’t believe an orphan like her, without a home, can go anywhere without us!”

Footsteps paused for a moment, but Alex still chased out, yelling into the empty hallway.

“You really dare to leave?! We should have raised a dog instead of you!”

I walked on in silence, tears streaming down my face, hearing him curse under his breath before returning to the party.

The noise faded behind me as I walked towards a car on the street.

“Let’s go get the marriage license now.”

After receiving the marriage license, I felt a bit dazed.

I had met David through work. After rejecting his initial advances, we ended up in this arranged marriage.

Since we were married, I decided to use the remaining five days to settle things with the past.

I went home to pack, but my entanglement with the Jasons was too deep, the debts I had incurred were beyond my ability to repay.

I nervously contacted David. He didn’t hesitate to transfer me the money.

He had only one request.

“Help me plan a grand wedding, the kind that’s broadcast nationwide.”

David chuckled, his voice deep and resonant. I looked at the dreamy wedding sketches, my heart fluttering.

He gave me access to high-level planner resources I normally wouldn’t have, and the wedding venue decor changed according to my plans in real-time.

It felt like he was determined to elevate me.

The Jasons, however, gave all the best company resources to Sarah, leaving me with scraps. They even put Sarah’s name on the proposals I created.

Thinking of this, my smile faded.

Jason was right, I couldn’t live without them before.

But now it’s different.

Love isn’t about controlling someone, it’s about giving someone the support to be free.

On the fourth night before the wedding, drowsy and half-asleep, I heard faint rustling outside my door.

“I told you she couldn’t live without us. She talked tough, but she came crawling back like a dog.”

I forced myself up, but Jason snatched the draft from my hand.

“Our wedding is coming up soon, what’s the point of you planning now?”

He didn’t know this was for my wedding with David.

I silently took the draft back. He frowned and softened his tone.

“Sarah just wanted to give you a surprise. We’re getting married next week anyway, don’t be mad, okay?”

I knew this wedding was definitely designed by Sarah.

Whether it was our three-person anniversary or my birthday party, they always brought Sarah along, turning my plans upside down, making her the star of the show.

And I could only huddle in the corner, eating the ruined cake.

Just like now, they had abandoned me for two days for Sarah, without a single message.

I was tired and replied perfunctorily without looking up.

Relieved, Jason took out a gift box.

He opened the lid, revealing a pair of worn women’s high heels.

They held the box as if it were burning their hands, suddenly flustered.

I looked at them, a faint smile playing on my lips.

3

Alex guiltily lowered his head to put the shoes away, half complaining.

“Some guest must have left them here when they came. The box looks so similar, I got it mixed up.”

Jason, who swore he would never lie to me, also covered for him.

“Yeah, you know how some guests like to be comfortable…”

I didn’t know any guest who would ride in their private car.

Especially after Sarah appeared, the passenger seat became hers exclusively, her bare feet often resting on the cushion where mine used to be.

But I didn’t care anymore.

My compliance made them uneasy.

“Emily, why do you seem unhappy? Are you really not mad anymore?”

The next second, they became wary.

“If you have something to say, tell us, don’t take it out on Sarah.”

I shook my head. “I just think I shouldn’t throw tantrums anymore.”

They exchanged glances, surprised by my unfamiliar obedience.

Especially when their phones rang simultaneously, they exchanged excited looks and were about to leave.

I lowered my eyes. “Aren’t you giving me my gift?”

They froze, the excitement on their faces instantly turning into disgust as they threw the box at my face.

“Don’t you understand priorities? We never knew you were such a materialistic woman!”

Seeing me bleed, they panicked slightly, but their footsteps didn’t stop.

“Take care of it yourself, there’s medicine in the first-aid kit!”

The door slammed shut.

The clock struck midnight, three days to go.

I softly spoke.

“Did you know? Today is actually my birthday.”

They had reached the point where they didn’t even remember my birthday.

It was fine though, at least I wouldn’t be the subject of ridicule anymore.

I booked a flight for Sunday morning and went to the cemetery in the drizzling rain.

When I was young, I insisted on going to the mountains for my birthday, and my parents were buried in a landslide.

I couldn’t accept that my loving parents died because of me.

I grew up with guilt and pain. David comforted me along the way.

“They loved you, that’s why they lifted you above their heads when the landslide came. They wanted you to be happy.”

Tears streamed down my face.

No one had ever said that before, they all said I was the one who killed my parents.

Even the two Jason brothers avoided the topic.

I wanted to talk to my parents alone first, so David waited for me outside the cemetery.

Unexpectedly, I saw Jason and Alex standing in front of my parents’ grave.

I was stunned. They hadn’t visited the grave in three years, not since Sarah came along.

I unconsciously took a step forward.

But the next second, they started digging up my parents’ grave with shovels!

My eyes widened in horror as I rushed over, blocking them.

“What are you doing! These are my parents!”

Seeing me, they looked guilty for a moment, but quickly became self-righteous.

“Sarah’s pet spider died, and after consulting a fortune teller, this spot was deemed suitable. We’re finding a better place for your parents.”

“But these are my parents!”

Tears streamed down my face as I cried out in anguish.

Sarah appeared out of nowhere, pushing me, trying to protect Alex.

“You crazy woman! Don’t you dare hurt Alex!”

In the chaos, the urn was knocked over.

The two brothers instinctively hugged Sarah, holding her ankle, which had been grazed by a shard.

I lunged forward, hugging the urn, tears falling from my eyes.

They had also received so much love from my parents when they were young.

Now, for a spider, they were digging up my parents’ grave!

Sarah cried out in pain, but this time, the two brothers didn’t immediately focus on her.

Seeing my distraught, tearful appearance, Alex momentarily panicked.

Jason was the first to crouch down and hug me, comforting me, “The dead can’t be brought back to life, Emily…”

I raised my hand to slap him.

But Sarah screamed and jumped in front of me, taking the blow, and falling to the ground.

“It’s okay, Jason, even if my face is ruined, it’s okay, as long as Emily calms down…”

She knelt down, sobbing.

But I clearly held back when I hit her, it was just a light graze!

In the next second, the brothers’ concern for me turned into resentment.

Alex pushed my head into the mud.

Jason pressed down on the back of my knees, forcing me to kneel before the overturned urn.

“You killed your parents, and now you want to hurt Sarah, how can you be so vicious, how can you face your parents!”

These words pierced my heart like needles.

Behind them, Sarah smiled at me.

She picked up the urn and smashed it on the ground!

Jason gritted his teeth. “I’ll have someone clean up your parents’ ashes!”

“Right now, the most important thing is to tame your temper!”

I screamed and tried to crawl forward, but they dragged me away.

In my despair, David suddenly appeared at the other exit.

My eyes lit up, and I cried out for help!