Chapter 1
After eight years of dating, Declan Wright finally agreed to marry me.
But he had one absolute condition: no sunlight on our wedding day.
The rule was strictly to protect his childhood best friend, Daisy, who supposedly suffered from a severe UV allergy.
Over the next six years, I planned six different weddings.
Every single one was washed out by torrential storms.
Today, in our fifteenth year together, was our seventh attempt.
I thought I had finally gotten it right with a gloomy, drizzling afternoon on the Oregon Coast.
But just as we stood on the sand to exchange our vows, the heavy clouds parted.
A single, brilliant shaft of sunlight pierced through the gray, landing directly on my face.
Guests whispered it was a blessing.
Yet, before I could even say "I do," Declan bolted.
Grabbing a black umbrella, he rushed off the altar.
He pulled Daisy into his chest, spiriting her away into the deep shade of the trees.
I stood alone in my mud-soaked gown, watching their retreating silhouettes.
Slowly, I unpinned my veil and left the ring in its velvet box.
If he was always going to keep me in his shadows, it was time I found my own sun.
Audrey
The murmurs from the guests below swelled into a deafening buzz.
"Is the wedding off again?" someone whispered.
"This has to be a joke. Seven years, and it's the exact same thing every time."
"The poor bride... Other brides get fairy-tale weddings with sunshine and roses. She's just standing up there looking like a drowned rat."
The stares hit me like needles.
The rain had truly stopped. But my hair was ruined, my makeup was running, and the bright sunlight only highlighted my mud-streaked dress.
It was utterly humiliating.
I lowered my eyes to the bare stems of my shredded bridal bouquet. A sharp ache gripped my throat.
Fifteen years. How did it end up like this?
"Audrey!"
My mother's voice broke through the hum of pity.
She marched up the steps, grabbing my freezing hand. "Come with me."
The moment she locked the door of the bridal suite, the dam broke.
I collapsed into a chair, crying into my trembling hands.
"I'm not doing this anymore... I don't want him anymore."
My mother sighed softly, smoothing my damp hair.
"Audrey, a man who truly loves you would never let you suffer this kind of humiliation."
Her words drove a blunt knife into my chest.
Relatives had flown thousands of miles just to be here. Seven times they arrived with hope, only to leave in disappointed silence.
But Declan never cared.
No matter how much I pleaded that this wedding mattered to me, he always prioritized Daisy.
I compromised until I had nothing left.
And it was only now I finally understood: his heart hadn't belonged to me in a very long time.
Hours later, I walked into our cold, quiet apartment in Seattle.
I stripped off the ruined wedding dress and shoved it directly into the trash.
Then, I spent an hour tearing down the custom "Just Married" banners I had painstakingly hung across the living room.
Exhausted and shivering with a rising fever, I slumped onto the couch.
I stared blankly at a framed photo of us from seven years ago.
Click.
The front door unlocked.
Declan walked in, meticulously placing a pink thermal lunchbox on the console table before taking off his shoes.
"Why did you just run off from the venue?" he asked casually.
He didn't even wait for my answer.
Walking straight to the fridge, he pulled out ingredients for a broth and stood by the kitchen island.
"Audrey, come chop this carrot for me. Make sure it's minced fine so she can't see it."
Daisy hated carrots. But for her health, Declan always found ways to sneak them into her food.
"Did you send her to the hospital again?" I asked, my voice terrifyingly hollow.
He nodded.
"Are you seriously doing this?" A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
Daisy's so-called UV allergy was barely a rash. If she stood in the sun, her skin got a little red, and the moment she stepped into the shade, she was fine.
Yet Declan treated her like she was made of glass.
Because of that fake illness, whenever Daisy wanted to see him, all she had to do was complain about the sun.
Declan would abandon everything—my birthdays, our anniversaries—to sit by her bed and spoon-feed her.
Declan dropped his knife, shooting me an irritated glare.
"Audrey, what is that tone supposed to mean? It was just a wedding. We'll just rebook it for next time. Why do you have to be so dramatic?"
So, at the end of the day, it was still my fault.
I looked at him, no longer able to hide the crushing sorrow in my eyes.
"Do you know how old I am?"
Declan froze.
"I am thirty-five years old, Declan. How much more time do I have left to wait?"
My words tumbled out faster. My hands trembled in the air as my emotions finally spiraled out of control.
"Wait for next year? The year after? Wait for a promise that has absolutely no end in sight?"
"Do you even remember when you said you'd marry me?"
He licked his lips and looked away, dodging my gaze.
I shook my head and smiled bitterly. "You forgot what you promised me, didn't you?"
