Chapter 2Beneath the Wedding Veil

"Congratulations. May your life together be filled with love and laughter, and may your arguments always be short!!"

Everyone present thought I was an invited guest, and they applauded my blessings to the groom and bride.

Only the bride, Ophelia, looked at me in disbelief, thinking I must be joking.

When she realized I wasn't kidding and saw the seriousness on my face, she reluctantly let go of Nathan Blackwell's arm and dragged me into a corner, visibly annoyed.

"Dorian, what's the meaning of this?"

I couldn't believe she had the audacity to ask such a question.

Last week, during my business trip to Frandel, I had taken a shortcut, desperate to get back early out of concern for her and our daughter's safety. That choice had nearly cost me my life in a foreign land.

But when I finally returned home, the first thing I saw was my five-year-old daughter sitting alone, nibbling on some cookies, while my beloved wife was downstairs marrying her first love.

When I walked into the hotel earlier, I saw her and Nathan locked in a sweet embrace, making their vows with sincere devotion.

"In wealth or poverty, in sickness or health, through good times and bad, I vow to stand by Nathan for the rest of my life..."

She looked utterly devout, her eyes even sparkling with tiny stars of emotion.

Yet when we got married, she had asked the officiant to skip the vows altogether, saying it was "too much trouble."

It turned out it wasn't about the vows being troublesome, and it was about the person she was vowing to.

With Nathan's parents, she was warm and natural, the perfect picture of charm. But in our six years of marriage, she had never once treated my parents with such enthusiasm.

If this wedding with Nathan was just an act, then what had our years together been?

My heart felt like it had turned to ash. In a flat voice, I said, "I mean what I said. You two belong together, and I'll bow out."

Ophelia's brows furrowed, and she let out a derisive snort.

"Dorian, stop being unreasonable, will you? My patience has its limits.

"I've already explained everything to you. Nathan and I are just staging a fake wedding to put his parents at ease. And here you are, making a scene. Can you not let it go?"

I let out a cold chuckle and replied indifferently, "Don't overthink it. I'm genuinely stepping aside. Rest assured, I'm not the clingy type. I'll file for divorce as soon as possible and won't drag you down."

Ophelia looked at me in stunned disbelief, as if she couldn't believe the words coming out of my mouth.

"You..."

Before she could finish, I turned and started to leave the hotel. But Nathan stopped me, his face full of guilt as he repeatedly apologized.

"I'm so sorry, Dorian. Let me explain.

"My parents have been pressuring me about marriage, and I didn't want them to worry, so Ophelia and I staged this. We should have told you beforehand. I truly apologize."

Before Nathan could finish, Ophelia grabbed his arm, her voice icy.

"Why are you apologizing to him? He's just being petty. If he wants to sulk, let him! We don't need to bother with him."

When I married Ophelia, I had known she still harbored feelings for her first love, Nathan.

I had naively thought that with time and my love, I could win her over.

But she treated my sincerity as nothing more than the behavior of a pathetic fool.

I no longer wanted to play this one-sided game of giving without receiving. If someone else wanted to take my place, they were welcome to it.

I felt nothing toward her shameless, outrageous behavior—not anger, not indignation. All I wanted was to sever ties with this woman completely.

Chapter