On my wedding day, my older brother poured a glass of red wine over my wedding dress. "Chloe Davis, you know Mia likes Nathan too. Why do you have to throw such a massive, flashy wedding?!" My fiancé leaned against the doorframe, his face an icy mask as he spoke in a low, cold voice: "I'll give you two choices. One, you walk down the aisle and finish this ceremony in that dirty dress." "Two, you go apologize to Mia right now. Once you coax her into a good mood, I'll announce that the wedding is postponed." I didn't choose either. I chose a third path. I walked out in my wine-stained gown, stood before all our friends and family, and announced I was calling off the engagement. My brother, my lover, my adopted sister... I didn't want any of them anymore. But not long after I left, rumors began to spread—the heirs of two of New York's most powerful families had lost their minds. They were scouring the globe for the world's top designers, desperately trying to repair a wedding dress stained with red wine. 1 When Carter stormed into the backstage dressing room, I had just finished changing into the wedding dress I had treasured for ten years. Before I could even step in front of the mirror to admire it, the young man who shared my facial features kicked the door open. "Chloe! Are you out of your damn mind? I warned you so many times, but you just had to go through with this stupid ceremony!" "You know perfectly well that Mia is in love with Nathan. Are you intentionally trying to break her heart? Do you have any idea how hard she’s crying at home right now?" He screamed at me, completely blind to how the initial joy in my eyes instantly shattered into dull ash. So, it was about Mia. Again. I stood there, at a loss for what to do. The gorgeous, heavy gown restricted my movements, a constant reminder that today was not a day for fighting. I let out a soft sigh. Instead of snapping back at him like I usually did, I looked up with unnatural calm. "Carter, can we not fight? At least not today... I'm getting married today. I just want to be happy." Carter's face darkened even more. He let out a scoff and took two aggressive steps toward me. "Could you stop being so selfish for once, Chloe? It's just a wedding. Is a party really more important than Mia's mental health?" "She is so sweet and understanding. She’s enduring her own heartbreak just to bless you and Nathan! She only had one request—she begged you not to make this wedding a massive spectacle! What would be so wrong with just having a quiet family dinner? Why do you have to be so stubborn?!" My hands began to tremble with rage at his sheer audacity. Throwing the "big day" out the window, I fired back: "I am the one getting married! What is wrong with wanting a real wedding for myself? I don't care how sad Mia is—why the hell should I have to pay the price for her feelings?!" "Shut your mouth! Mia is your sister too! You have a responsibility to look out for her and compromise!" My vision swam with black spots. I practically screamed at the top of my lungs: "Sister?! She's your sister, not mine! My mother only ever had one daughter!" "Shut up!" Ice-cold red wine dripped down my hair, soaking into the snow-white lace of my gown, blooming into a violent crimson stain. For a split second, both Carter and I froze. It was as if his sanity suddenly snapped back. The hand holding the empty wine glass began to tremble violently. "Chlo... Chloe, I didn't mean to—" He scrambled to grab a handful of tissues from the vanity, clumsily reaching out to wipe my face, but I flinched away. Like a ghost whose soul had just been siphoned out, I stared down at the dark red stain blooming across my chest, sinking into a long, suffocating silence. Wine continued to drip from my hair. Perhaps feeling the scene was too disgraceful, Carter forcefully pressed a wad of tissues against my forehead. "Heh—Carter, why are you babying her?" "I told her from the start we shouldn't have a wedding, but she teamed up with my parents to force my hand, making Mia cry all morning! Let her learn a lesson. It suits her." Carter and I simultaneously looked toward the door. Nathan was leaning against the frame, a cigarette dangling from his lips, sneering at me. I suddenly realized he wasn't even wearing a tuxedo. He was wearing a casual white jacket. Painted haphazardly across the chest was a crooked cartoon bear. It was the birthday present Mia had given him last year. 2 He tilted his head, letting out a dark chuckle at my pathetic state. "Did you really think that just because you kissed up to my parents, you could control my life, Chloe? Keep dreaming! No matter how much you scheme, you will never