Called Off the Wedding, Walked Into My New Life

While I was trying on the wedding gown, one of Felix Gilbert's best buddies suddenly tagged me in the group chat:

"Hey, the invitations go out the day after tomorrow. You still haven't noticed the bride's name isn't yours?"

I stared at myself in the mirror, wrapped in white, and for a second my mind went blank.

The next second, a voice message from Felix's childhood friend popped up:

"I bet Felix you wouldn't figure it out until you got the invitation. He changed the bride to Kate Pruitt."

"You're way too laid-back about this. Better make him change it back, or is this wedding even happening?"

I slowly peeled the gown off, and a wave of cold revulsion swept through me.

Kate Pruitt was Felix's first love, the pure, untouchable ideal of their whole circle.

But marrying me was something Felix had sworn to, on his own, in front of both families.

And now, in the middle of planning our wedding, they'd turned my dignity into the stake of a bet.

"Felix, that's a rotten move. I bet she'll come crying and begging you once she finds out."

"I bet she won't even dare get mad. Loser covers the whole yacht party next month."

A notification from someone I'd flagged for special alerts jumped onto the screen.

Kate had posted a set of photos in a limited-edition wedding gown.

【Thank you to a certain someone who stayed up three nights and pulled strings to borrow this Dream Dress for me. Dream come true~】

Underneath, Felix had replied with a heart.

Calmly, I liked the post.

Then I disbanded the wedding-planning group chat and bought a ticket on the slow train to the highlands.

No wedding, then. Going to feel the wind up in the highlands, clear my eyes out—that sounded good.

……

The cold overhead lights of the bridal shop glinted off the mirror. I gathered the skirt up bit by bit and handed it back to the clerk.

The clerk hurried after me with a measuring tape, smiling. "Miss Fox, do you want the waist taken in another half inch? Mr. Gilbert said the wedding has to be perfect."

I looked at the white gown in her hands, my voice flat. "No more alterations. The wedding's off. Give this gown to your next customer."

The clerk froze, then chased after me clutching the contract. "Miss Fox, if you cancel, the fitting fee and deposit are non-refundable."

I pulled the card from my bag and pressed a pen to the paper. "Deduct whatever you need to. Don't contact Felix again, and don't contact my parents either."

Stepping out of the shop, the sunlight was blinding, washing everything white in front of me. On my phone, the wedding planner was still asking about the flower-wall color scheme.

I leaned against the roadside railing and canceled it all, one line at a time—the hotel banquet, the makeup, the car fleet. The thirty-thousand-dollar cancellation penalty went through fast.

The planner's voice was hesitant. "Miss Fox, does Mr. Gilbert know about this? This morning he had us swap the bride's name card over to Miss Pruitt. Said it was a joke, you know."

I stared at the payment successful line on the screen and said quietly, "He likes his games. Let him plan it himself, then."

My mother's call cut in, the neighbors' laughter filling the background. She lowered her voice, but the delight in it leaked through anyway.

"Stacy, Felix sent someone over with fish maw and sea cucumber. The whole neighborhood's saying how lucky you are."

"He even promised you the grandest wedding in the whole city. Stop being so stubborn. Men have their social obligations, that's normal. Just grit your teeth and it'll pass."

I asked her, "Mom, what if the bride on the invitation isn't me?"

She paused, and her voice dropped at once. "Don't talk nonsense. A man like Felix willing to marry you—that's your good luck. Don't blow some little thing up and make both families look bad."

I let out a small laugh. "Got it. You go put those gifts away."

After I hung up, I dialed Felix. The second the call connected, Kate's soft, coy laughter slipped into my ear first.

Someone egged him on. "Felix, your wife's checking up on you, huh? Better sweet-talk her, don't actually let the wedding slip away."

Felix's voice was lazy. "Stacy Fox, what's the matter with you now?"