Bang! The doors to the event room burst open. "Something happened to Lydia!" a man shouted as he stumbled in, panic all over his face. The words hit like a bomb. The room—decked out in flowers, ribbons, and romantic music, buzzing with excitement over the proposal—instantly went still. The man in the spotlight, still down on one knee, ring in hand, spun around in shock. "What did you just say?" Quade Zimmer, his blue-dyed hair as loud as his voice, blurted, "Mrs. Lancaster just called—Lydia's been in a car accident! She's at the hospital right now!" The words had barely left his mouth before chaos erupted—chairs scraping, heels clacking, people rushing for the door. It wasn't an exaggeration to say Lydia Wallace was the it girl of their circle—beautiful, talented, fragile in that heartbreaking way that made people want to protect her. Everyone adored her, pitied her, worshipped her. And now that their goddess was hurt? No one had the heart to keep celebrating a proposal everyone already knew the answer to. Even the guy proposing dropped everything and bolted. "Jasper—" The voice that called his name came from behind—soft, barely more than a breath. That was when everyone finally realized: the woman being proposed to hadn't said a single word this whole time. Somebody must've hit the lights in the chaos, because the room dimmed. The only glow came from the soft wall lights. In the corner, half in shadow, half in light, stood Claudia Lancaster. Her beauty wasn't the sweet, gentle kind—it was sharp, striking, unforgettable. But right now, her calm was unnerving. Her expression gave away nothing. "You don't want to hear my answer?" she asked quietly.Just a minute ago, Jasper Fenton had asked her to marry him. Now, halfway out the door, he froze. He didn't even try to explain. "Claudia, I'm sorry. I have to go to the hospital. Go home first, okay?" "What if I don't let you go?" Her voice stayed steady. "Jasper, you know I hate her." Jasper sighed, exasperated. "Claudia, not now. This isn't the time to start a fight." "My answer… you might only get it once," she said, calm as ever. Something about her tone made him pause. Normally, the moment Lydia's name came up, Claudia would explode—snapping, rolling her eyes, cursing Lydia under her breath. But tonight, she was cool, detached. Almost like she'd been expecting this. A flicker of unease crawled up Jasper's spine. "Oh, please," Quade cut in, rolling his eyes. "You've been obsessed with Jasper since, what, middle school? The guy finally proposes and we're supposed to believe you'd say no?" "Yeah, someone might actually be dying. You can get proposed to any other day." Someone else chimed in. "Exactly! The families arranged this ages ago—this whole thing's just for show." The comments stung, but Claudia didn't so much as blink. Her dark eyes stayed locked on Jasper. Waiting. Jasper let out another sigh and came back to her. Like always, he ruffled her hair like she was a kid. "Be good, okay? Don't make a scene. Lydia could be seriously hurt. This isn't the time for a tantrum." It was always like this. Whenever Lydia was involved, Jasper never asked who was right or wrong. He'd run to comfort Lydia first—and then come back to scold Claudia, soft and patient, like she was a spoiled child who just didn't understand. That was what loving someone from below felt like. No matter how you screamed, your anger was just "cute." Never serious. This proposal? It had never been a real question. Jasper already knew what her answer should've been. "Oh, screw this—I can't keep my mouth shut anymore!" Whitney Sawyer slammed her clutch down, fury flashing in her eyes. She'd been holding it in ever since Quade barged in, but enough was enough. "Jasper, are you her boyfriend or her personal EMT? How is it that every time Lydia gets into 'an accident,' she calls you? Always perfectly timed, always ruining your plans. Last time it was a date, now it's your proposal! What, she couldn't hold off dying for five minutes?" As Claudia's best friend, Whitney had spent weeks planning this proposal. And now, once again, Lydia had hijacked it—and Jasper fell right into the trap. Whitney's fury spread like wildfire. "And the rest of you! What are you running for—visiting her or planning her funeral? At this rate, Lydia should've died a hundred times already!" "Whitney!" Jasper's face darkened; the gentle, mild-mannered man vanished. His voice snapped like a whip. "Watch your mouth." "Oh, spare me." Whitney's voice rose, sharp and furious. "You can't stand to hear your precious Lydia criticized? Jasper, do you even remember who your girlfriend is?" Jasper's eyes iced over. Claudia caught Whitney's arm, voice quiet but firm. "If you walk out that door, Jasper, we're done." Too much time had already been wasted. Jasper pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Don't say something you'll regret. Claudia, we'll talk when I get back." He turned and strode out without another glance. He didn't even know how bad Lydia's injuries were—he just knew he had to go. He told himself, When I get back, I'll make it up to her. I'll give her an even better proposal. He also made a mental note to tell Claudia to stay away from Whitney; clearly that girl was filling her head with nonsense. The room sagged under the weight of it all. Even those who thought Claudia was being dramatic kept their mouths shut. No one wanted to cross Jasper—or the Sawyers. One by one, they slipped away. In minutes, the place was unrecognizable. Crushed rose petals and ribbons littered the floor. Wine bottles rolled under chairs. Frosting smeared across the carpet. The whole scene looked like a parody of what it had been—mocking the ridiculousness of it all. As the last few lingered, someone frowned. "Wait—Lydia's the Lancasters' adopted daughter, right? I heard she's Claudia's cousin. Why didn't anyone call Claudia too?" "Call her? What, you want to make Lydia's injuries even worse?" "Whoa, what's that supposed to mean?" "The usual. Miss Lancaster's cold, cruel, ungrateful… you know how it goes." The whispers started again—soft, poisonous, and familiar. They always did whenever Lydia's name came up next to Claudia's. Whitney's face burned with anger. She turned to Claudia, suddenly worried. Strangers' gossip didn't matter—but betrayal from someone you love? That always hit deeper. Claudia watched Jasper's back as he walked away, each step pulling him further from her. It felt like watching the years slip through her fingers—the boy she'd grown up with fading out of reach. Whitney had asked her once: If nothing had interrupted tonight, would you have said yes? But honestly? No matter what her answer was, the ending would've been the same. Lydia would never let her win. And Jasper would never choose her. The moment he turned his back, he didn't realize—while the future might feel endless, the woman willing to wait for you doesn't last forever. Jasper… this time, I'm really letting go. On the table amid the mess, Claudia's phone buzzed. A WhatsApp notification popped up, short and smug. "You lost."