hold a candle to Mia!" Looking at the pure disgust in his eyes, I found it almost laughable. Our engagement was an arrangement our families made when we were little kids. He had never, ever said a word against it. Even when he started treating Mia better than he treated me, he never once brought up canceling the engagement. It was the Sterling family that pushed for the wedding. When Mia found out we were getting married, she threw a massive tantrum and went on a hunger strike, sending Carter and Nathan into a frenzy of heartbreak. To coddle her, both of them actively avoided me. During the very last phone call I had with Nathan, I asked him, "Nathan, do you actually want to marry me?" He was silent for a long time. Then, Mia's tearful voice drifted through the receiver: "Nathan? Who are you talking to? Is it my sister?" He panicked immediately. "God, you're so annoying! My family decided this years ago, why are you even asking? Stop calling me!" Mr. Sterling had assured me not to worry, that he would handle the wedding arrangements, and that he would talk sense into Nathan. Looking at Nathan now, it was obvious he had caught an earful from his father and came here specifically to humiliate me out of spite. I let out a low, hollow laugh, taking the tissues from Carter's hand to wipe the remaining wine off my face. "Chloe! Chloe, is your fiancé here yet? The officiant says it's time to line up! You... oh my god—your dress!" My bridesmaid and best friend, Riley, came rushing in. When she saw the state of the dressing room, she almost passed out. Her hazel eyes widened in sheer disbelief. She looked at me, then at the two men, instantly piecing it together. "You two absolute scumbags! You're bullying Chloe again?!" Before she could launch herself at Nathan and claw his face off, I quickly grabbed her arm. Riley's dad worked for the Sterling Group. It wasn't worth it. It was so not worth it. But Nathan seemed to misunderstand my intervention. Seeing me shield him, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. Then, he softened his tone. "I'll give you two choices. One, you walk down the aisle and finish this ceremony in that dirty dress." "Two, you go apologize to Mia right now. Once you coax her into a good mood, I'll announce that the wedding is postponed and have someone rush-order you a new gown. Take your pick." He offered the choices, but his face wore a provocative smirk, like he was just waiting for me to argue with him. Riley was crying tears of pure anger, glaring at him like she wanted to eat him alive. But I... from start to finish, I didn't look angry at all. I raised my head and looked him dead in the eyes. "No need, Nathan. My wedding dress—it was handmade for me by my mother right before she died. I highly doubt you could find a better designer than her." Thud— Behind me, Carter stumbled back, crashing into the vanity. I turned and met his utterly horrified eyes. His lips were trembling, trying to form words, but nothing came out. I ignored him and looked back at Nathan. "So, as for your two options—I reject them both." 3 I held my bouquet and walked out onto the stage alone. The only people standing at the altar were Nathan's parents. My own parents had passed away years ago. Aside from the brother who had just splashed wine in my face, I had no blood relatives left in this world. Ignoring the shocked gasps of the hundreds of guests, I calmly took the microphone from the officiant. "I apologize for appearing before you all looking so unpresentable. Please forgive me." Nathan, finally snapping out of his daze, rushed onto the stage and grabbed my arm. "Chloe, what the hell are you doing?" "Doing exactly what you wanted." "As everyone can see, my fiancé, Mr. Sterling, didn't even bother to put on a tuxedo..." "He claims I manipulated him into this wedding. So let's just say I'm tired of manipulating. I officially announce that my engagement to Nathan Sterling is canceled! From this day forward, our lives have absolutely nothing to do with each other!" I dropped the mic, shook off Nathan's grip, and walked off the stage. Behind me, the banquet hall erupted into absolute chaos. In front of me stood Carter, his face completely drained of color, his eyes frantic. He reached out to grab me, but his hand stopped mid-air when he saw the glaring, dark red stain on my dress. I didn't stop for anyone. I tossed the bridal bouquet aside and brushed past Carter without a second glance. At the entrance, a furious Riley had already pulled the car around. "Chloe! Get in!" It wasn't until I sat down in the passenger seat that I realized my hands were shaking. In the rearview mirror, my ruined makeup was