At the wedding I had meticulously planned myself, my stoic fiancé, my childhood friend, ran off with his assistant, who was also wearing a wedding gown. His younger brother, however, abruptly got into the wedding car with me, dragged me into the city hall despite my panic, and said we were getting married. The elaborate stage set suddenly collapsed, revealing a room full of guests all laughing at me. To make the little assistant smile, the two brothers I’d grown up with, the ones who’d sworn to protect me for life, tore up our fake marriage certificate and showered me with the pieces. The three of them stood on stage, interlocking arms to drink champagne. “The wedding you planned was so tacky. We changed it to a bachelorette party for Mia. You should be grateful.” “The real wedding is on Sunday! Isn’t Mia’s idea such a fun surprise?” They were so sure I couldn’t live without them. But I just calmly picked up my phone. “Let’s schedule the wedding with the heir of the Lucian family for this Sunday.” … An ecstatic reply instantly flooded my screen: “We’ll arrange the wedding design schedule immediately!” Mia pouted, leaning against Philip. “I’m not really the marrying type, you guys. I just wanted to experience what it feels like, and the Song brothers made it happen for me right away!” I didn’t answer. My phone was violently knocked out of my hand by Philip. “Are you deaf? Where are the manners the Song family taught you? Mia is pure-hearted. Do you have to be so petty that you can’t even answer her?” My fiancé, Nathan, stepped in front of me, shielding Mia. He glanced at my phone. “…What schedule? Are you going on a business trip?” I quickly picked up my phone and turned off the screen. “A company project.” The three of them looked like a perfect trio, making my wedding dress, now littered with shredded paper, look utterly ridiculous. Whispers filled the room. “Look at her. Does she still think she’s the bride? This is a party the two young masters of the Song family threw for Miss Mia.” “The moment one brother runs off, she tries to marry the other. Young Master Philip really has her number… so desperate for a man.” The guests were all wealthy socialites we’d grown up with, and their words were laced with malicious contempt. And the two childhood friends who had sworn to protect me for life were now orbiting Mia, their eyes full of adoration. I looked around. The romantic setting I had so carefully designed was completely destroyed. White balloons and roses were splattered with bright red paint reading “Happy Single Life!” This whole humiliating spectacle, with me as the punchline, had been orchestrated by them to showcase their devotion to Mia. I reached up and plucked a piece of paper from my hair, my hand trembling uncontrollably. Mia faltered, her eyes instantly turning red. “Sienna, it’s my fault. I suggested they surprise you with a bachelorette party. I’m so sorry…” Nathan patted her head, his face cold as he admonished me. “Can you stop playing the victim? You’re a wedding planner. You’ve seen every kind of scene there is.” Philip exploded at his brother’s words, grabbing my wrist and yanking me in front of Mia. “Sienna! Mia’s just a naive young girl! How can you pressure her like this? She’s the only one who’d be fooled by your pathetic act! Apologize. Now!” Pain shot up my arm. I steadied myself and calmly removed the ring I had designed. Nathan’s expression changed. He subconsciously covered his own hand. The custom wedding band I’d spent three months creating for him was gone, replaced by one that matched Mia’s. I answered quickly. “You’re right. Let’s all enjoy the bachelorette party today.” They stared at me, shocked. This was the first time I had ever yielded so easily when it came to Mia. I had always fought with them over her. Like the time Mia threw away all my stomach medication, and they commandeered every available ambulance in the area, leaving me to suffer. Before they left, they had looked at me with cold indifference. “Can you stop throwing tantrums and faking illnesses? You target Mia the second she shows up!” Now, I wouldn’t throw any more tantrums. “Let’s break up.” I tossed the ring. Nathan froze, his face darkening. I smiled. “Happy single life, isn’t it?” Philip was the first to lose his composure. “Are you insane? It’s one thing not to accept the surprise Mia planned for you, but marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event! If you don’t marry into our Song family, who else would want you?!” The heart I thought could no longer feel pain grew another inch colder. I smiled and calmly tossed the shredded paper at Philip. He grabbed my wrist in disbelief, roaring, “How dare