Chapter 1 After countless IVF treatments, I discovered the night before our wedding that Norwell Harris had a vasectomy. Clutching the medical report in my hand, I confronted him. He just looked at me with a soft gaze and said, "Your health is fragile. I couldn't bear to put you through the pain of a pregnancy." Tears welled up in my eyes. All the private agony I had endured with the IVF treatments suddenly seemed for nothing. But at the wedding, he walked in holding the hand of a three-year-old boy. "Ryan, call her Mommy." The boy was Lucy Murphy's, his so-called first love's child. Norwell pleaded, "Lucy is terminally ill. She doesn't have much time left. I promised her a wedding, and I promised her son a name...' The guests around us began to whisper, their words cutting like knives. "She knew she was just a placeholder, and she still insisted on marrying him. What a joke." "The true love has returned. Time for the home-wrecker to get lost." "A woman who begs for scraps always ends up with nothing." I drew in a deep breath. Whatever tenderness I still held for him dissolved completely. From this day on, his world had nothing to do with me. My life would belong only to myself. A commotion broke out at the end of the aisle. Lucy appeared, draped in a globally limited edition couture gown, her smile serene and radiant. That wedding dress had been on my wish list seven years ago. I had excitedly recommended it to him back then. When he told me, "It doesn't suit you," this was what he meant. Norwell rushed forward in a few quick strides and wrapped her in his arms. Resting against his chest, Lucy spoke softly, "Cynthia, thank you for letting me have this chance...' The guests all turned their eyes on me, as though I were the unreasonable interloper, not her. She stumbled as if to make a point of bowing to me. 10 P "Lucy!" Norwell's voice cracked with panic. He grabbed her, his face a mask of frantic distress. "Don't humiliate yourself like this!" I said nothing, afraid that the moment I opened my mouth, I would break into tears. Step by step, I walked down from the stage, each movement heavy, each step like walking barefoot on blades. His mother approached me with a benevolent smile. "Your background is so common, you could never really be a match for my son. But you know your place, and that's why he kept you around for so long." His father nodded in agreement. "You don't work, you've been living off Norwell, so you should know your role." Not a single word of apology, only endless reminders that I ought to be grateful. They feared I might throw a tantrum and embarrass the Harris family, yet mocked me just as easily for my silence. Following the guests' gazes back to the stage, I saw the two of them holding hands, a perfect picture of beauty and talent. The staff rushed forward, replacing the nameplates and distributing new invitations to the guests. When I opened mine, the bride's name had been changed to Lucy. What I thought was a wedding meticulously designed for me, from the flowers, to the invitations, to the candy, even down to the scent of his cologne... they had all been tailored to Lucy's taste. It had been arranged so seamlessly that the moment I stepped off that stage, their wedding could begin without interruption. During the ring exchange, Lucy hesitated, then shyly turned toward me. "Norwell, that ring is the one you used when you proposed to me seven years ago. Why don't we use that one instead?" Chapter 1 10.00% Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!