Chapter 1

On my wedding day, the childhood friend I had secretly loved for years asked me to elope with him.

He said, "Just take one step, and I'll take care of the other 99."

But when I arrived at the agreed location, Jared Donovan smiled and extended his hand to the group of friends behind him.

"See? She really ran away from her wedding for me! A thousand each, pay up—losers pay the price!"

After collecting the money, he affectionately hugged the bridesmaid who had driven me there.

"Rose Adaline, don't flatter yourself," Jared sneered at me. "The person I truly want to steal is her, not you. Did you seriously think I'd fall for a married woman?"

Then he got down on one knee and publicly proposed to my bridesmaid.

Seeing my pale face, he chuckled smugly. "If you want to go back and get married, go ahead. But I doubt the groom will take you back!"

What Jared didn't know was that running away was just a playful twist I had planned for my wedding.

When Jared Donovan dropped to one knee and proposed to my bridesmaid, Cora Hope, I finally understood—it was all another elaborate scheme to humiliate me.

The confession text I received from Jared? It had been sent to me.

Cora, who had secretly encouraged me to pursue true love, had even driven me here herself.

But now, the two of them were embracing each other amidst the crowd's cheers and blessings.

And I, dressed in a wedding gown, was left standing on the sidelines like a complete fool.

After a passionate kiss with Cora, Jared turned to his friends and demanded payment with a laugh.

"Look at this, Elizabeth really ran away from her wedding for me! Evidence and witnesses, all here. A thousand each—no backing out now!"

"Come on, Jared, with that victory speech? You got the girl of your dreams; of course, we owe you the cash!" one of his friends joked.

"To Jared and his bride-to-be! May you live happily ever after!"

But after offering their blessings, they turned to glare at me with disdain.

"Elizabeth Blakely, should we applaud your courage for chasing love, or mock you for being dumb as a rock? You're already married—what makes you think Jared would want you?"

"Exactly! Jared isn't someone a woman like you can even dream of. Take a good look at yourself, will you?"

"We even placed bets that you wouldn't show up! But here you are, proving yourself as desperate as ever. Pathetic, truly!"

I stood frozen, clutching the edge of my gown so tightly that I nearly ripped it apart.

Jared, pocketing his cash, strode toward me and bent slightly to observe my expression.

"Elizabeth, are you going to cry now?" he asked mockingly.

Then he turned to scold the group who had been ridiculing me.

"Hey, have a heart, will you? You're about to make our dear bride cry. Today's her big day—how could you say such things to her?"

For a moment, I lifted my head and thought this whole farce might just be a bad dream.

But the next second, Jared shoved a microphone into my hands.

With a grin, he said, "Elizabeth, today is a joyous day for me. Everyone has given their blessings, but you haven't."

"No worries, though—we've been friends for over a decade. You don't need to give me money; just sing a song for me."

His eyes gleamed with amusement. "How about ‘Today You're Marrying Me'?"

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't believe those words actually came out of his mouth.

The people around us clapped and cheered, praising Jared's "romantic gesture."

Cora Hope blushed, turning her face away shyly. "Who said I'd marry you? You're so annoying."

Jared blew her a kiss, then turned back to me, his tone commanding. "Sing, Elizabeth! Didn't you used to love singing?"

"Exactly, Elizabeth! Back in school, didn't you always secretly sing for Jared? What's wrong now—shy in front of a crowd?"

Jared nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, back then, you'd even practice at home just to sing for me. Come on, sing for my fiancée—it's your blessing to us."

"Elizabeth, sing!"

Jared started clapping, and his friends joined in, chanting loudly, "Sing! Sing!"

A wave of humiliation and rage crashed over me. My hands trembled so violently that I nearly dropped the microphone.

Back in school, Jared's parents had divorced, and he was too scared to sleep alone at night. I'd sing him lullabies to comfort him.

Chapter 2

For months, I'd sneak between his house and mine, learning new songs to soothe him. Worried my voice wasn't good enough, I even practiced tirelessly at home.