you—?!” The pain was sharp and clear. I remembered how, whenever I used to get hurt, they would fuss over me, applying medicine with grave concern, protecting me like a precious treasure. Now, I was no longer the one they wanted to protect. “This was Miss Mia’s idea,” I said flatly. “You should experience it.” Philip was speechless, his face flushing red and pale by turns. He disgustedly threw the paper scraps back at me. “Have you made enough of a scene? Sienna!” Nathan strode over, his brow furrowed. “Our wedding is next week. If you embarrass us in front of this many people again, I’ll cancel it!” The old me would have begged for their forgiveness. My parents had died protecting me, a fact that made my grandmother resent me so much she refused to raise me. So, I was taken in by the Song family, who were close friends of my parents. The insecurity of being an outsider meant that in our childhood friendship, no matter who was angry, I was always the one to bow my head and apologize first. They felt sorry for me and swore to spoil me rotten, to never let me feel upset again. After seventeen years together, the more stable Nathan and I made our relationship official. Philip threw a fit but eventually accepted it, continuing to treat me like a sister. But things had changed. Mrs. Song had gone abroad for long-term medical treatment, and like an old, forgotten toy, I was cast aside, unloved. The wedding I had looked forward to with all my heart had become a joke, just like me. The jeers from the guests grew louder. Someone started chanting. “Dump her! Teach her to know her place!” The two brothers looked down at me, waiting for my apology, for me to beg. There was no warmth in their eyes. I curled my lips into a smile. “Well then, I wish the three of you a hundred years of happiness. Congratulations on your marriage!” The room fell silent. Philip, enraged, raised his hand to strike me. “What’s that supposed to mean? You know how important a girl’s reputation is! Why are you spreading rumors about Mia?! You’re ruining everything!” He knew. He knew this was the wedding I had designed with all my hopes and dreams. Yet, he still humiliated me for someone else. When his eyes met my tear-filled ones, he suddenly froze. I turned and walked away. Philip, flustered, started to follow, but Nathan’s calm voice stopped him. “Let her go! She’s an orphan with no home. Where else could she possibly go without us?” The footsteps paused for a second, but then Philip bolted after me, shouting into the empty hallway. “You really dare to leave?! We would’ve been better off raising a dog!” Tears streamed silently down my face. I heard him curse a few more times before he returned to the party. The noise behind me gradually faded. I walked toward a car waiting by the street. “Let’s go get the marriage certificate now.” After receiving the certificate, I felt a little dazed. I had met Javone at work, rejected his advances, and now, after all this, we were married through a family arrangement. Since we were married, I decided to use the remaining five days to make a clean break with the past. I went home to pack, but my life was too deeply entangled with the Songs. The financial ties were more than I could ever repay. I nervously called Javone. He transferred the money without a second thought. He had only one condition. “Help me plan a grand wedding. The kind that gets broadcast nationwide.” Javone’s laughter was a low, pleasant rumble. As I looked at the dreamy wedding sketches, a tickle of excitement sparked in my heart. He gave me access to top-tier planners I’d never had before, and the venue decorations could be changed at a moment’s notice to match my vision. It felt like he was determined to lift me up. Meanwhile, the Song Corporation had given all their best resources to Mia. I was left with scraps. And my designs were being passed off as hers. Thinking of this, my smile faded. Nathan was right. There was a time I couldn't have survived without them. But things were different now. Love, I was learning, wasn't about controlling someone. It was about giving them the freedom and support to be themselves. On the fourth night before the wedding, drifting in a state of exhaustion, I heard a faint rustling outside my door. “I told you she couldn’t leave us. She talked so tough, but she still came crawling back like a dog.” I forced myself to sit up, but Nathan snatched the sketches from my hands. “Our wedding is just around the corner. What’s the point of planning now?” He didn’t know this was the plan for my wedding to Javone. I silently took the sketches back. He frowned, his tone softening. “Mia just wanted to surprise you. We’re getting officially