The bridal gown hung against the mirror like a fragile dream ivory silk cascading in soft waves, delicate pearls stitched across the bodice, shimmering faintly in the golden glow of the room. Li Na Chen stood barefoot before it, her hands pressed tightly together as if in prayer. Tomorrow, she would walk down the aisle. Tomorrow, she would become Mrs. Zhao Ming.
At least, that was what she believed.
The night air buzzed faintly with celebration outside; relatives filled her family's courtyard, drinking tea, laughing, congratulating. Yet beneath the music and chatter, Li Na's heart had been uneasy all evening. Zhao Ming hadn't called. He hadn't sent a single message since afternoon.
*It's just cold feet,* she told herself, pacing by the window. *Men always get nervous before weddings.*
But when her phone finally rang, it wasn't Zhao Ming. It was her cousin, breathless, words tumbling over one another like stones down a cliff.
"Li Na don't panic he's gone. Zhao Ming… he left. He left with Fang Mei. "
The rest blurred, drowned beneath the roaring in her ears. Li Na clutched the edge of the dresser, her knees buckling.
"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Her voice cracked, the disbelief cutting her throat raw.
Her cousin's silence was answer enough.
The phone slid from her trembling hands. The bridal gown loomed in front of her, mocking, each pearl now glinting like a shard of cruelty. She sank to the floor, unable to breathe, her carefully constructed future collapsing in an instant.
The humiliation burned hotter than the heartbreak. Tomorrow, her guests would whisper. Tomorrow, her family would bow their heads in shame. Tomorrow, the city would laugh at the jilted bride.
Tears blurred her vision, but behind them flickered a sharp, dangerous resolve. If Zhao Ming thought she would weep in silence, he was wrong. If Fang Mei thought she had won, she had underestimated her.
Li Na wiped her face, her trembling hardening into steel.
The eve of her wedding had shattered her dreams but it had also lit a fire in her heart. And by morning, that fire would drive her to make the most reckless decision of her life.