The taxi stopped in front of the hotel.

The same hotel where, two hours earlier, I was supposed to walk in wearing a wedding dress and holding Ethan Walker’s hand.

Now I was arriving alone.

Not as a bride.

But as the woman who was about to end the wedding.

Hannah looked at me worriedly.

“Amelia, are you sure?”

I looked at the entrance.

Hundreds of guests were already inside.

My parents’ friends.

Ethan’s relatives.

Business partners from both families.

Everyone had come to witness our beginning.

Nobody knew they were about to witness our ending.

“Yes.”

I opened the door.

“Five years ago, I chose him.”

“Today, I choose myself.”

The moment I entered the hall, the music stopped.

Everyone turned.

The whispers started immediately.

“The bride came alone?”

“Where is Ethan?”

“Didn’t the groom pick her up?”

Ethan’s mother was the first to approach.

Her smile disappeared when she saw my empty hand.

“Where is your ring?”

I calmly looked at her.

“I returned it.”

Her expression changed.

“What?”

Before she could say anything else, Ethan’s aunt stepped forward.

“Amelia, don’t act impulsively.”

“The wedding guests are already here.”

“You can’t embarrass both families because of a little misunderstanding.”

I almost laughed.

A misunderstanding.

The groom choosing another woman on the wedding day was now called a misunderstanding.

I walked toward the stage.

The microphone was still there.

The host looked confused.

“Miss Hayes…”

I took it from his hand.

The entire hall became silent.

I looked around.

Then I spoke.

“Thank you all for coming today.”

“Unfortunately, there will be no wedding.”

The room exploded.

Some guests gasped.

Some immediately took out their phones.

Ethan’s mother rushed toward me.

“Amelia!”

“Stop this nonsense!”

I didn’t move.

“I am not canceling this wedding because Ethan was late.”

“I am canceling it because before he became my husband…”

“He already chose another woman over me.”

The hall became completely silent.

Someone whispered:

“Sophie?”

At that moment, the huge screen behind the stage suddenly lit up.

A photo appeared.

Sophie sitting in the hospital.

Ethan kneeling in front of her.

Holding her shoes.

The same photo she had sent me.

The same photo that destroyed the last illusion I had about him.

People began whispering.

Ethan’s relatives looked uncomfortable.

His mother immediately stepped forward.

“That doesn’t mean anything!”

“She’s just his friend!”

I smiled.

“Then why was he not with his bride?”

“Why was he buying her shoes while I was waiting alone in my wedding dress?”

Nobody answered.

Then my phone rang.

Ethan.

Everyone looked at me.

I answered and turned on speaker.

His angry voice immediately filled the hall.

“Amelia, what are you doing?”

I looked at the guests.

“I’m doing what you told me to do.”

“Being mature.”

There was silence.

Then Ethan lowered his voice.

“Come back.”

“The ceremony can still continue.”

I almost couldn’t believe him.

“Continue?”

“Yes.”

“Sophie is fine now. I can arrive in twenty minutes.”

Twenty minutes.

The amount of time he needed to finish taking care of another woman before marrying me.

I closed my eyes.

Then I asked:

“Ethan.”

“Do you remember what you said when you proposed?”

He didn’t answer.

“You said the woman you married would always be your first choice.”

Silence.

I continued:

“But today, before we even became husband and wife…”

“You already proved I was not.”

His voice became impatient.

“Amelia, don’t ruin five years because of one day.”

I smiled.

“No.”

“I spent five years because of one day.”

Everyone froze.

I removed the necklace holding the engagement ring.

Then I placed it on the table.

“I spent five years waiting for you to love me the way you loved protecting her.”

“Today I finally stopped waiting.”

Ethan’s breathing became heavier.

“Amelia…”

For the first time, he sounded afraid.

But it was too late.

I ended the call.

Then I looked at the guests.

“I apologize for wasting everyone’s time.”

“But this wedding cannot continue.”

I turned around.

And walked away.

Outside the hotel, the evening wind touched my face.

Hannah followed me.

“Do you think he will regret it?”

I looked back at the bright hotel lights.

“I don’t know.”

“But I know something.”

“What?”

“The woman who waited for him died today.”

At that moment, my phone received a new message.

From Ethan.

Only one sentence.

“Amelia, come back. I finally understand what I lost.”

I stared at the screen.

Then another message arrived.

Not from Ethan.

From Sophie.

A photo.

Her hospital bracelet.

And a sentence:

“Amelia, there is something you need to know about Ethan and me.”

I opened the message.

And the first line made my fingers freeze.

Because Sophie wasn’t writing to apologize.

She was warning me.

About the secret Ethan had hidden for five years.