Inside the bridal dressing room at the church, a young woman in her mid-twenties sat, observing her reflection in the large plane mirror on the wall. At the same time, her two personal stylists continued to put in effort to prepare her for her wedding, which was set to begin at any moment.
The bride, Yong Qiyue, whose regular name was Evie, looked absolutely stunning.
Her long, glossy cherry-pink hair cascaded down her slim waist like a serene waterfall, ending in simple curls. It was coupled with her delicate fair skin, which was framed by an elegant and alluring white wedding dress, bringing out the astounding charm of her startling amber eyes.
However, today seems to be a dream come true for Evie.
Ultimately, she was going to have a fairytale wedding with the most eligible bachelor in Jade City, who goes by the name Lucas Qin; her soulmate right since the start of her youth and soon going to be her lawfully wedded husband in the next few hours.
Contemplating these thoughts sent Evie into a whirlwind of euphoria. A soft, radiant smile spread across her lips.
She thought of herself standing in front of the altar with Lucas very close to her, discussing an enchanting place for their honeymoon, talking about how many babies they would have, kissing her, and even exchanging rings with her.
Everything seems just perfect!
Nevertheless, what amazed Evie the most was as a result of the fact that her stepmother who she always believed hated her to the bones and tried several ways to put her into trouble, also turned out to be in support of her marriage with the eldest son of the Qin family and had finally changed for good after some serious crisis in the family ran against her.
She even picked the most fascinating bridal dress that Evie was currently wearing, alongside some expensive jewelry that was picked from the most grand fashion store in town.
But as for Jessica, her eldest stepsister, Evie couldn't blame her for not being in support of her marriage to Lucas. After all, her approval was not needed as she has always been the envious type who always finds a way to criticize everything about her since they were little, and also tries to snatch every good fortune that comes her way.
Evie Yong wasn't the least bit bothered by anything. Her wedding with Lucas was going exactly as planned, and if her stepsister was willing to ruin it, then she would be given a free chance to disgrace herself in front of the crowd at the wedding, because that would be the worst thing she could ever do to herself.
Just as Evie wanted to go wilder in her quiet contemplation, a firm knock on the door interrupted, which made Evie compose herself immediately before opening her mouth to speak.
"Come in—" She hadn't even finished the words when the door swung open, and two identical ladies, distinguishable by their hair colors, rushed inside in a flurry.
"Shit, sister, I can't believe you dare delay your groom at the altar for ten whole minutes!" one of them, whose name was Alexa, exclaimed.
"What!" Evie was in complete shock. She couldn't believe her groom, who she thought was busy handling some stuff, had already arrived ten minutes ago at the altar.
Her younger stepsisters, Alexa and Ava, halted in front of her. Their identical faces were etched with both seriousness and amusement.
Alexa, the more outspoken dark-haired twin, held her waist, frowning, "You looked shocked."
Evie's eyes were still wide with shock, "Lucas...he's already at the altar."
Ava, the softer-spoken brown-haired twin, exchanged a knowing glance with Alexa, whose expression gradually turned relaxed.
"Of course! He is. So that's why you're shocked, sister. You didn't expect him to arrive so early." Alexa replied.
"I thought the wedding was scheduled to start in the next thirty minutes because Lucas still had some work arrangements to finalize," Evie said softly.
Ava chuckled, "Well, it looks like Mr. Charming is making an effort today, and also, today is really special for you both."
Evie's gaze drifted back to her reflection, her mind racing.
Another knock on the door broke the silence, and a low, smooth female voice called out from the other side, "Miss Yong. Your father demands that you show up at your groom right now."
"Evie, you're wasting time," Alexa exclaimed in frustration, facepalming.
Evie smoothed her dress, caught her reflection one last time, and turned to her stylists.
"The veil," Evie said, her voice steady despite the rising panic in her chest.
The hairstylist, Lindsey, didn't waste a second. She caught the delicate lace from the table and pinned it into Evie's hair with quick precision. She stepped back for only a heartbeat to ensure it sat perfectly.
"You're ready," Lindsey whispered.
Evie caught a final glimpse of her reflection; the veil, the dress, the gloves—all impeccable.
Alexa's frustration now dissipated, replaced by a warm expression. "You look beautiful, sister." She smiled and added, "Now that you are all set, let's go?"
Evie took Alexa's arm, her sisters flanking her like a shield. With a shared glance of resolve, Ava pushed the door open, revealing the long passageway to the wedding hall.
…
At the large closed entrance of the wedding hall, Evie paused in her steps as she began to feel nervous for no actual reason.
She had been to many large openings, auctions, and even several spotlight events without feeling the least bit of nervousness, and in this case, she questioned herself on why she was feeling uneasy at this point when she was supposed to be excited about reaching this ultimate level of relationship with her heartthrob, Lucas.
