At the wedding, I recognized right away that the masked man claiming to be Miguel Hewson was an impostor.

But I still went through with the wedding ceremony as planned.

Because in my previous life, when I exposed the impostor on the spot, Miguel had returned reluctantly to finish the wedding with me.

And that very night, his childhood sweetheart swallowed sleeping pills and jumped off a building.

When Miguel heard the news of her death, he showed no sign of grief. Instead, he cursed her and said she deserved it.

Afterward, Miguel and I lived as though nothing had happened. I even took money from my family to rescue his failing company.

On our first wedding anniversary, instead of a celebration, Miguel tied me up, pregnant and helpless, and secured me in a helicopter.

All tenderness was gone from his eyes. "If you hadn't forced me to come back and marry you that day, Aubrie would still be alive.

"You don't get to be this happy. I'll let you feel exactly what she felt at the end."

He pushed me off from ten thousand meters high, and I turned into a bloody mess.

This time, I pretended not to know and finished the wedding with the fake groom.

I wanted to see how Miguel would save the crumbling Hewson Group without my family's support.

***

"Mr. Hewson, do you take this beautiful woman beside you to be your wife, for better or for worse..."

"I... do," the man's muffled voice came through the mask.

The guests were all amazed by how deeply the Hewson heir loved me. Despite a severe cold, he insisted on going through with this grand wedding, afraid of wronging me.

"Wait a minute."

The man in front of me avoided eye contact, and beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

I asked with a smile, "Miguel, you look pale. Did you forget to take your medicine while rushing for the wedding?"

He coughed nervously. "Yes, I..."

I signaled the officiant to pause the ceremony and led the "groom" to the private room.

My phone on the table buzzed, showing over a dozen unread messages from Aubrie Banbury.

"You know the groom is a fake, right? Surprise? Miguel and I are watching your wedding livestream together."

A picture attached showed that Miguel had his arms wrapped around her, his chin resting on the top of her head.

"I forgot to mention this was my idea. This whole wedding is just a game he's playing to amuse me."

I typed a quick reply and sent it.

"Oh, really? Want to bet? If I call him right now, he'll come crawling back to me right away."

The other end went silent for a long time.

That was Perfect. The fish had taken the bait.

I put away my phone and turned to the silent groom beside me.

He looked at me awkwardly. "Actually, I... I..."

I patted him on the shoulder. "Harper, relax."

He let out a sigh of relief. "So, you knew all along."

After a moment of silence, he seemed to make up his mind, taking a deep breath.

"Miguel doesn't deserve you. Today is nothing but a setup to humiliate you."

I suddenly leaned in close to him. "I didn't pause the wedding to expose you. I just need you to help me put on a show."

In my previous life, after I died, I learned Harper Moseley had had a crush on me for years.

When he heard about my death, he was the only one who refused to believe I'd jump from a helicopter.

Later, he figured out Miguel was the killer, but couldn't find any solid evidence. So, on the anniversary of my death, he'd chosen to die with Miguel.

Tears fell unconsciously. Harper scrambled to wipe them away for me.

"If you're feeling wronged, I can..."

I looked at him seriously. "Harper, listen carefully. You're the one I want to marry."

When we returned to the ceremony, the officiant smiled and announced, "Now, please exchange rings."

I picked up the ring, but it got stuck tight when I tried to slide it past his knuckle.

He tried to force it on, embarrassed, but I pressed down on his hand.

Whispers rose from the guests like buzzing insects.

"What's going on? Wrong size?"

"How could they mess up something so important? The Lavender and Hewson families are so careless."

Down in the audience, Miguel's parents' faces turned grim instantly. They exchanged a look, both seeing panic and unease in each other's eyes.

So, they'd known about Miguel's little farce all along and did nothing to stop it.

My own mother frowned deeply, her eyes full of worry as she looked at me.

I gave her a reassuring look, telling her to stay calm.

Then, under everyone's stunned gaze, I reached out and removed Harper's mask.

"Oh, my goodness! The groom isn't Miguel at all!"

"Where's the real groom?"

Miguel's mother, Katrina Hewson, was the first to react. She rushed onto the stage without a thought for her public persona. "W-What's going on? Who the hell are you?"

Jorge Hewson, Miguel's father, was livid, his face darkening with rage. He shouted at the chaotic crowd of guests and reporters below. "Quiet, everyone! There's a little mishap with the ceremony. We'll fix it right away!"

