Chapter 1

I flew two thousand miles to surprise my wife. Instead, I was greeted with an invitation.

"Welcome to the wedding of Mr. Xavier Grant and Ms. Mara Cole."

Her groom wasn't me.

But her wedding dress was one I had chosen, and the wedding plan was one I had designed.

When she saw me, she accused me of not knowing when to let go, claiming it was all just business.

Does a performance require passionate kissing?

I didn't argue. I just turned around and took a hard drive with me.

It contained all the original design drafts I'd created for them over the past four years.

What Mara didn't know was that three months later, at a bidding presentation, she'd be on her knees in the snow, bankrupt, begging me for ten dollars just to buy a meal.

Lucas POV

To surprise my wife, I flew to the island without telling her.

The taxi had barely stopped when the hotel's greeting system sent me a text message: "Welcome to the wedding of Mr. Xavier Grant and Ms. Mara Cole."

My hand froze around the gift box.

Mara Cole was my legal wife of four years in a secret marriage.

Xavier Grant was her first love from college overseas, and also the star designer at my studio.

Just last night, Mara had been packing her luggage.

"I'll be inspecting resort projects for a while. The clients are difficult to deal with, so I can't get away. I'll make up for our anniversary properly when I get back." She complained that Xavier was clumsy and needed her to look after him.

I believed her. Like an idiot, I helped her organize her clothes and told her she was working hard.

She was working hard, hard enough to organize a grand wedding between inspections.

I stepped into the lobby. White veils billowed in the cold sea breeze.

The décor looked very familiar.

A month ago, I'd stayed up three nights straight in my study to draw up this exact plan.

At the time, Mara had leaned against the doorframe, holding coffee and pleading with me. "The client wants a dream wedding. Xavier's run out of inspiration. Help him out."

I joked that this design was worth fifty thousand dollars.

She hugged me and acted cute. "Helping him is helping me."

Turns out I was the free wedding planner for her own wedding.

"Sir, do you have an invitation?" The receptionist stopped me.

I was wearing a hoodie and jeans, carrying a small box, completely out of place among the suited guests around me.

"I'm an old friend of Mara's."

The receptionist stepped aside.

The banquet hall was brilliantly lit. Mara wore a mermaid-cut wedding gown and looked so beautiful she seemed like a stranger.

We'd been legally married for four years, but we'd never had a wedding or any celebration.

The reason was that we had to keep a low profile during the startup phase, and I was behind-the-scenes personnel who didn't need formalities.

Right now, she stood under the spotlight, gazing at the man across from her like he was the only one in the world.

Xavier Grant, nothing but an empty-headed pretty boy, spoke with deep affection. "Mara, we've missed so much. Today, I can finally hold your hand in front of our friends and family..."

Applause thundered. Guests murmured about what a perfect couple they made, praising Xavier's so-called brilliance. Some even claimed the island project was his work.

My nails dug into my palms.

Every award Xavier had ever won was something I had created.

His breakthrough work was my rejected draft. His award-winning design was something I'd destroyed my stomach staying up late to finish.

Even the stage beneath his feet was my creation.

In the front row sat Mara's mother, Diana, wiping away tears of joy.

She took the generous support payments I sent every month, and now she sat there without a care in the world.

Next to her sat my business partners, people who ate the afternoon tea I bought, now applauding as my wife married someone else.

Everyone in the world knew-except me, the fool left in the dark.

What inspection? What fake business marriage? All excuses.

I could see it clearly: the genuine happiness radiating from Mara's face.

The officiant called out loudly, "The groom may now kiss the bride!"

Mara turned her head. Her gaze cut through the crowd and landed on me.

Her smile froze instantly on her face.

She pushed away Xavier, who was about to kiss her, in panic. The bouquet in her hands fell to the floor.

"Mara?" Xavier looked confused.

Mara ignored him. She stared at me, her face deathly pale.

I looked at her and expressionlessly raised the delicate gift box in my hand.

Then, as she watched in horror, I let it go.

The box hit the floor. The necklace inside probably broke.

Just like this absurd four-year marriage.

I turned and walked out of the banquet hall without looking back.

Behind me came commotion and the rapid clicking of high heels on the floor.

"Mara! Where are you going?"

If this had been yesterday, if she had chased after me like this, I would have cried with emotion, thinking there was still a place for me in her heart.

But now, I just found it ridiculous.