Chapter 1 Stole My Wedding
After watching my boyfriend walk into his brother’s wife, Rowena’s bedroom for the tenth time, I didn’t cry or scream anymore. I calmly told him I wanted to break up.
He agreed–but with conditions. “We can break up,” Stellan said, “but the apartment you bought for our marriage is mine. And don’t even think about touching the savings we have.”
A few days before the wedding, the planning company had us rehearse. When Stellan knelt down to make his vow, Rowena suddenly lost it.
Rowena said, “I didn’t even get a wedding ceremony when I got married! Are you guys doing this on purpose to piss me off?”
Stellan immediately dropped my hand and rushed over to apologize to her. Then he turned to me and said we should cancel the vow part.
“She’s been alone ever since my brother died. We need to look out for her,” Stellan said seriously. “If you’re gonna insist on all these unnecessary formalities, then maybe we just shouldn’t get married at all.”
Before I could say anything, Elysia jumped in. “Postponing the wedding is for the best. Let Rowena get pregnant first. You know she’s always wanted a baby.
I stared at Stellan in disbelief. “It’s totally normal for a couple to have
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vows at their wedding. I don’t get why Rowena’s reacting like this.”
Rowena’s eyes were red and she screamed, completely unhinged, “They already signed the marriage certificate! Why do they have to exchange vows in front of everyone? Are they trying to hurt me on purpose?”
Stellan quickly pulled out tissues and gently dabbed her tears. “Don’t cry, Rowena. You know I panic when you cry. It’s supposed to be a happy day, no crying allowed.”
Rowena cried even harder, pounding on his chest with her fists. “This is your big day with Lyra, not mine! Why can’t I cry? How is that fair?”
Stellan pulled her into his arms, whispering softly, “I didn’t think this through. Don’t be mad, Rowena. Getting upset like this will give you wrinkles.”
Stellan and Rowena were wrapped up in each other, like this wedding was about them, and I was just some extra.
Fuming, I dragged Stellan aside. “What the hell are you doing with her? I’m the one you’re supposed to be marrying, remember?”
Annoyed, Stellan said, “Didn’t you see she was crying? She’s had a tough time. Why are you picking a fight with her? You’re being childish.”
Rowena leaned into him, voice all sweet and fake. “Stellan, tell her to cancel the vows. I don’t like them. Don’t say those vows with her.”
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Stellan turned to me, cold–eyed. “You heard what Rowena said, right? Drop the vow thing.”
I clutched the white paper I’d handwritten my vows on, gripping it so tight. my knuckles turned white.
Swallowing my rage, I tried to talk to him. “Everyone includes this part in their ceremony. Why can’t we? I stayed up two nights writing this–every word comes from the heart.”
Stellan yanked the page out of my hand, crumpled it without a second thought, and tossed it straight into the trash.
“Weddings are just for show. Why are you taking it so seriously?” Stellan said coldly.
I stared at that crumpled paper in the trash, completely stunned.
Rowena tilted her head slightly, looking at me with a smug, triumphant smirk. Like she’d just won.
Right before Stellan and I were about to get married, I found out he actually had an older brother–someone who’d died in an accident a few years back.
His sister–in–law, Rowena, never remarried. She was still living in their house.
Every time relatives or family friends talked about her, they’d all say the
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same thing–that Rowena was a loyal, decent woman. Her husband was
gone, but she stayed behind to take care of her husband’s parents and help. out her husband’s brother.
But to me, Rowena was even more fake than a glass of sweet tea with poison at the bottom.
“This
is my wedding,” I said through clenched teeth. “Why does she get to cancel anything just because she doesn’t like it?”
Stellan glared at me. “If you can’t even respect Rowena, and still insist on all these unnecessary rituals, then maybe we shouldn’t get married at all.”
Elysia quickly stepped in when she saw us locking horns. “Lyra, honey, don’t take it so hard with her. She didn’t go to school like you. You’re educated, reasonable–you understand these things better.”
Then Elysia lowered her voice and leaned in a little. “After your brother passed, I’ve always felt something wasn’t quite right in her head. Probably the shock. Just go along with her, okay? Do it for me.“.
That sweet–smiling guilt trip hit hard. I didn’t even know how to respond.
Elysia lit up and called Stellan over. “Lyra said she’s fine with canceling. the vows. Look how understanding she is. You’d better treat her right after you two get married.”
Then Elysia pulled Stellan aside and whispered, “Hurry up and finish the wedding. Once that’s locked in, we can finally move ahead with the other
Chapter 1 Stole My Wedding
thing–honoring your brother’s memory properly.”
I blinked. “Wait–what does our wedding have to do with your brother’s
memorial?”
Stellan didn’t answer me. He just said coldly, “My brother’s gone, but Rowena is still part of this family. After you marry into it, I hope you can be more understanding and show her the respect she deserves.”
Stellan’s words sounded so proper and polite, but something about them felt completely off.
That weird vibe between Stellan and Rowena, and the strange things Elysia kept saying–it was all making my skin crawl. Something about this just didn’t feel right.