But now, those cherished memories—moments I had treasured—were reduced to a joke, a cheap performance to amuse his fiancée.

Tears welled in my eyes as I shoved the microphone back into Jared's hands.

"I'm not singing."

"And I don't wish you two any happiness."

My voice was firm, yet someone in the crowd snickered.

"Elizabeth, don't tell me you're still hung up on Jared?"

"Jared, you better be careful. A clingy, obsessive woman like her is dangerous. She ran away from her own wedding just to throw herself at you—she'd probably settle for being your mistress if you let her!"

"My mistress?" Jared sneered, glancing at me with disdain. "You think she's even worthy?"

Their taunts were like arrows, piercing my heart one after another.

In the past, I might've broken down, sobbing and begging Jared to tell me why he was doing this to me.

But today, I forced myself to swallow the lump in my throat and plastered on a smile.

"Jared, today you're only proposing. I'm the one actually getting married. How about you give me a wedding gift instead? No need for money—a song will do."

Jared exchanged a glance with Cora before both of them burst into laughter.

"Elizabeth, you really think your husband would still want you after you ran away for me?" Jared mocked.

"Yeah, Elizabeth," Cora chimed in. "Didn't you and your husband rush into this marriage without much of a bond? Now that you've caused such a scandal, do you really think your wedding can go on?"

Forcing my smile wider, I replied, "Don't worry about me. My wedding will proceed as planned."

I had known all along that Jared Donovan planned to trick me into running away from my wedding.

Early this morning, he had called me.

His voice over the phone had been slurred with drunkenness, even tinged with a hint of sobbing.

"Elizabeth," he said, "please don't get married, okay? Don't marry someone else—I can't bear it. You know I can't live without you."

"If you still love me, come to Emerald Manor. It's our special place, the one that belongs to you and me. I'll wait for you until midnight."

"As long as you come, I'll take you away without hesitation! From now on, it'll just be you and me against the world!"

With that, Jared Donovan hung up abruptly, leaving my heart racing on the other end of the line.

Jared and I had grown up together, side by side, for over a decade. I had confessed my feelings to him countless times, but he had never accepted them, always brushing it off by saying we were just friends.

But now… was it only because I was about to marry someone else?

At the same time, I received a message from my bridesmaid, Cora Hope.

She wrote, "Elizabeth, I know deep down you've always loved Jared. He told me everything and asked me to drive you to Emerald Manor."

"As long as you make up your mind, we can leave right now. Nothing in this world can stop the two of you from being together!"

Just as I felt my resolve wavering, I received a video message.

In the video, Jared was arranging flowers and balloons on the lawn outside Emerald Manor.

Someone off-camera asked, "Jared, Elizabeth is getting married today. Don't tell me you're setting up the venue for her wedding?"

Jared rolled his eyes. "Her? As if she deserves it. This is for Cora—I'm planning a surprise proposal to make her my fiancée!"

"But isn't Cora acting as Elizabeth's bridesmaid today? Will she make it here on time?"

Jared's eyes glimmered with mischief, and a sly smile spread across his face.

"Elizabeth's getting married, right? I'll bet you this: all it takes is one phone call, and she'll ditch her wedding and come running here."

"Want to see a runaway bride in a clownish wedding dress?"

The group burst out laughing and eagerly replied, "Yes!"

Another voice chimed in, "Hey, Jared, those flowers—are they real? Must've cost a fortune!"

Someone else answered, "Not just real; they were flown in from France! And this lawn? People would kill to book this venue, but Jared pulled strings and spent a fortune to make it happen—for the best of the best."

Jared smiled faintly. "Of course. Only the best for Cora."

Chapter 3

I suddenly remembered the wedding gift Jared had prepared for me. I hadn't opened it yet.

When I finally did, I found a box filled with paper stars and origami cranes.

On the card, he'd written, "Elizabeth, I folded these with my own hands!"

But when I unfolded one of the stars, I recognized my own handwriting inside.

It read: "Jared Donovan, wishing you everlasting health and happiness!"