streaked with silent tears. Riley pulled two tissues and handed them to me, cursing Nathan's name to hell and back. "He used to be such a sweet kid! How did he turn into such a monster?!" "He... he used to like you so much! That bastard changes his heart faster than he changes his clothes!" Her voice slowly trailed off when she noticed I had buried my face in the tissues, remaining completely silent. "Chloe..." "I'm fine, Riley, really. I just... I really miss my mom." The car fell dead silent. I leaned my head against the window, watching the scenery blur past, feeling an overwhelming sense of how much time changes everything. It turned out I was the only idiot who had stayed rooted in the past, refusing to move on. The truth was, when we were kids, Carter and Nathan treated me so well. They really did. My mother was a globally renowned wedding dress designer. She always told me she was going to design the most unique dress in the world for me, that she wanted to personally watch me wear her love and blessings to marry the man of my dreams. That was the year Nathan and I were promised to each other. He used to blush bright red when he tried to hold my hand, only for my older brother to forcefully squeeze between us. "Get away! They said when you're older, not right now!" The adults would burst into laughter, and I would shyly hide in my mother's embrace as she gently stroked my hair. Back then, my mother hadn't been diagnosed with stomach cancer. There was no adopted sister named Mia in our house. Everyone I loved revolved around me. 4 My mother passed away when I was twelve. Because she couldn't predict my adult measurements, the final wedding dress she made for me was modified countless times. In the end, she had to add adjustable zippers to the bodice and waist. It was the final gift my mother left for me in this world. Yet, I almost lost even this dress. The same year my mother died, my dad brought a little girl home. He said she was the orphaned child of his old army buddy, named Mia. His friend had begged him on his deathbed to take care of her. "Carter, Chloe, this is your new little sister. You have to get along with her, okay?" I tried. But clearly, Mia had a different agenda. I had never, ever met a child like her. One second, she would be viciously yanking my doll out of my hands through gritted teeth, and the very next second, if Carter or Nathan walked in, she would burst into pitiful tears. Is it human nature to instinctively pity and trust the weak? I don't know. All I know is that the two boys who used to blindly take my side slowly tipped their scales toward Mia. "Chloe, you can't be like that! Mia doesn't have parents anymore, she's so pitiful!" "Yeah, Chloe, you need to let her have her way. You have your real brother, you have me. Mia has nothing." "..." I lost count of how many times I fought with them over it. Every single argument ended with them scolding me for not being "half as gentle and sweet as Mia." Eventually, I got too tired to fight. But my compromises only made Mia... bolder. She actually tried to steal the wedding dress my mother left me! When I saw her dragging that pristine white silk down the staircase, I lost my mind. For the first time in my life, I hit her. By the time she brought Carter into my room, sporting a bright red handprint on her cheek, I was carefully dabbing the dust off the train of the dress with clean water. "Sob... Carter, don't yell at her. I made Chloe mad, that's why she hit me. I deserved it!" I still remember the way Carter looked at me that day. Disappointment, confusion, and... disgust. He said, "Chloe, I never imagined you could become this vicious." "Mia has never seen such beautiful clothes before. She just wanted to look at it. How could you be so cruel?" My hands shook with rage as I screamed back at him. The commotion drew my dad upstairs. Seeing Mia's tear-streaked face, he carefully coaxed her, "Don't cry, Mia. Daddy will hire someone to make you an even prettier princess dress, okay?" Once she stopped crying, he turned around, finally noticing I was standing right there. His face instantly filled with deep awkwardness. "Ahem, yes, both of you. We'll make one for Chloe too, alright?" Watching him and Carter gently wipe Mia's tears, I finally, belatedly realized... I was the outsider. I didn't ask for a new princess dress. I just took my mother's gown, locked it inside my closet, and hid the key. That was the day I realized that no one in this world truly loved me anymore. "Chloe, we're here. Let me go in with you, in case that manipulative little hypocrite tries to bully you again!"
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