Chapter 1

Ryan Pierce left me at the altar three times, each time for Natalie Grant, his precious first love.

The first time, she threatened to jump off a building, and the second, she said she was moving abroad. The third, she texted him that she'd agreed to an arranged marriage.

On that last day, the unflappable Ryan unraveled, abandoning a church full of guests and turning me into a public joke once more.

My call to him was a final ultimatum. "Come back now, or I will marry someone else today."

He only laughed in response, saying, "Nat's dramatics are expected since she's young. But are you, a grown woman, really resorting to the same cheap ploy?"

My fingers clenched around the phone. Despite knowing it was one of Natalie's ploys, he chose to indulge her anyway. That was when I finally let go.

Once he had finished soothing her, he turned his attention back to me as an afterthought.

"Choose a date to reschedule," he told me. "Don't worry. It will be even grander than before."

However, the man standing beside me smiled and interrupted him, "Excuse us. My wife and I have a plane to catch."

…

The line was busy the first time I called. On my second attempt, it wouldn't connect at all. That was when I realized Ryan had blocked me.

He knew perfectly well that Natalie's "arranged marriage" story was just a scheme to ruin our wedding. Yet, he seemed to enjoy every moment and participated voluntarily. Any interruption from me was clearly unwelcome.

The crowd's stares from below felt crushing. My chest tightened, and I couldn't seem to draw a full breath. I bit my lip, holding back the humiliation swelling in my chest and forcing the tears back.

Seeing more guests turn to leave, this wedding was about to become a farce, just like the previous two had. I snatched the microphone and did my best to calm the tremor in my voice.

"The wedding isn't over. Everyone, please sit down."

The crowd looked surprised.

"Has Jane Morgan lost her mind from the shock? She's talking nonsense now."

"God, she's shameless. Ryan clearly doesn't give a damn about her, yet she's still clinging on."

"How's she supposed to get married without a groom? Does she really think she can force him to acknowledge her by going through with this alone? He was just toying with her and never had any intentions of marrying her."

I took a deep breath and tightened my grip on the microphone. "Since the groom has left, we'll just replace him. Whoever wants to marry me can do it right now," I announced.

The room erupted, but after a long pause, no one stepped forward.

"She's been with Ryan for ten years and is just his hand-me-down. Who'd want her?"

"Playing around is fine, but marrying her? No way."

Their words were like arrows to my chest.

Just as despair began to set in, a hand snatched the microphone from me.

"I do."

I looked up and saw Ryan's friend, Marcus Sutton, who had always been cold toward me.

I hesitated at his response.

Back when Ryan was trying to win over Natalie, he'd told his friends to text me, saying he was sick. I drove over in a panic, only to be locked in a cold storage room all night. Even now, my knees ached when the weather turned damp.

There was also the time they forced me to catch a fish in the river during my period. Besides that, they also left me alone in the wilderness during a thunderstorm while camping.

Marcus had never participated in those cruelties. Occasionally, he even spoke up for me. Still, I couldn't shake my fear that this had to be another one of Ryan's tricks.

But what tortured me more at this moment were the sneering faces below the altar.

"Does someone actually want her? Does he actually like this slut?"

"I bet she's all talk. The second Ryan crooks his finger, she'll come running back like a dog wagging its tail."

The jeering grew harsher with each word.

I looked at Marcus and bit down hard. "If you're willing, I'll marry you."

We held the ceremony that morning and got our marriage license that afternoon. Staring at the certificate, my mind went blank for a moment. It had never hit me so hard that Ryan and I were really over.

Marcus looked at me, and he said flatly, "If you regret this, we can apply for a divorce."

I sniffled, swallowing the bitterness rising in my throat. "I don't regret it. Dear, let's go on our honeymoon."

He seemed taken aback, perhaps by my decisiveness. After all, he'd watched me chase after Ryan like a lovesick puppy for ten years.

I knew exactly what my reputation was among Ryan's friends—clingy, desperate, and pathetic. I'd heard every vile word because they'd never bothered hiding their contempt when they said them.

