Charles slammed the steering wheel, then started the car and headed toward the wedding.
Halfway there, a small car suddenly appeared and rammed us head-on.
Thankfully, Charles’s driving was expert; he swerved and barely scraped the other car.
A girl in a miniskirt jumped out, ran over, and knocked on our window.
“How could you drive like that? You’ve wrecked my car. None of you is leaving today. You have to fix it!”
“Stay inside. I’ll take care of it.”
She looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t place her.
Then Jason called. “Where are you? We’ve been waiting forever. Why aren’t you here yet?”
“I was in a car accident,” the girl next to me said.
“A car accident on such a happy day—bad luck. Maybe God doesn’t want you to get married?”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Lydia, get a taxi here quickly. Don’t miss the auspicious time.”
My throat tightened. “I was in an accident, and your first concern isn’t if I’m hurt, but if we missed the auspicious time?”
“My wife is lucky; she’ll be fine. Get a taxi here fast. Everyone’s waiting.”
Jason hung up.
As I got out of the car, someone grabbed my wrist.
“You can’t leave! No one in this car leaves today!”
The girl who hit us was holding me.
Looking closer, I finally recognized her.
Though I didn’t know her name, I’d met her once at work—Selena’s best friend.
Charles stepped in front of me. “This is my car. If you have something to say, say it.”
“No one here leaves. Who knows if you hit me on purpose?”
“Sister, there are surveillance cameras. You hit us.”
“I don’t care. None of you leave.”
I sneered. “Did Selena send you to stop me?”
The girl froze, clearly caught off guard.
“Who’s Selena? I don’t even know her.”
My phone rang again. It was Selena’s video call.
When I answered, she was wearing my couture wedding gown. Behind her, my makeup artist was styling her hair. “Lydia Newton, how do I look?”
“Don’t misunderstand, Mr. Miller said you might not make it. He worried we’d miss the auspicious time, so he asked me to stand in for you.”
“You don’t have to rush here. I’ll livestream the whole wedding.”
“I won’t say more. The ceremony’s about to start.”
I silently leaned back into the car, watching what used to be my wedding unfold perfectly.
I’d carefully chosen the venue, down to every flower.
But now, someone else stood where I should be.
At the ceremony’s peak, the host announced, “The groom may kiss his bride!”
Jason leaned in without hesitation and kissed her.