This was absolutely thrilling.

In my previous life, I'd been the one panicking on stage. Now it was Miguel's parents.

Mom stood up in shock, looking at me worriedly. "Gisse, what on earth is happening?"

I turned around and gave my parents a reassuring look.

Under the astonished gazes of everyone present, I took Harper's hand and addressed the crowd, "Thank you all for coming to my and Harper's wedding today. The wedding posters and the ring were prepared for the wrong person due to a slight oversight."

I paused for effect before continuing. "But it's no big deal. The wedding will continue."

Harper straightened his back proudly beside me, as if declaring his rightful place.

Katrina stared at me, trembling with anger. "Gisselle, have you lost your mind? Do you know what you're doing?"

Jorge also rushed over, lowering his voice to me. "Gisselle, stop messing around! Call off the wedding immediately!"

I ignored them and handed the microphone to Harper.

"Harper, tell everyone why you're standing here."

Harper and I exchanged a smile. His voice was steady and clear. "I'm here today because Miguel gave me 15,000 dollars to pretend to be him at the wedding."

As soon as he said that, the audience erupted in an uproar.

"What? He paid someone to marry his bride for him?"

"Oh my! Has Miguel lost his mind?"

After being exposed in public, Jorge's and Katrina's faces turned completely pale.

Dad's anger flared up completely. He pointed a finger at Jorge and shouted furiously, "How dare you people! Treating my daughter's wedding like a joke! You've gone too far!"

Mom's eyes reddened with fury. She strode onto the stage, placing herself protectively in front of me, and addressed the Hewsons coldly, "This marriage is off! From now on, the Lavender family has nothing to do with the Hewson family!"

Seeing the marriage alliance about to fall through, Katrina panicked.

"Gisse, Miguel is at fault for being foolish and messing around. I'll get him here right away to apologize to you."

I sneered, "Sure. I'll give him one last chance. If you can get through to him on the phone, I'll act like none of this ever happened."

Harper's grip on my hand tightened. I leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Don't worry. Miguel won't come back."

Katrina clung to this last glimmer of hope, dialing Miguel's number frantically and repeatedly.

The only thing from the speaker was the cold, automated female voice. "Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off."

I pretended to look wronged. "It seems Mr. Hewson doesn't want to come back.

"Security, escort these uninvited guests out."

Jorge and Katrina were dragged out by security, as countless reporters crowded around, taking close-up photos eagerly.

Mom held my hand. She didn't ask any questions, just repeated, "Gisse, whatever you decide to do, your father and I support you."

Dad patted me on the shoulder, and warmth filled my heart.

In my previous life, I'd insisted on marrying Miguel, which caused a huge rift with my family. After I died, their hair turned gray overnight.

This time, I'd never make the same mistake.

And Miguel, the chief culprit, I'd never let him off easily.

After the wedding ceremony ended, I called my assistant right away.

"Immediately terminate all cooperation with the Hewson family and withdraw all the funds we've invested. Leave them nothing."

News of my marriage to Harper didn't leak right away.

The Hewson family had suppressed the news to stabilize their stock price.

Right after the wedding, Harper and I rushed to get our marriage license. Right after that, he mentioned going overseas to attend to some business for a few days.

Meanwhile, Miguel, completely in the dark, had been holed up in his villa, enjoying his little escapade with Aubrie. After two full days, it finally dawned on him that something was off.

Ordinarily, I'd have kicked up a fuss by now, forcing him to come back, but there hadn't been a single peep from me.

Miguel scrolled through his phone distractedly, not even responding when Aubrie called him.

He thought, "No, that woman must be playing hard to get.

At the thought, a smile tugged at Miguel's lips. He'd definitely spoiled her too much.

I never expected to run into these two nuisances at Dad's business dinner.

Miguel spotted me first. His face instantly darkened when he saw me chatting with another man.

When Aubrie saw me, she subtly puffed out her stomach and said to Miguel in a cutesy voice, "Miguel, I can't walk anymore. My feet are so sore."

Miguel supported her affectionately, but his gaze kept darting over to me.

He was probably waiting for me to approach him first.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't get his wish fulfilled.

I didn't even grant him a single glance.

He finally couldn't hold back anymore. He strode over to our table, slamming his wine glass down hard. "Gisselle, are you mad about the whole stand-in groom thing?"

I didn't even bother to look at him, getting up to leave.

"I missed the wedding because Aubrie was sick! It was an emergency!"