Ryan never cared if I was humiliated. His only concern was whether the wine was to Natalie's liking or if the air conditioning was too cold for her.

Maybe I should have given up this one-sided love long ago. I shouldn't have tied my entire life to him over a scrap of gratitude from the past.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a new message from Natalie.

"Jane, I'm borrowing Ryan for a few days and will return him to you soon. I'm sorry that I couldn't make it to your wedding today. Next time, I'll definitely send my blessings."

This was her third time declaring victory to me. Once again, she was hinting that she'd ruined my wedding again.

When Ryan abandoned me at the altar in the past, I'd gotten angry, made scenes, and completely lost my mind over it. But he'd always brushed me off with the same old line.

"Nat is like a sister to me and the most important person in my life. If you can't accept her, then we should break up."

I was never strong enough to walk away, so I choked down every bit of that bitterness.

Looking at the picture Natalie had sent me, my fingers finally moved to type out one final message before blocking her.

"Ms. Grant, you don't need to go to such lengths anymore. I don't want Ryan. He's all yours."

Chapter 2

After the decision to go on the honeymoon, I quickly booked our flights.

Before leaving, I needed to go home and pack my things. Now that I was married, I couldn't keep living at Ryan's place.

I'd just started driving when my phone lit up with a call from him. Normally, when he blocked me, I'd spend two weeks appeasing him before he'd finally unblock me.

But this time, he called me within a day. I knew it was about Natalie. Sure enough, the moment I answered, a volley of accusations came firing through.

"Who the hell gave you permission to block Nat? Don't you know how sensitive she is? Yet, you still upset her like that. Come to the bar right now and apologize to her."

I'd already made up my mind to move on. But hearing Ryan jump to her defense like that and seeing how desperate he was to shield her from even a moment's discomfort still hurt me.

"I don't think I did anything wrong, and I'm not going to apologize. Besides, I've already—"

Before I could say I was married, he cut me off with a scoff.

"You're not coming? Jane, where do you get the nerve to talk to me like that? Have you forgotten that your grandmother is still a patient at my family's hospital? If you're not here in 30 minutes, I'll have someone throw her out."

He knew exactly what to use against me.

A cold dread washed over me as I shouted over the phone, "Come after me if you want, but leave my grandma alone."

But he had already hung up.

My hands trembled as I quickly turned the car around. I knew Ryan wasn't joking, and he would do anything for Natalie's sake.

Grandma was my only family in this world, and I couldn't let anything happen to her.

Driven by sheer desperation, I floored the gas pedal and raced toward the bar. Just as I was about to park, a motorcycle swerved in from the right. I yanked the steering wheel to avoid it, but I crashed into a pillar.

A sharp pain exploded in my chest, and I could almost hear my ribs break. But I couldn't worry about that now. I scrambled out of the car and rushed into the bar.

Seeing me covered in blood, the waiter panicked and asked if I needed a hospital. However, I grabbed his arm and asked, "Where's Ryan? Take me to him."

When the private room door opened, I appeared before everyone, bloody and disheveled. The lively chatter in the room died down.

Ryan's expression shifted. Just as he was about to stand up, Natalie suddenly let out a startled cry and flung herself into his arms. Her display of fragility made his heart ache for her, and he hurriedly covered her eyes.

When he turned his gaze back to me, all the tenderness in his eyes had been replaced by sheer annoyance.

"Who are you trying to scare with this pathetic, half-dead look? I called you here to apologize, not to traumatize Nat."

I ignored him and walked straight to Natalie. Under Ryan's wary gaze, I lowered my head.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blocked you," I said, then promptly removed her from my block list.

A glance at the time showed it had been exactly 29 minutes since his call. Blood from my forehead dripped into my eyes, staining my vision red. I didn't bother wiping it away as I turned to him.

"Will that do? Leave my grandma alone. I'll find a way to transfer her to another hospital soon…"

Before I could finish, Ryan's expression had darkened unbearably. "You came here just for your grandmother?"

As if it could be for anything else.

I gave a bitter smile. Surely, I wasn't naive enough to still hope for anything from him.

