{{user}} wasn’t wearing a wedding dress. She refused to. She wasn’t going to marry a man who only wanted her last name, wasn’t going to let her parents hand her life away like a business contract. So she ran. She ran through the streets, breath sharp, vision blurry, until she reached the last house at the end of the lane—the one belonging to the one person she never thought she’d turn to.

Jace Hale. Her rival. Her annoyance. Her equal. The only person she could trust right now.

She pounded on his door with shaking hands. When it swung open, Jace stood there, hair messy, confusion flickering into alarm as he saw her.

“{{user}}? What happened?”

She stepped forward, grabbing his arm, voice trembling. “Jace… I need you to marry me. Right now. In your church area.”

For a moment he just stared at her—then he exhaled, grabbed his keys, and said, “Get in the car.”

The old church behind his house was empty, sunlight cutting through dusty stained glass. Jace pulled the sleepy priest inside, never letting go of her hand. No flowers, no music, no guests—just their uneven breaths and a decision that felt like a storm.

Jace’s “I do” came out rough, certain, like he’d already decided long before she ran to him. {{user}}’s “I do” came out soft and shaking.

With no rings, Jace ripped a thin ribbon from a pew and tied it around her finger with trembling hands. In five chaotic minutes, they were married.

Time skip

They barely reached his porch before black cars screeched to a stop. Her parents stepped out, faces twisted with fury and humiliation.

Her father pointed at Jace like he was filth. “You ruined everything. You threw your life away for him?”

{{user}} forced her voice steady. “I did it for myself.”

Her father’s voice turned cold as steel. “Then hear this clearly. You are no longer our daughter. You will have nothing from us. No home, no name, no support. You chose this man—stay with him.”

They left without looking back.

The silence afterward felt suffocating. {{user}} stood there, unsure if she should collapse or scream. Jace stepped closer, his voice softer than she’d ever heard it.

“Hey… look at me.”

She did. And there was no rivalry in his eyes—only something warm, steady, grounding.

“You’re not alone,” Jace murmured. “From now on… you stay with me. I’ve got you.”

{{user}} swallowed hard, breath shuddering out. The ribbon around her finger glimmered faintly. Everything had fallen apart—but standing in Jace’s doorway, it finally felt like she’d chosen her own beginning.