"Crashing the wedding?" His voice was sharp, laced with suspicion. "Who's crashing a wedding?"

His expression darkened as he took a step closer, his gaze locking onto mine.

"Arabelle, I said I'm marrying you and I mean it! If you still want to be my wife, then stop playing games! If you dare to ruin my wedding with Nadia, don't blame me for leaving you!"

The absurdity of his words nearly made me laugh.

He was the one marrying someone else. And yet, in his twisted mind, I was the villain.

For six years, on every birthday, he had promised, "We'll get married next year."

But every "next year," he had always come up with an excuse. A delay. A reason to avoid meeting my parents. A reason to postpone the wedding.

And now, he had found the perfect excuse. His first love's mother's dying wish. How poetic.

I met his gaze, my heart eerily calm. For the first time in six years, I didn't feel the urge to cry.

I only felt exhausted.

Jonah always had a reason to delay our wedding.

At first, he said I was too young and he didn't want to tie me down with marriage. Then, he claimed he wanted to start a business first to provide me with a better life and put my family at ease. Every excuse sounded noble, as if everything he did was for my sake.

I loved Jonah, so I believed him. I truly thought he had my best interests at heart. Whenever my brother grumbled about wanting to beat Jonah to a pulp, I defended him.

I waited for six years. My friends even joked that if I didn't get married soon, the relationship would fall apart before I ever became a bride.

Finally, Jonah proposed.

The wedding date was set, the preparations were underway—but he still refused to meet my parents. He claimed he wanted to surprise them at the wedding.

Then, just like that, Nadia returned with her terminally ill mother.

That was when I realized—I had been a joke all along.

I let out a self-deprecating laugh and pulled Jonah's ID card from the drawer, tossing it toward him.

"Relax, I have no interest in marrying a second-hand husband."

The words seemed to hit him hard. His brows furrowed and he said,

"How many times do I have to explain this before you get it? What I'm giving her is just a show, a wedding in name only. Once it's over, I'm completely yours. Why can't you be satisfied with that?"

"Right, of course. Go ahead and get your marriage certificate then."

Jonah's fingers trembled slightly as he took the ID card.