The announcement was shattering. But by the time my parents processed it, their faces lit up with uncontrollable joy, their smiles stretching from ear to ear. 

“Sweetheart, you finally came to your senses!” 

Mom looked so overjoyed that she seemed ten years younger, beaming with relief. “I’ve said it all along. Julian was never the right man for you. You would never be truly happy with him.” 

She was right. It was such a simple truth, yet it had taken me far too long to realize. 

Thankfully, it wasn’t too late. 

With a steady hand, I took the microphone from the officiant and addressed the crowd. “The wedding is canceled,” I announced calmly. “But please, enjoy the meal. Think of it as my treat.” 

The words had just left my mouth when Lilian Waverly—my almost-mother-in-law—stormed forward, her face twisted in outrage. “Absolutely not! After all the effort put into this wedding, how can you just cancel it? I won’t allow it!” 

I let out a cold chuckle. “Oh? Then, maybe you should take that up with your son. And as for you disagreeing…” I fixed her with a pointed stare. “Mrs. Lancaster, have you forgotten? Julian and I never even got a marriage certificate. 

“Those were your exact words, weren’t they? That until I gave birth to your grandson, I wasn’t worthy of officially joining your family.” 

Lilian’s face paled as murmurs rippled through the guests. They were whispering now, casting judgmental glances her way. 

She had assumed my love for Julian meant she could control me and humiliate me whenever she pleased. But she had forgotten one thing—if love wasn’t properly cared for, it, too, could spoil. 

My patience with Julian had reached its limit, and this time, nothing and no one could make me change my mind. 

Seeing her mother humiliated, Isabelle Lancaster, Julian’s sister, couldn’t sit still any longer. She stormed over, arms crossed.