Chapter 1

A week before my wedding, Jacob Murphy, my fiance, claimed that he could only marry me after he had a wedding with his first love. His first love, Megan Lawson, had recently lost her mother, whose dying wish was for the two of them to get married.

"Mrs. Lawson had always hoped that Megan could marry a good man. I'm just trying to fulfill her last wish. Don't read too much into this."

Meanwhile, my company had already decided to launch the Eternal Love jewelry collection on the day of our grand wedding ceremony.

"It's only a few hundred thousand dollars," he snapped impatiently. "In comparison, Megan's obligation toward her mother is way more important. If you care so much about the money, you can marry someone else."

Upon hearing his heartless comments, everything finally became clear. Subsequently, I left and called my family.

"Alex? I want to marry someone else. Can you introduce me to another man?" I asked.

"Did you have a change of heart?" my older brother, Alexander Robinson, asked in disbelief.

I smiled bitterly and replied, "No, Jacob is marrying someone else."

In order to be with Jacob, I overcame strong opposition from my family, before I finally got my parents' approval. On top of that, I'd even decided to launch the Eternal Love jewelry collection on the day of our wedding. Unfortunately, my efforts were all for naught.

Alex fell silent. After a long pause, he said, "I'm afraid your only option is Zane Smith. His family is pressuring him to get married. So, he's been looking for a partner too."

I frowned. Zane was my archnemesis. On the day of my engagement, he sneered at me and said that my marriage would end up in shambles. Back then, I didn't think his words would actually come true.

Since I was short on time, I had no choice but to say, "So be it. Can you check if he's okay with the arrangement? If he doesn't agree to it, I'll come up with another solution."

"That won't be necessary. He'll definitely agree to this," Alex replied immediately.

"What?"

I was just about to ask a follow-up question when I was suddenly surrounded by a group of people.

"You're Jacob's fiance, right? You're so pretty!"

"Are you here to pick Jacob up from work? He'll be down in a minute. The two of you have such a loving relationship."

I gripped the steering wheel and looked down to hide my wry expression. Jacob had already introduced me to his friends and colleagues early on. To them, we were the perfect couple. They had no clue that he was about to marry someone else.

After bidding everyone goodbye, Jacob got into the car and handed me a necklace.

"Megan told me to give this to you. Since you embarrassed her at the funeral yesterday, you should apologize to her when you have the chance to do so," he instructed.

The necklace was obviously a free gift that came with a purchase. I saw it in his online shopping cart two days ago.

"I don't want it," I said emotionlessly.

Jacob frowned. "Why are you throwing a fit again? You embarrassed Megan at the funeral by publicly declaring that I wasn't her fiance. Instead of holding a grudge against you, she brought you a gift. Are you really rejecting her gesture of goodwill like this?"

Jacob had changed. He was no longer looking out for me like he used to. Now, he only had eyes for someone else.

Feeling irritated, he rolled down the window to get some fresh air. When I made no attempt to pacify him, he said, "Forget it. Since we're trying on our wedding outfits today, I'll let the matter go."

That was the first time he'd backed down since the start of the year.

Once we got to the bridal shop, one of the staff approached us and said, "Hello, Mr. Murphy, Ms. Robinson. All 20 of your custom-made dresses and tuxedos are ready."

Instead of looking at the clothes, Jacob was anxiously glancing at his phone. Once he realized I was staring at him, he instantly tucked his phone away.

"Megan is in trouble, Olivia. I'm afraid I need to head over immediately," he said apologetically. "You can try on the dresses by yourself. I trust your judgement. Go ahead and pick out a tuxedo for me, too."

Then, he hastily left in a taxi, leaving me all by myself.

"Do you want to pick out a tuxedo, Ms. Robinson?" the staff member walked over to me and asked carefully.

I averted my gaze and nodded. I was definitely going to choose a tuxedo, but it wouldn't be for Jacob. I was marrying someone else, after all.

Afterward, I got into my car and headed home. I didn't expect Jacob to come home that night. So, I was surprised to see that he returned before dinner.

