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.
Evie gasped. "What!"
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 you join your groom at the altar this instant."
"Evie, you're wasting time," Alexa exclaimed in frustration, facepalming.
Evie quickly 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 finally 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?"
Alexa and Ava flanked Evie like a shield, one on either side. 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.
Alexa and Ava gave Evie's arms a supportive squeeze before stepping aside to take their seats among the guests.
The 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 noticed this, signaled to the guards in the hall to intervene, discreetly gesturing for them to ask the paparazzi to reduce the intensity of their camera flashes.
Immediately after the flashes reduced, Evie sighed and then slowly 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. And to her surprise, 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.
Scanning the hall and seeing no one had witnessed her embarrassing exchange with Lucas, Evie 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. Miller 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."
The hall plunged into pandemonium as Lucas's horrific response caught everyone off guard. At that instant, Evie's face was drained of all emotion. Those few sentences from Lucas completely broke her world into a million pieces, and it made her feel almost blown away by the wind.
She should have noticed Lucas' strange and distant behavior throughout their conversation last night about their wedding today, but she brushed it off as pre-wedding jitters. At this point, her eyes widened as she just came to realize that something was truly wrong.
"What cruel joke is this!" Lucas's grandfather, Edward, bellowed. He turned over to his side, looking at Evie's father, Henry, who wore a similarly perplexed expression.
Evie moved her gaze to the crowd. She shivered in fear as the paparazzi kept on recording and seriously taking too many snapshots of this humiliating scene.
The camera flashes blinded her, making her feel like she was trapped in a never-ending nightmare. It looked like she was living in a horror movie, with the paparazzi playing the role of relentless predators.
The hall was in chaos, with people murmuring.
"What do you mean by saying 'you can't do this', Lucas? Is there any problem with you, or do you mind if we take a break first before rescheduling the ceremony later or another day?" Evie urged.
Lucas was serious, "I said I can't do this. Believe me, I meant no harm with my word, and to think of it, I didn't even know you were going to show up here today."
Evie almost burst into laughter upon hearing Lucas' response.
Hilarious! Is he trying to say that he had never expected me to show up to my wedding or what?
"So you mean I was never expected to be here?" Evie gave no room for response. She continued, "Do you even realize what you've just said? It's our wedding for heaven's sake, Lucas! Our wedding!" she continued, trying not to act like she was forcing him all of a sudden.
"Evie, seriously," Lucas implored, "I think of you as a very beautiful and kind-hearted woman, but I'm sorry things had to turn out this way."
Finding it hard to understand what Lucas was insinuating, Evie replied. "We've been together for a good eight years without any major misunderstandings." Her voice now trembled slightly, "So…why now, Lucas? Please, I need an answer."
Lucas' face contorted into a savage grin, his eyes blazing with anger. He clenched his fist tightly. "Stop pretending like you weren't told about my mind-changing decision concerning the wedding early this morning." His voice was low and menacing as he spoke slowly through a grimace.
Evie's eyes widened. Her face was pale with disbelief. "What are you talking about?" She asked. Her voice was shaking, "I wasn't told anything…"
Lucas' grin grew wider, his eyes flashed sharply. "Don't try to act dumb," he sneered. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You're just trying to make me feel guilty for no real reason."
Evie took a quick step back whilst staring at Lucas as if he had already become a monster. "I don't know what you're talking about, Lucas," she said with utmost sincerity. "But I do know that I love you, and I thought we were both happy together."
Lucas' expression softened slightly, but his voice remained cold. "I thought I made it clear to your family and the priest that I have decided to cancel the marriage. Were you not told that!?"
Evie couldn't breathe. She couldn't think again. All she could do now was to stand there, staring at Lucas in shock and horror like a lost puppy.
"I never heard anything from anyone?" Evie countered in frustration.
Lucas' eyes flickered, and for a moment, Evie thought she saw a glimmer of guilt. But then his expression hardened, and he shook his head roughly, turning to face the priest and then gradually moved his face to Henry, who had a questioning look on his face.
"I thought you were joking!" the priest stammered in confusion.
Henry chimed, "We never knew you had been serious about it!"
Evie turned to look at her father and two sisters, whose expressions were also filled with daze. They were having a hard time believing this drama was real, as they previously thought Lucas was mouthing his way out to bring up some funny jokes.
What the hell is all this? I don't get why this is happening so suddenly, like a movie.
Evie was looking at Lucas, who now stared at her coldly.
He turned to face the priest, who shivered like a drenched chicken, clearly because Lucas' gaze on him had now become more terrifying.
"What do you take me for? Do I look like a joker to you?" Lucas roared in exasperation, striding towards the priest, who stumbled backward, falling several times.
"But Mr. Miller, it was only an hour before the wedding was set to begin when you—"
"Quiet!" Lucas exclaimed, cutting the old priest off. He watched him shiver in consternation.
"You have to think about making things right, and better stop this foolishness, Lucas." Edward snapped.
Upon hearing this, Lucas burst into laughter, his voice sounding similar to the devil's. For a moment, he paused, glaring daggers at his grandfather, who was taken aback by his grandson's unusual behavior.
"Please, Grandpa, it would be much better if you could keep your dirty mouth shut. You were the one who caused all this and forced Evie on me for your selfish benefits."
The murmurs and incredulous gasps of the wedding guests filled the hall, their faces turning towards the commotion.
Edward's eyes widened as he slammed his hand on his seat, his face paling with embarrassment under the stares of everyone present.
"How dare you!" He thundered, his face reddening. "I did it all for your own good, dummy!"
Lucas' laughter echoed again, this time with a deep hint of mockery. "Really! My own good? You call forcing me into a marriage with a woman I don't want 'my own good'? You're nothing but a selfish, manipulative old man who only cares about nothing but his own personal interests!"
Edward's face turned purple with rage, but before he could respond, Lucas continued, his voice dripping with venom. "And as for my good, I will never let you tarnish it with your own greed and selfishness. I'll have nothing to do with you again, not anymore."
Tired of the commotion at hand, Evie cleared her throat to get Lucas' attention before speaking, "Why didn't you come tell me directly about your plans to cancel our marriage, Lucas? Don't you realize what all this has caused me?"
"I'm very sorry, Evie, I wish I had thought about it earl…" He was about to complete his words with 'earlier' before Evie interrupted coldly,
"Fine, if that's it, then maybe it's best if we just call off the wedding."
Lucas's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, and for a moment, his expression hardened, and he nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "Maybe that's for the best."
As if realizing something she was supposed to have noticed a while before, Evie stared at Lucas in a daze.
"Since you'd already concluded with my family and the priest about the marriage cancellation an hour ago, then why did you have to show up here at the wedding, dressed in your groom attire?" She questioned, raising a brow.
Finding Evie's question intriguing, Lucas smirked.
He then answered. "Now that you know I've changed my mind about us getting married," he continued in a low, smooth voice, "I suppose I should confess that my heart has always longed for someone else."
Lucas paused, his gaze locking with Evie's, as he savored the tension that suddenly filled the air.
At that exact moment, the doors of the wedding hall swung wide, revealing a breathtaking figure.
Clad in an exquisite white wedding gown, she stepped forward with the sound of her seven-inch heels clicking loudly on the floor. A wave of shocked gasps followed her as every eye in the room became fixed on her.