He was about to say something when Natalie suddenly cried out. "Why is there blood on my shoes?"

She looked up at him, her eyes wide and pleading. "These are the heels you specially bought for me, and now they're ruined."

He wrapped an arm around her waist and told me coldly, "Clean them up for her."

I felt a hard kick to the back of my leg, sending me stumbling forward. I nearly fell to my knees in front of Natalie.

Flailing for balance, I braced myself against the bar counter. However, I accidentally knocked over several glasses, spilling them all over her.

A short scream escaped her, followed by a pitiful, accusatory whine. "Jane, I know you don't like me, but you didn't have to throw drinks at me on purpose."

Natalie was already lightly dressed, and now, the spilled drinks had soaked her through. She sneezed several times.

Ryan immediately shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders, then shot me a glare. "I never realized you were this vicious. How dare you bully her right in front of me?"

I had no way to explain myself, but I still tried. "I didn't mean to. Someone kicked me from behind…"

But he wouldn't listen and delivered his verdict. "Since you're so insensible, I'll just have your grandmother thrown out of the hospital. If I don't teach you a lesson now, you'll probably make Nat's life hell once we're married."

I panicked and grabbed his sleeve. "You can punish me however you want, but leave my grandmother alone," I begged.

Ryan scooped Natalie up in his arms and kicked me aside. His foot landed right on my broken ribs, and the kick knocked the breath out of me. All that escaped my throat was a wet, guttural rasp.

"Please spare my grandma. I'll earnestly apologize to Natalie. I won't marry you anymore. I'll give you back to her…"

But he had already walked away, without so much as a backward glance.

I lay on the floor, unable to get up. Surrounded by his friends, they started mocking me.

"Look at her. Doesn't she look like a dog?"

"Ryan doesn't care about her, anyway. Why don't we have some fun?"

Their leering eyes drained the color from my face. I instinctively shrank back against the wall.

"Don't... Don't come near me!" I shouted.

Just as their hands reached out, someone stopped them.

"Ryan said not to touch what's his. Didn't you hear him earlier? He still plans to marry her."

Hearing that, they lost interest. With a few disgruntled mutters, they wandered off to find the next venue.

Gritting my teeth against the pain, I forced myself up from the floor and fled that hellhole. Now, the only thing on my mind was saving Grandma.

Chapter 3

I drove like a madwoman to get to the Pierce family's hospital. As soon as I parked the car, I spotted a shabby wheelchair dumped outside the entrance, and in it was Grandma.

It was the dead of winter, and she wore nothing but a thin hospital gown. I had no idea how long she'd been left out here. Her face was ghostly pale, almost blue, and her eyes were shut tight.

I stumbled toward her and desperately tried to warm her icy hands. Tears streamed down my face as I called out to her.

"Grandma, look at me. I'm here to take you home. Please open your eyes."

I begged the nurse at the entrance. "Please let her back inside. I'm going to transfer her to another hospital. Just help her for the time being."

The nurse hesitated and said, "Ms. Morgan, this is Mr. Pierce's hospital. There's nothing we can do."

My hands trembled as I pulled out my phone to call Ryan, hoping he'd change his mind. I called several times, but he didn't pick up. Just as my hope was fading, the call finally went through.

Relief flooded through me, and I begged him as humbly as I could.

"Ryan, I'll apologize to Natalie. I'll do it however you want. Just please let my grandma back into the hospital. She's so old and can't handle any more stress."

After saying that, my voice started breaking. But then, my words caught in my throat.

The voice on the other end was Natalie's sickeningly sweet tone.

"Hi, Jane. Ryan's in the shower right now. He can't come to the phone, so I'll have him call you back later. Oh, and I got your apology. Just don't do it again, okay? You know how protective he is of me."

Listening to her gloating, mocking tone, I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood.

The call ended, taking my last silver of hope with it.

Looking at my unconscious grandmother, despair crashed over me so hard I could barely stand. If I'd known that simply blocking Natalie would drive Ryan to this ruthless retaliation, I never would have done it.