He marched over to me with a takeout box and declared, "Here. I made a trip across the entire city to get you a snack from Frevo."

I glanced at the box of mini lobster rolls. Compared to the usual portion, three were missing. On top of that, one of the pieces even had teeth marks on it. Someone had clearly taken a bite out of it before it was handed to me.

Half an hour ago, I saw a photo of these lobster rolls on Megan's social media page.

"Thank you for getting me a late-night snack, honey! You're the best!" the caption of her post read.

I scoffed inwardly and set down my fork. I had lost my appetite.

"I don't feel like eating this. Just throw it away."

Jacob immediately shot me an irritated look.

Suppressing his annoyance, he sat next to me and said, "You have no idea how miserable Megan felt today. My parents went to her place and berated her for being poor. They even insulted her for not having any expensive wedding gifts, leaving her deeply upset."

Then, he added, "Megan just returned to the country, so she doesn't have a lot of money with her at the moment. I'd like to lend her your wedding gifts for the time being."

His imperious tone made me feel sick. I stared at him with a mocking expression and asked, "Are you asking me to fund your wife's wedding gifts?"

Chapter 2

Back when I still cared about Jacob, I was willing to fulfill each and every one of his requests. However, he had since given me a harsh wake-up call.

Ever since Megan returned to the country, everything that he'd done had been for her. He seemed to have forgotten that I was the one he'd be spending the rest of his life with.

Angered by my reply, Jacob barked, "What's that supposed to mean? Are you not willing to help? You'd better get this through your head. Megan is my closest friend—I won't marry you unless she's happy!"

Then, he stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

Feeling agitated, I headed downstairs and went for a jog in the park. I'd just done one lap around the area when I received a call from Zane.

Upon thinking about how solemn he always looked, I hesitated for a moment before I answered the call.

"Since we're about to get married, you practically belong to me now. Don't even think about running away. If you do, I'll make sure to hunt you down and drag you back!" Zane spat as soon as I picked up.

When I didn't reply, he added, "Send me a copy of your identification documents. I'm going to register our marriage. I don't want you backing out on me later on."

Zane was acting suspiciously. I could already imagine the countless ways he'd use our marriage to torment me.

Ultimately, all I could utter in return was, "See you at the wedding, Mr. Smith."

Right after I said that, Jacob appeared out of nowhere and yelled, "Are you inviting Zane Smith to our wedding? I won't allow it!"

He glared at me and continued, "Didn't I tell you not to keep in touch with him, Olivia? He has ulterior motives. If you insist on inviting him to our wedding, don't blame me when things get ugly."

Before I could say a single word, he was already issuing threats.

Jacob had never liked Zane and had always been hostile toward him. When Jacob and I first got together, he'd get jealous and lash out at me because of how often Zane and I bantered over text. Afterward, I gradually distanced myself from Zane.

I couldn't believe he claimed that Zane harbored ulterior motives toward me. I was just about to question him when Megan abruptly slumped against his neck.

"Jacob… You're squeezing my fingers…" she whined.

I hadn't even realized that they were taking a stroll while holding hands.

Jacob awkwardly cleared his throat, but he made no effort to pull his hand away from her.

Megan glanced at him with a loving expression before apologizing to me in a phony manner, "I'm sorry, Olivia. Jacob and I are familiarizing ourselves with the ceremony process for the wedding. I really hope you won't mind."

She continued, "I won't expose you for hiring people to assault me and ruin my mother's grave. However, I'd appreciate it if you could refrain from hurting Jacob. You'll end up ruining your relationship."

I didn't want to watch her put on an act. So, I turned to leave.

"You sound like you're looking forward to it. In that case, I'll get someone to beat you up tonight before desecrating your mother's grave!" I snapped.

Jacob slapped me hard across the face. Glaring viciously at me, he barked, "How can you be so evil, Olivia Robinson?"

Evil? Me?

He believed in Megan's lie without any hesitation. We'd been in a relationship for five years, yet he didn't trust me at all.

