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, Evie Yong, looked absolutely stunning.
Her long, glossy cherry-pink hair cascaded down her slim waist like a serene waterfall, ending in simple curls. It was complemented by her delicate, fair skin, which was framed by an elegant and alluring white wedding dress, bringing out the astounding charm of her striking amber eyes.
Evie was almost done dressing 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 left in complete shock.
She couldn't believe her groom, who she thought was busy handling some business-related stuff, had already arrived so early.
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. "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," she ordered, 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 muttered.
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 swiftly added, "Now that you are all set, let's go?"
Evie then took Alexa's arm, her two 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.
The moment they got to the hall entrance, 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 onto the aisle with her bouquet clutched firmly in her hand.
She squinted, shielding her face with her hand as the air exploded with white light. Blinding camera flashes erupted from every side, accompanied by the frantic whir and click 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 her stepsister, 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 forced a smile 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 the start of their forever, 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 smiled the whole time. 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.
Lucas ignored her, staring directly at the priest with a jaw so tight it looked ready to snap.
"Maybe I should let him be for now." She reasoned thoughtfully.
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. She clutched her bouquet with white-knuckled intensity, the stems digging into her palms as her heart hammered against her ribs.
'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."