"Now, the bride's uncle, Mr. Harper, will give the bride away to the groom. Let us all witness this beautiful moment of love..."

Just as the words landed, a firm yet emotional female voice cut right through the atmosphere.

"Wait a minute!"

All heads turned toward the source. A young woman in a pink maternity robe, carrying an infant in her arms, clutching a mic, was being carefully helped onto the stage.

The crowd immediately buzzed. Anyone familiar with drama could tell—this was going to be a serious bombshell.

The groom's face twitched with panic, shooting a sharp, furious glare at the woman.

Meanwhile, Monica Harper stood quietly, her fair face giving away nothing—not even a flicker of surprise.

The woman raised her voice, loud and clear: "Waldo Campbell! You're marrying her? Then what about me and the baby? To chase power, to get in good with the Harpers, you're just gonna pretend your own kid doesn't exist?"

Boom. Just like that, jaws dropped.

Guests who had shown up with fancy gifts hadn’t even touched their appetizers before getting hit with the hottest scandal they’d seen in a while.

This whole wedding? A power move, one-side filthy rich, the other loaded with influence. The ultimate elite combo, tailor-made for the headlines.

Well... not anymore. Thanks to that woman, this fairy tale was crumbling in 4K.

All eyes once filled with envy and blessing toward Monica now softened into sympathy.

Richard Harper's expression was thunderous, colder than ice. "Sophia Lillycrop!"

Waldo finally snapped out of it. "Uncle, Monica, listen to me, this woman—she and I—it’s been over for—"

Monica eyed him flatly. Not sad. Not mad. Honestly? She looked… relieved?

Yes. That was relief in her eyes. Lucky to find out now. Lucky they hadn’t gone through with the paperwork. Lucky she could still hit the brakes.

A blessed woman doesn’t walk into a cursed marriage.

She reached out toward the host. The pro, clearly used to sticky situations, handed her the mic without hesitation.

Monica kept her cool, voice steady. "Waldo Campbell, we’re done. This wedding is off."

Then she turned to the crowd, bowed slightly. "Sorry everyone, you had to witness this mess."

Her uncle took the mic from her, voice booming: "The wedding between my niece and the Campbells is officially canceled. However, the reception’s ready, and food shouldn’t go to waste—that’s one tradition we’re keeping alive. Please stay and enjoy."

"The cash gifts from guests on our side? We’ll return every cent. Let’s just treat today as a regular get-together."

And just like that, applause erupted. Gotta respect Mr. Harper—no one dared not to.

Someone in the crowd yelled out, "Monica, you’re awesome! Don’t cry over the wrong guy, the right one’s waiting!"

The fairy-tale wedding meant to stun the city ended in awkward silence and gossip, as sudden as it began.

By the time Monica got back to the Qingjiang villa—left to her by her parents—it was already late in the day.As if trying to match this mess of a day, drizzle started falling from the sky. The second she saw the man standing at the gate of the villa in the rain, Monica Harper frowned, face full of annoyance.

Her ex, James White, heard the noise and turned excitedly towards her. “Monica! I heard you dumped Waldo Campbell in front of everyone today? How about we give it another go?”

Monica shot him a cold glare. “Hands off.”

“No way. Monica, I swear I won't let go again. I was an idiot before, I admit it. But those three years... you know those were real. Just give me one more chance, okay? I—”

“Get lost!” she snapped without hesitation.

“I’m not leaving. Not until you forgive me. I’ll stick around as long as it takes.”

Monica looked at the man trying to play the pitiful lovesick guy and suddenly laughed—a laugh so unsettling it made James flinch. “Monica…?”

Noticing something was off, a security guard walked over. “Miss Harper, do you need assistance?”

“Yeah. Please escort this man out and make sure he doesn’t show up at my place again.”

“Wait—don’t! Monica, please, don’t be like that! Let them go, can’t we just try again... just once more...”

His cries faded as the guards dragged him away. Monica looked up and slowly exhaled. Sure, the sweet moments in love were real—but so was the clean break once it ended.

She'd met James during their senior year in college and dated him for three years. Back then, he treated her like royalty, doting to the point he made her own mom seem inattentive.

And despite being together that long, he never crossed the line—just hugs, hand-holding, and kisses. Said he wanted to wait till marriage, worried something might happen to him and he wouldn’t be able to give her a full life.

What a perfect boyfriend. What a touching excuse. Only later did she discover, quite accidentally—James was gay. He had a boyfriend the whole time. Not “couldn’t bear to touch her”—he just wasn’t into women.

She broke up with him clean and fast. Moved on. Got introduced to Waldo Campbell through mutual friends. Three months in, things looked perfect: great family background, good match, and all seemed well—right up to that trainwreck of a wedding day.

Now she couldn’t tell if her judgment just sucked or if she was cursed to attract weirdos.

She’d barely kicked James out that afternoon when Waldo showed up in the evening.

And turns out, Waldo actually took a page straight out of James’ book—said he wouldn't leave unless she forgave him. Then really did it: stood out in the rain all night like some tragic movie hero.

But honestly, what did any of that have to do with her?

Next morning, Monica walked out, completely ignoring the soaking-wet Waldo squatting in the yard like a drowned mutt. She quietly packed her bags and drove off.

Time to leave all the drama behind. She was heading for Dian’nan, hoping to unwind in the picturesque stillness there. She planned to stay for a bit at Jizhao Temple—what everyone called “the most beautiful nunnery in China”—to clear her head, eat simple meals, chant in peace, and reset her luck.

When she returned, she'd still be Monica Harper—the woman who could handle life's curveballs and shrug off all the drama.

She set off at 7 a.m., reaching the mountainous border between Sichuan and Dian’nan around 2 p.m. The roads there were twisty and remote—no highways yet—meant she had to rely on the winding national road.

Her bad luck? Yep, still strong. Honestly, just drinking water could get her choked these days.

After over two hours on those nauseating mountain roads, she was about one-third away from her destination when—bam!—a landslide blocked the entire way up ahead.

Completely stuck.