I could feel everyone staring at me.
Their eyes were like tiny needles, pricking my skin as I stood alone under the flower arch in my wedding dress. The lace sleeves suddenly felt too tight, and the bouquet in my hands—white roses, his favorite—was turning heavy.
The music had stopped halfway.The aisle was silent.And the groom… my groom… was nowhere in sight.
Somebody whispered behind me, not even trying to lower their voice:
"Did he ditch her?""Wow… poor thing.""No, no—look at her face. She probably knew he wouldn't come."
I didn't turn around.If I did, I wasn't sure whether I'd scream or laugh.
Then someone—loud enough for half the venue to hear—said it:
"Gu Tingchen has decided to cancel the wedding."
Just like that.Clean. Brutal.As if I were an appointment he forgot to reschedule.
For a moment, everything inside me went quiet.
I waited for the humiliation to hit, for the tears to push up, for my heart to crack.
But none of that came.
What rose instead… was anger.Sharp, cold, beautifully clear.
So this was the man I planned to marry.One who didn't even bother to reject me face-to-face.
I lifted my head.
Fine.
If he didn't have the courage to show up…I would.
I walked toward the center of the stage, the train of my dress sliding behind me like a white comet. Cameras followed. Gasps scattered through the crowd.
Let them watch.
When I reached the mic, I smiled.A small, steady smile that surprised even me.
"Since the groom won't be coming," I said, my voice echoing through the garden, "I'll make the announcement myself."
Every whisper stopped instantly.
My palms were cold, but my spine felt iron-straight.
"I am the one calling off this wedding."
The reaction was immediate.
"What?!""She's the one calling it off?""But wasn't she just dumped—?"
I didn't give them time to process.
"I refuse to marry a man who doesn't respect me enough to show up," I said. "Thank you all for coming."
There.Clean.Precise.Public.
Exactly how he tried to humiliate me.
I turned to leave—and that's when I saw him.
Gu Tingchen.
Perfect suit, calm face, polished shoes… and a faint crease in his brows when he finally registered what I'd just done.
Too late.
I walked past him without stopping.
As I brushed his arm, I murmured just for him:
"You don't get to leave me. I left you."
Then I stepped out of the wedding that was supposed to destroy me—and discovered it didn't hurt as much as I thought.
Behind me, I could hear chaos breaking out.
But not my problem.Not anymore.
For the first time in a long, long while, I felt free.