" Bang- " The door to the event room was slammed open from the outside . A man rushed in with a look of panic , calling out , " Something happened to Lydia ! " With that one sentence , the room - filled with flowers and ribbons , buzzing with the warmth and excitement of the proposal - went dead quiet . The guy at the center of it all - the star of the moment - was still down on one knee , ring in hand . He whipped around , eyes wide . " What did you just say ? " Quade Zimmer , with his arrogant blue hair , urged impatiently . " It was Mrs. Lancaster who called . Lydia's been in a car accident . She's at the hospital right now . The words barely landed before the room blew up - chairs scraping , heels clacking , people bolting for the exit . It wasn't an exaggeration : Lydia Wallace was the golden girl of their crowd , gorgeous , sweet . talented - and heartbreakingly delicate . People adored her and pitied her . And now that their goddess was in trouble , who had the heart to keep celebrating a proposal everyone already knew the answer to ? Even the guy proposing dropped everything and ran . " Jasper- " The voice floated from behind , so light it was almost a whisper . Only then did it hit everyone : the woman being proposed to hadn't said a single word this whole time . In the chaos , someone must've hit the lights . The room dimmed , leaving just the soft glow from the strip lights along the walls . Pushed into the corner , Claudia Lancaster's face was half in shadow , half in light . No matter how many times one looked at her , she was strikingly beautiful . But tonight , she was unnervingly calm , her expression unreadable . " You don't want to hear my answer ? " Just a minute ago , Jasper Fenton had asked , " Will you marry me ? " Jasper fruze at the door . In his rush to get to Lydia , he hadn't even waited for his would - be fancer's reply . He didn't answer her . He tried to soothe . " Claudia , I'm sorry . I have to get to the hospital . Go home first , ukay ? 9:32 Tue , Oct 7 M Normally the second Lydia's name came up , Claudia would blow . At the very least , she'd sneer and wish Lydia dead . But tonight she was calm and detached . Like she'd seen this coming . For reasons he couldn't explain , unease crept into his chest . " Oh , cut the act ," Quade butted in , impatient . " You've been glued to Jasper for , what , twenty years ? You're crazy about the guy . He finally proposes , and we're supposed to believe you'd say no ? " Others chimed in . " Yeah , someone's life might be on the line . You can propose any other day . " " The families arranged the marriage ages ago . The whole proposal's just for show anyway ." Accusations and dismissive remarks rang out , but Claudia didn't flinch . Her dark , clear eyes stayed locked on Jasper , waiting . Jasper sighed and walked back . Like he'd done a hundred times , he mussed her hair like she was a kid and looked down at her . " Be good . Don't make a scene . Lydia could be in real danger . This isn't the time for a tantrum . " It was always the same . Whenever she clashed with Lydia , he never asked who was right or wrong . He'd apologize to Lydia first , then turn to Claudia and scold her gently , like a spoiled child who didn't know any better . In love , when someone talks down to you from a pedestal , even your anger gets treated like it's cute - never taken seriously . As for this proposal ? It was nothing more than a formality . Jasper had never even considered that there could be another answer . As for this proposal ? It was just a formality . Jasper had never even considered there could be another answer . " Oh , screw this - I can't keep my mouth shut ! " Whitney Sawyer finally exploded . She'd been seething since Quade barged in , and she couldn't swallow it anymore . " Jasper , are you a doctor or her personal 911 ? How come every time Lydia has an ' accident , ' she calls you always at the perfect moment . Last time it ruined a date , now it's your proposal . - 214 Whitney's fury spared no one . " And you people ! Rushing out like that - are you headed to visit her or bury her ? At the rate Lydia lands herself in the hospital , she should've died a hundred times by now ! " " Whitney ! " Usually calm and gentle , Jasper's face darkened , eyes flashing a warning . " Watch your mouth . " " Oh , spare me , " Whitney shot back , only angrier at his defense of Lydia . " Can't stand to hear your precious Lydia criticized ? Jasper , do you even remember who your girlfriend is ? " Seeing his expression ice over , Claudia grabbed Whitney's arm and said quietly to him , " If you walk out tonight , we're done ." Too much time had already been wasted . Jasper pinched the bridge of his nose , tamped down his anger , and spoke in that soothing , promising tone , " Don't say something you'll regret . Claudia , we'll talk when I get back ." He turned and strode out without another word . He didn't know how badly Lydia was hurt . He told himself , When I get back , I'll give you an even better proposal to make up for this . He'd also remind Claudia to keep her distance from hot - headed Whitney - no doubt Whitney had gotten in her ear . The room sagged under the weight of it all . Even the ones annoyed by Claudia's stubbornness or Whitney's mouth kept quiet . After all , one was Jasper's future wife , the other was a Sawyer . Who wanted that smoke ? One by one , they slipped away . In minutes , the lively proposal scene looked wrecked . Crushed petals and ribbons underfoot , toppled wine bottles , overturned chairs , smeared desserts - like the mess itself was mocking how ridiculous this botched proposal had been . As the crowd thinned , one hanger - on suddenly blinked . " Wait - Lydia's the Lancasters ' adopted daughter , right ? So she and Claudia are cousins . How come nobody called Claudia to go to the hospital too ? " " Call her ? So Lydia can flatline from the shock ? " 9:33 Tue , Oct 7 M " Please . The usual - Miss Lancaster is cold , ungrateful , cruel ... " The same nasty whispers that had dogged Claudia for the past decade anytime her name got mentioned next to Lydia's . The murmurs dripped with pity for Lydia and scorn for Claudia , like always . Whitney's face flushed hot with anger . She glanced at Claudia , suddenly worried by her silence . Strangers ' slander doesn't cut as deep anymore - but betrayal from your own always does . Claudia watched Jasper walk away , step by step . It felt like watching years slide past - watching the boy she'd grown up with drift farther and farther out of reach . She kept her eyes on him , unblinking , as he walked right out of her life . Whitney had asked her : if nothing had interrupted tonight , would she have actually said yes ? But honestly , no matter her answer , the ending was already written . Lydia would never let Claudia get what she wanted . And Jasper would never pick Claudia over Lydia . The moment he turned his back , he had no idea that while the future feels endless , the woman willing to marry you won't wait forever . Jasper , this time , I'm really letting go . On the table amid the wreckage , Claudia's phone lit up . A WhatsApp notification popped through , short and smug : " You lost . " Send Gifts 10 W Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!