I raised my hand, wanting to slap myself. But before I could, someone caught my wrist firmly.

It was Marcus. Looking rushed and travel-worn, he yanked the car door open and spoke in a low voice. "Get in. The transfer paperwork's done. I'm taking your grandmother to Metro General Hospital."

He quickly helped Grandma into the car, where the heater was already running at full blast.

I sat in the back, holding her, and murmured, "Grandma's condition requires a specific foreign medication. I don't know if the hospital has…"

"I've already had it purchased abroad," Marcus replied calmly from the front seat. "It's being flown in and will arrive tonight."

I was stunned. I had never mentioned Grandma's condition to him, after all. How did he know what medication she needed? And why was he here today? Why had he already handled the transfer paperwork?

Too many questions crowded my head, and I didn't know where to begin.

Biting my lip, I whispered, "Thank you."

Marcus' grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly, and his stern expression seemed to grow more somber.

"We don’t need to say 'thank you' between husband and wife."

A few days later, Grandma's condition finally stabilized.

During that time, Ryan never called once, but Natalie kept sending me photos of them together. She tried to get a reaction from me, but I had no interest in her antics.

Marcus told me, "For your grandmother's condition, treatment abroad is still the best option. I've made all the arrangements. We can leave the country now, if you're willing."

I agreed without hesitation. After all, Grandma was my only concern now, and I had no reason to stay.

The only problem was that my passport and ID were still at Ryan's place. I had to go back one last time to get them.

The moment I turned my key in the lock, I heard ambiguous sounds from inside.

When I stepped through the door, I saw clothes scattered all the way from the entryway to the bedroom. The pair of high heels, still stained with my blood, lay discarded by the bedroom door.

In the past, when I had expressed discomfort about Natalie's presence, Ryan would always look at me with disgust. He'd accuse me of having a dirty mind and insist he only saw her as a sister. But no normal brother would ever cross that line.

The last thread holding my heart together snapped. Digging my nails into my palm, I told myself not to look and not to listen. I went straight to the study to retrieve my documents.

As I was leaving, I ran right into Ryan in the hallway. The marks on him were glaring, his expression still clouded with what they had just done.

When he saw me, his face shifted through several emotions before he blurted out, "Why did you come back?"

I kept my eyes down and said nothing.

He seemed to remember what he'd just done, and for the first time, he offered me an explanation. "I had too much to drink. It was an accident."

I caught the faint smell of alcohol on him and remembered his legendary alcohol tolerance. I nodded silently.

All I wanted was to leave this suffocating place, but Ryan was blocking the doorway. His eyes fixed on my face, and he emphasized again, "What happened today was an accident."

He paused, then added, "It won't affect our wedding. Let's go ahead with it next month."

"Ryan!"

Natalie's coquettish voice called from the bedroom. He didn't turn around, and his gaze was still locked on me.

I didn't want to make a scene, so I nodded and replied, "Fine. Whatever you say."

Seeing me as compliant as ever, his expression softened slightly. Then, he noticed the folder in my hand. "What's that you're holding?"

My heart lurched, but I tried to stay calm. "My medical report."

Ryan was taken aback. "Were the injuries from the car accident that serious?" he asked quietly.

I knew he'd misunderstood, but the misunderstanding worked in my favor. "It's nothing serious. I can handle the hospital visit myself."

Ryan was about to say something when a loud thud came from the bedroom, followed by Natalie's tearful complaint. "Ryan, why is this floor so slippery?"

His expression changed, and his attention shifted from me.

"I'll take you to the hospital tomorrow," he said hurriedly before walking away.

I turned and left in silence, muttering under my breath, "You won't find me tomorrow, Ryan. Today, I'm leaving this place for good."

When I arrived at the airport, Marcus was already there with Grandma. I was wheeling my suitcase toward them when a voice, gritted with fury, stopped me.

"Jane! Where do you think you're going?"

I turned and saw Ryan, panting heavily as he rushed over.

Under his blazing glare, Marcus stepped forward. He placed a protective arm around my waist and said calmly, "You'll have to excuse us. My wife and I have a plane to catch."