Chapter 3

When I woke up in the hospital, my mother had sent me the wedding schedule.

As I was typing a reply, the ward door swung open.

Julian walked in, holding a thermos of soup.

Seeing me awake, he let out a sigh of relief. "You're finally up. Eat something."

He snatched my phone away and pushed me back onto the pillow.

The screen was still showing my wedding planning document.

I tried to grab it back, but he had already seen it.

Frowning, he pointed at the screen. "Sienna, what is this?"

"Are you seriously rushing into some marriage alliance?"

I took my phone back, my voice deadpan. "No. It's my cousin's wedding. I'm the maid of honor."

He instantly relaxed.

"I knew you wouldn't do something so reckless. Who knows you better than I do?"

"Even though Melody and I are getting engaged soon, I'll still look out for you in business."

"We can still work together on future projects."

"We're the best partners, aren't we?"

I couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.

He was getting engaged to Melody, yet he wanted to keep me on the hook?

A wave of nausea hit me, and I dry-heaved.

Julian gently patted my back. "Okay, okay, I won't talk about it."

"Did you look at the proposal Leo gave you?"

I pushed his hand away and turned onto my side. "What proposal?"

"The Eastside development. Since when is your memory this bad?"

He was so sure I’d sign that contract. He was so sure I’d accept his "compensation."

In the past, whenever we fought, he would throw a lucrative project my way as a peace offering.

For five years, he ruled over our relationship from his high throne.

And because I loved him, I forgave him every single time.

But not this time.

I didn't answer. I just told him I was tired and wanted him to leave.

After I was discharged, I went home and collapsed onto my bed. I pulled out my phone and saw that Julian—who never posted on Instagram—had just shared a post:

[Beautiful reunions. ❤️]

It was a picture of him and Melody posing in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

I stared at the photo for a long time before calling my secretary.

"Chloe, decline the Vance Group's proposal."

"From now on, handle all business with the Vance Group through standard procedures. No need to fast-track anything for them."

Over the next few days, Julian was all over the news, attending various high-profile galas.

And his social media was constantly filled with Melody.

I watched it happen, but my heart didn't ache anymore.

I poured all my energy into preparing for my wedding with Christian.

Once everything was finalized, we just had to wait for the big day.

As it turned out, our wedding date fell on the exact day Julian’s Eastside project was set to launch.

The day before the launch, Julian went to the site but couldn't find me.

He asked his assistant, only to find out that Montgomery Enterprises had backed out of the partnership weeks ago.

As the main investor, he was the last to know.

But he still didn't believe it.

After all, we had fought countless times over the last five years.

He had been linked to other women before.

I had always forgiven him. Why would this time be any different?

He assumed I was just throwing a tantrum to get his attention.

Angry, he called me.

"Sienna, what the hell is going on? The project launches today, and my most important partner is a no-show?"

When the phone rang, I was running through the wedding rehearsal with Christian.

The officiant's voice echoed through the speaker:

"Do you, Christian, take Sienna to be your lawfully wedded wife, to..."

Before Julian could make sense of it, I hung up.

Julian thought he was hallucinating. Sienna loved him to death. How could she marry someone else?

He called me dozens of times like a madman, but I didn't pick up.

With every unanswered call, panic began to claw at his chest.

With trembling hands, he opened my Instagram, only to find that every single photo of us had been wiped clean.

Just then, Melody, the face of the new project, walked into his office.

She was wearing a dress that should have matched mine. "Julian," she called softly.

Julian’s vision blurred. He rushed forward, only to realize she wasn't me.

He suddenly remembered when he first saw Melody in Paris three years ago. He had thought she was incredibly elegant.

And that she looked remarkably like Sienna.

Back then, he had stubbornly told his friends, "She looks nothing like Sienna."

But looking at Melody now—her posture, her expressions, even the curve of her smile—she was a carbon copy of me.

So, who had he really been in love with all these years?

He pushed Melody aside, stumbled out of the building, and kept dialing my number.

The call finally connected the next day.

But the background was chaotic, and a stranger's voice answered:

"Hello? Is this the bride's family? The ceremony has started. You need to get here right now."

Julian slammed on the brakes, his mind going completely blank.