married next week anyway. Don’t be mad, okay?” I knew this whole charade was Mia's design. Whether it was our three-person anniversary or my birthday, they always brought Mia along to wreck my plans and make her the shining star of the event, while I was left to shrink in a corner, eating a ruined piece of cake. Just like now. They had abandoned me for two days for Mia’s sake, not a single message to check in. I was exhausted. I mumbled a noncommittal reply without looking up. Nathan finally relaxed. Philip, who had been lurking at the door, reluctantly came in. “Sienna, we were too harsh today. The Song family will always welcome you. We’re sorry.” I nodded. Nathan, relieved, produced a gift box. When he opened it, it revealed a pair of worn high heels. The two of them looked at the box like it was a hot potato, their faces panicked. I watched them with a faint, mocking smile. Philip guiltily put the shoes away, muttering, “One of the guests must have left them by mistake. The boxes look so similar, I must have mixed them up.” Nathan, who had sworn never to lie to me, chimed in. “Yeah, you know how some guests like to be comfortable…” I certainly didn’t know any guests who were allowed to ride in their private car. In fact, since Mia’s arrival, the front passenger seat had become her exclusive territory, her bare feet propped up on the cushion where my back used to rest. But I didn't care anymore. My placid acceptance made them vaguely uneasy. “Sienna, you don’t seem happy. Are you really not angry anymore?” The next second, their expressions turned wary. “If something’s wrong, you tell us. Don’t take it out on Mia.” I shook my head. “I just think I shouldn’t throw tantrums anymore.” They exchanged a look, surprised by this unfamiliar obedience. Just then, their phones rang in unison. They glanced at each other, a flash of excitement in their eyes, and immediately prepared to leave. I lowered my gaze. “Aren’t you going to give me my gift?” They froze. The excitement on their faces curdled into disgust. They threw the box at my face. “Don’t you understand what’s important? How did we never realize what a materialistic woman you are!” When they saw the blood, they panicked for a second but didn't stop leaving. “Just open it yourself! The first aid kit is in the usual place!” The door slammed shut. The clock struck midnight. Three days left. I spoke softly to the empty room. “Did you know? Today was my birthday.” Finally, they had reached the point where they didn’t even remember my birthday. But that was fine. At least I wouldn't be a joke to anyone anymore. I booked a flight for the day after tomorrow, Sunday. Early in the morning, under a gloomy, drizzling sky, I went to the cemetery. When I was a child, I had insisted on going to the mountains for my birthday. My parents were buried in a landslide that day. I could never accept that I had been the cause of their deaths. I grew up consumed by guilt and grief. Javone had been the one to comfort me. “They loved you. That’s why they held 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 to me before. They all said I was the one who killed my parents. Even the two Song brothers avoided the topic. I wanted to speak to my parents alone first, so Javone waited for me outside the cemetery. To my surprise, I saw Nathan and Philip standing in front of their graves. I froze. They hadn't been to pay their respects in three years, not since Mia arrived. I took a dazed step forward. But the next second, they picked up shovels and started digging up my parents' graves. I screamed, rushing forward to stop them. “What are you doing?! Those are my parents!” They looked guilty for a moment, but quickly became defiant. “Mia’s pet spider died. A fortune teller said this was an auspicious spot for it. We found a better place for your parents.” “But they are my parents!” Tears streamed down my face as I shrieked in despair. Mia appeared from nowhere, pushing me aside to protect Philip. “You crazy woman! You’re not allowed to hurt Brother Philip!” In the chaos, the urn was knocked over. Both brothers instinctively rushed to Mia, cradling her ankle where a shard had cut her. I scrambled to the broken urn, tears blurring my vision. As children, they had been showered with my parents' love. And now, for a spider, they were desecrating their graves. Mia let out a cry of pain, but this time, neither of them immediately turned their attention to her. Philip looked at my tear-streaked, devastated face and seemed momentarily flustered. Nathan was the first to kneel, trying to comfort me. “Sienna, what’s done is done…” I raised my hand to slap him.
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