Lost

The bell rang, and a flock of white doves flew from the church, spreading their majestic wings against the blue sky.

"Now, please welcome the bride!"

The melody of Wedding March filtered through the air, and the large doors of the hall swung open slowly.

Dressed in a lovely white wedding dress, Ariana Edwards composedly entered the church with a bouquet of fresh flowers in her hands. Her clear eyes were filled with expectation and unease.

But when she looked around the inside of the church, the hope and expectation in her eyes suddenly diminished.

Not only was there not a single guest at the scene, but the groom himself was absent.

Other than the priest who was standing on the stage with the Bible in his hands, only her stepmother, Glenda Edwards, was standing nearby and gazing at her with a smile.

"What happened?" Ariana froze in her tracks. She looked at Glenda with apprehension mounting in her heart.

Glenda ignored Ariana's question and walked to Ariana's side as if nothing was wrong. She took Ariana by the arm and dragged her to the front of the priest.

"Let's begin." Glenda instructed the priest to carry out the wedding process.

The priest nodded and began to read Bible. Then he asked the bride, "Miss Ariana Edwards, do you take the groom, Theodore Anderson, as your husband and vow to stay by his side, in sickness, and in health, till death do you part..."

When she heard the priest state the groom's name, Ariana thought she was experiencing an auditory hallucination.

Her groom-to-be should be Jasper Anderson, the second son of the Andersons.

Theodore was Jasper's elder brother. Three months ago, he was involved in a terrible car accident that rendered him a vegetable. Now he was still lying on the bed!

"You've made a mistake! My boyfriend is Jasper Anderson, and the groom-to-be should be him! How could it be Theodore?" Ariana stumbled back in a panic, stepping on the long hem of her wedding dress behind her. The material pulled, and she staggered and almost fell.

Glenda's sharp eyes glared at her stepdaughter, and she sneered, "There is no mistake. You and Theodore were meant to be the bride and groom of this wedding from the very beginning. Theodore has become a vegetable and only has a few days left to live. An IUI procedure must be implemented using his preserved sperm so that he can have a child before he dies. You are the chosen container for that embryo."

"This is ridiculous! Where's Jasper? He won't allow you to do this!" Ariana demanded, her eyes red. She couldn't accept any of it.

Glenda didn't answer Ariana. Instead, she raised her hand impatiently. The bodyguards lurking in the shadows rushed over immediately, grabbing Ariana and trying to get her to finish the wedding by force.

Ariana tried her best to struggle, flailing and twisting. Her intricate wedding attire untangled as her hair scattered and her dress tore and dirtied. She was like a fierce desperado, trying every way she could to fight her way out.

She hit the bodyguards with her high heels and managed to free herself from their grasp. Then she ran toward the door of the hall as fast as her legs could carry her, desperately trying to escape her pursuers.

The church was a vast building. Ariana gasped for air as she ran without a destination.

The bodyguards were still chasing after her. She could hear their heavy footsteps close behind, but she didn't dare to stop to look. Ariana fled into a white villa beside the church in panic.

She looked for a place to hide, trying to stay quiet and calm her heavy breathing.