I was enraged. Just as I was about to question Jacob, Megan stepped in front of him.

"Please, Olivia," she begged. "I'll give Jacob back to you as soon as the wedding is over. Don't make things difficult for me. Stop hurting Jacob and the people around me."

Then, she proceeded to kneel.

Jacob hastily wrapped his arms around her waist and stopped her from doing so. Then, he glared at me and snarled, "Stop using your family background to pick on others, Olivia! You know how much I hate these things. If you still want me to marry you, I suggest you stop stirring up trouble!"

He also warned me not to appear before them until the wedding ceremony.

To my surprise, Jacob called me the following day.

Once I picked up the call, he yelled, "Did you actually desecrate Mrs. Lawson's grave? I can't believe this, Olivia! I didn't think you'd do something like this."

Feeling puzzled, I called my assistant and asked him to investigate the matter. Afterward, my assistant discovered something shocking—Megan's mother was alive.

Chapter 3

Megan dug up her mother's grave just so she could frame me for it. When I first heard it, I didn't understand how she could do such a twisted thing. However, it all made sense now. Her mother's death was nothing but a hoax.

"Megan's mother is alive. The email I sent you contains the truth," my text to Jacob read.

I'd already done my part. Whether he checked the email was none of my concern.

My flight was in three days. Zane had booked the flight tickets himself.

When Jacob came home, he found me tidying up my belongings. Half of my wardrobe was discarded, and a small portion of it would be shipped to Southport.

"Why are you packing up your clothes?" he asked quizzically.

"I'm moving," I replied coolly.

He fell silent for a moment, but didn't notice that anything was amiss. Afterward, he said, "Robinson Group is based in Southport. We're moving there after we get married, so it makes sense to start packing up in advance."

Then, he glared at me and added, "You ought to apologize to Megan as soon as possible. Don't put me in a difficult position. I think you should apologize to her on the day of our wedding. What do you think?"

Jacob tossed his phone aside and went to look for his identification documents. He and Megan were going to register their marriage today.

By evening, he still hadn't returned home. I checked my phone and immediately saw a message from Megan.

She'd sent me a photo of her and Jacob. In the photo, the pair were lying in bed together, dressed in matching outfits.

I closed my eyes. My heart ached. Suppressing my emotions, I turned off my phone before placing it beside my pillow.

Throughout the night, my phone would buzz every single hour. Megan was continuously sending me videos of her and Jacob to taunt me.

The next morning, I received a text from Zane.

"The flowers are in full bloom, Ms. Robinson. I look forward to seeing you soon," his message read.

Underneath the text was a photo of our marriage certificate and a pot of red peonies.

I'd casually gifted him the potted peonies a long time ago. I couldn't believe that he was still taking care of it after all this time. For some reason, a strange emotion stirred inside me.

I sent him an "Okay" before setting down my phone. Then, I packed up my laptop and my work documents.

I didn't know when Jacob had returned. He was packing his daily necessities and said, "I'm moving in with Megan for a couple of days. She's drowning in wedding preparations and could use an extra hand."

"The wedding ceremony is in two days. Remember to be on time. Don't be late," he added.

Jacob followed up with a lengthy explanation and insisted that he was just helping her out. Afterward, he even instructed me not to head over and cause a scene.

"Don't worry. I won't," I lowered my gaze and replied.

After what I went through last night, I no longer had any feelings for Jacob.

Upon seeing how calm I was, he suddenly grew hesitant and uneasy. However, when he thought of Megan's clingy and affectionate demeanor, he loosened his grip on his phone once again.

I loved him dearly. So, what could possibly go wrong?

Once he came to that conclusion, he let out a breath of relief and left.

I stared at his retreating figure and made a call on my phone. At night, a helicopter landed on the empty square.

A man walked toward me and said, "Your helicopter is here, Ms. Robinson. You'll be able to reach Southport in half an hour."

I nodded and handed the man an envelope. "Deliver this to the wedding venue tomorrow. Consider it my gift to the newlyweds."