Back in high school, Jared had fallen seriously ill. I'd heard a rumor that folding 999 paper stars and 1,000 cranes could bring good luck and help a patient recover.

So, I had painstakingly folded each one, pouring my heart into every fold as a prayer for his recovery.

Now, he had taken a handful of them and repackaged them as my wedding gift, while sparing no expense on French-imported flowers for Cora.

The video ended abruptly, and my heart shattered into countless pieces.

The excitement and joy I'd felt moments ago turned into icy despair.

I kept repeating Jared Donovan's name in my mind, my love turning into bitter hatred.

He knew how I felt about him. He knew I was about to marry someone else. And yet, he chose to humiliate me like this.

The childhood friend who used to hold me like a treasure, who made wishes with me under meteor showers, promising we'd be together forever and ever—he was long gone.

Jared Donovan, I will never love you again.

"Jared, you said I didn't give you a wedding gift, right? Here, take this."

I removed the bracelet from my wrist and handed it back to him.

Jared stared at the bracelet, deep in thought.

Years ago, before his mother left, she had entrusted this bracelet to me.

She told me that after her remarriage, I would likely be the one person in the world who cared for Jared the most. That's why she gave me this heirloom bracelet.

Back then, I had been secretly delighted, believing that it was only a matter of time before Jared and I would naturally end up together, as a couple meant to be.

But today, it was his engagement day—with someone else.

Cora Hope stepped forward and snatched the bracelet from my hand.

"Thanks, Elizabeth. Jared and I will treasure this as we build our happiness together," she said sweetly.

She gave me a once-over, her gaze landing on my wedding veil. Reaching out, she touched it lightly.

"Elizabeth, this wedding dress of yours looks pretty expensive. Since you're not going to need it anymore, why don't you take it off and let me try it on?"

I was stunned by her audacity and took a step back.

"Cora," I snapped, "you're still wearing the custom bridesmaid dress I paid for, and now you're shameless enough to ask for my wedding gown too?"

Cora glanced down at the dress she was wearing and frowned slightly.

"Well, you did say it's a bridesmaid dress. But I'm the bride now, aren't I? Besides, I already know you and your husband only got married to satisfy your families. Now that you've run off to chase Jared, there's no way your wedding can still happen today."

"So why not lend the dress to me? It's not like you'll be using it."

I shot back, raising my voice, "Who says my wedding isn't happening? I only stepped out for a moment. Once I go back, my wedding will proceed as planned."

I pointed to the grand hall behind the lawn.

"I'll be getting married there in just a bit."

Cora burst into laughter. "Oh, sure. Your husband must love you to death—so much so that he doesn't even mind his bride running off for another man and humiliating him in public like this."

She looked at me with mock sympathy.

"Elizabeth, I know this must be hard for you, but wasn't this all your choice? Don't embarrass yourself further with such ridiculous lies."

"You know how much it costs to hold a wedding in the grand hall at Emerald Manor? Just the venue fee alone is 200,000! And that's not even considering the connections you'd need to pull it off."

"Jared pulled strings for months just to book this lawn for me. You're seriously claiming you're getting married in the hall? Don't blow your cover—it's embarrassing."

Behind her, Jared's group of friends erupted into laughter.

"Elizabeth's really lost it. Making up nonsense like this—what a joke."

"Tsk, tsk. A delusional runaway bride—honestly, I feel a little sorry for her."

Seeing my reluctance to take off the gown, Cora turned to Jared with a pout.

"Jared, what do you think? Should the bride's wedding dress stay on her, or should I be the one wearing it?"

Without even glancing at me, Jared raised an eyebrow and answered confidently, "Do you even need to ask? Of course, it would look better on you, babe."

With his declaration, Cora wasted no time.

She stepped forward and yanked at my veil.

Cora Hope laughed, "I know this wedding dress is pretty pricey. Didn't your pathetic husband buy it for you from some fancy designer overseas? Elizabeth, we're such good friends—let me try it on, okay?"

It was because we were such good friends that I had asked her to be my bridesmaid.

But I never imagined she had already gotten tangled up with Jared Donovan.