As if reading through her mind, Ava spoke from behind, "The truth is that it's kind of normal to feel upset at this moment when you have to face your groom and the reality of forever."
Evie turned to face her. "But I've known Lucas for years. We've been through so much together. Why would I feel nervous now?"
Ava's expression was filled with understanding, "Perhaps it's precisely because you've known him for so long that you're feeling this way. You're about to make a lifelong commitment, and that's daunting, no matter how sure you are. Remember!"
Evie took a deep breath, letting Ava's words sink in. She glanced at the closed majestic door in front of her. Her eyes were sparkling with the joy that was about to befall her.
"Ready?" Alexa asked.
Evie nodded, a smile spreading across her face as two guards in crisp uniforms threw the doors wide.
A heavy silence swept through the hall as every head turned.
The sudden silence was punctuated by the soft rhythmic click of heels on marble, as Evie stepped forward onto the long aisle that led to where her groom waited.
She squinted, momentarily overwhelmed as blinding LED camera flashes erupted from paparazzi on all sides, accompanied by the rapid, insistent clicks and whirs of a hundred shutters.
However, her father, who immediately took notice of this, signaled for the guards in the hall to intervene, gesturing discreetly for them to ask the paparazzi to reduce the intensity of their camera flashes.
Immediately after the flashes reduced, Evie moved her gaze across the hall to check for Jessica and her stepmother, who were surprisingly absent.
Unbothered, Evie quickened her pace, her focus narrowing on the altar where her groom stood tall and handsome in his grey charcoal suit.
The moment she approached, his dark eyes locked onto hers. His expression darkened an instant before he looked away. Evie's heart sank, her smile faltering for an instant before she regained composure.
Cursing her late arrival, Evie hated that she had delayed her groom several minutes for their wedding, and when she tentatively extended her hand, ready with a whispered apology, his chillingly cold gaze made her draw back in shock.
Evie slowly scanned the hall and, seeing no one had witnessed her embarrassing exchange with Lucas, she breathed a deep sigh of relief before turning to look at him in terror.
Two days ago, he'd promised her the most perfect day of their lives. Now, looking at the raw fury in his eyes, she realized he wasn't angry because she was late. It was something far worse. Dread tightened in her chest, giving her an unsettling sense that something was terribly wrong.
Evie turned to face the altar just as the priest, with an eloquent speech, began to deeply stress the importance and beauty of love, loyalty, and the journey that awaited the couple in marriage.
At this moment, Evie exhaled deeply, giving Lucas some time to recover from all that was going on within him.
She closed her eyes but surprisingly felt a pair of cold, soft hands holding hers, and then moved her head to look at Lucas, whose expression seemed to have finally turned better and softer.
He smiled at her. Afterward, squeezed his eyes shut, exhaling deeply before opening them back.
However, as the priest's official wedding speech continued, Evie took her time to cheer Lucas up, reminding him about their first meeting in college, their first date together at Red Phoenix Productions, and their first kiss, which was yet to occur after eight years of waiting for this day to come.
They all seemed to have brought Lucas back to his usual lively state, as he giggled. But unfortunately, his expression turned frustrated all of a sudden, causing Evie's heart to sink once more.
"What's going on with you, Lucas? If anything is wrong, please let me know about it." Evie inquired, her voice tinged with much concern.
He ignored her, staring at the priest with a jaw so tight it looked ready to snap.
Evie could tell from the tension in his shoulders and the tightness in his jaw that he was under pressure. She had seen that look before, usually when his father forced him into decisions that went against his own desires. This alone led Evie to understand he was feeling conflicted about his father's choice of making him abandon his childhood dreams of acting to take over the family business after the wedding.
She reasoned thoughtfully, "Maybe I should let him be for now."
Eventually, the priest's sermon came to an end, and with a broad smile, he fixed his gaze on the couples before adjusting his glasses to the bridge of his nose.
"Let me first of all begin the marriage ritual with Miss Yong." He said, facing Evie, who was more than ready to dive into this endless happiness and glamour of marriage with Lucas.
"Do you willingly take Mr. Qin to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together in your holy matrimony? Will you love him and be good to him, respect him, honor him, comfort him, and protect him in sickness and in health, in prosperity and adversity, until death do you part?"
"Yes, I do," Evie said, undoubtedly without hesitating.
The priest shifted his gaze to Lucas, who had his face calm and expressionless.
He continued with the marriage ritual, "Do you willingly take Ms. Yong to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together in your holy matrimony? Will you love her and be good to her, respect her, honor her, comfort her, and protect her in sickness and in health, in prosperity and adversity, until death do you part?"
Seconds went by, and the groom didn't say anything. The atmosphere grew tense, making Evie suddenly sick.
'What's going on!' She muttered, biting her lower lip, then later felt at ease as Lucas heaved a sigh.
But suddenly, his face twisted into a sad grimace, and he delivered the blow, "I'm sorry, Evie. I can't do this."