Aubrie slithered over to block my path.

"Gisse, don't blame Miguel. It's all my fault for being in poor health. I ruined your big day..."

After hearing that, Miguel looked at me and let out an angry laugh.

"Gisselle, how come I never noticed you were so petty? It's just a wedding."

As he spoke, he reached out to grab my arm like it was the most natural thing in the world.

My eyes turned cold. I shook him off. "Mr. Hewson, don't disgrace yourself.

"Haven't your parents told you about the wedding?"

Miguel froze. "Told me what?"

Aubrie looked flustered and grabbed my wrist, trying to persuade me, "Gisse, don't be like this. Miguel is only doing this for your own good..."

Her words were placating, but her nails dug viciously into my skin. I gasped from the sharp pain.

I yanked my hand away violently. "Get out of my way!"

With a cry, Aubrie tumbled to the floor in a very undignified heap.

Miguel's eyes were blazing with rage. He hurried to help Aubrie up and shouted at me, "You crazy woman! Apologize to Aubrie right now!"

I let out a cold laugh and ordered the security guards who'd rushed over at the commotion. "Security, throw them out!"

Miguel's face turned livid with anger. "Don't think this stupid act will get my attention! If you behave, I'll go get the marriage license with you in a few days."

He firmly believed that should he ever decide to come back to me, I'd immediately fall into his arms in gratitude.

I laughed, "But I'm already married."

Miguel's smile froze instantly. He stood there dumbfounded, his brows furrowed tightly. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

He took a step forward, his tone arrogant. "You say you're married? Then why isn't your husband here with you?"

A sarcastic smile tugged at my lips. "My husband's on a business trip. He's not like some lazy loser who can't survive without a woman."

Before he could retort, Aubrie's eyes welled up with instant tears. "Gisse, how can you say that to Miguel?"

She paused deliberately, making Miguel look at me with a mix of disappointment and anger.

"Gisselle, look at yourself. You're so spiteful and mean. Who else would want you besides me?

"I'm telling you—stop playing these hard-to-get games. They only make me despise you more!"

I'd had enough.

"Security! Are you deaf?

"Throw these two out! Now!"

The security guards rushed over, grabbing one by each arm.

Miguel struggled frantically, roaring at me with a ferocious expression, "Gisselle! How dare you treat me like this! You'll regret it!"

That night, I received a text from an unknown number.

It read: "You think this little stunt will steal Miguel from me? Tell you what—he didn't even care. He's happily taking me on a vacation abroad right now."

I didn't need to guess who sent it. I blocked the number immediately.

Over the next week, Jorge and Katrina showed up at my door a few times, desperate, but I refused to see them.

A week later, timing it with Harper's flight arrival, I drove to the airport to pick him up.

When I walked into the international arrivals hall, I ran straight into Miguel and Aubrie.

Both had tanned a bit, wearing sunglasses, looking like they'd just returned from a relaxing vacation.

When Miguel saw me, he smiled smugly, "I knew you couldn't get over me. You even came to pick me up."

I didn't respond, looking at him like he was an idiot.

Aubrie spoke in a sarcastic tone, "Oh, Gisse, don't be mad.

"Miguel didn't mean to leave you behind. As his fiancée, you should be more understanding."

Miguel clearly ate it up. He raised his hand to put around my shoulders, but I sidestepped him.

He wasn't even annoyed, just more convinced I was just throwing a little tantrum. "Alright, stop this tantrum. After we get the marriage license, I'll make it up to you with a way more luxurious honeymoon. Happy now?"

I walked right past them, then ran and threw myself into Harper's arms.

"Honey, welcome home."

Harper caught me firmly, leaning down to plant a gentle kiss on the top of my head.

Behind us, Miguel's smug smile froze instantly.

After a moment of dead silence, Miguel roared in anger and embarrassment, "Gisselle! Have you had enough of this game?"

He stormed over, pointing at Harper angrily while still snapping at me, "You hired an actor just to get back at me? He has nice acting skills. How much did he cost you?"

He said to Harper, "Name your price. I'll pay ten times! Get lost right now!"

Harper pulled me behind him, his eyes darkening. The atmosphere turned tense.

But I pulled him back, poking my head out from behind him, watching Miguel's distorted face at ease.

"Miguel, didn't you want to meet my husband?"

I linked arms with Harper, smiling brightly, "Let me formally introduce you. This is my husband, Harper Moseley."

Miguel's face turned pale. "It's you?"