She had accepted his proposal of marriage because her mother had constantly emphasized the importance of securing a decent husband and marrying into a wealthy family-one that was as wealthy as (if not wealthier than) her own. She had accepted his proposal because his parents treated her like a daughter, and they were old family friends of hers. She had accepted his proposal because she couldn't bear the thought of breaking someone else's heart, especially when that someone was a good friend of hers. She had accepted his proposal mainly because she was afraid of what would have happened if she were to say no.


All of her life, she had lived by the rules. One of the two rules she had ever broken was that one time when she was younger and had kept a piece of chocolate that her mother had ordered her to throw away. Of course, her guilty conscience had led her to throw away the piece of candy shortly afterward. She had never been allowed to eat any; her mother had wanted to separate her daughter from all the other poorer children by ensuring that she did not share their same love of chocolate. Although it seemed silly to the young woman now, she still had not eaten a single piece in her life.


Wooyoung had found it funny that she had never eaten it before.

He was probably the only other time she had broken a rule. He was the boy who delivered the morning paper daily to her family's mansion. They had met when one day she spotted him while she was playing alone in the garden. She had never been allowed to ride a bicycle her entire life, and was intrigued to see a boy not much older than her riding one. He had offered to teach her how to ride it, but she had politely declined the offer, knowing that her mother would not have wanted her to learn such a thing. Somehow, from that moment on, they had become best friends. Although she had had to keep him a secret due to his lower social status, she never once considered giving up on their friendship.

Telling him about her upcoming marriage had been most difficult. She remembered the way his face fell as he took in the news, and she remembered his obvious disappointment in her as he congratulated her. Wooyoung was the only person who had ever encouraged her to make her own decisions, and being her best friend, it had been rather obvious to him that she was not marrying for love. The smile plastered onto her face disappeared as she recalled how tense their relationship had turned afterward.


Earlier that morning, when she had gone out to greet him and collect the paper from him, he had handed it to her and left without even saying a word. She had invited him to the wedding, but she was certain that he would not come.


Thinking about how she had disappointed him made her stomach churn. Perhaps she would vomit. If she threw up over her wedding dress, maybe she could delay the wedding...


But then again, what was the point in that? Eventually, it would have to continue. She would simply have to it up and get used to the idea of being married to someone whom she did not love. Maybe in time the like would grow into something more-something that was closer to love, even if not love itself. Love. Who needed it anyway? She could always get a divorce.


Deep in her heart, she knew that wasn't true. It would be positively scandalous for someone of her reputation to get a divorce. She would bring shame to the family name, and both of the families would turn against each other. Additionally, how would her parents react? How would her mother react? She had striven for her mother's attention her entire life, just as her mother had longed for her own husband's attention.


She had never seemed to satisfy her mother, no matter how hard she worked in school or how many extracurricular activities she took. She was well aware of the fact that this marriage would probably be the one thing in her life that she did that would please her mother.


The door behind her suddenly burst open, and one of the maids popped her head into the room. "Are you ready yet, Miss?"


"I just need a few more minutes," she responded.


"Alright then. Oh, Miss! I must say, you make a beautiful bride!" the maid said, her eyes widening.


"Thank you, but if that is all, I would really like some more time alone so that I may fix up."


"Oh, right. Yes, of course, Miss." Looking mortified, the maid lightly closed the door behind her.


The young woman glanced down at her wedding dress. It fit her body perfectly, accentuating her every curve, but for some reason, it still didn't feel right. She looked beautiful, yet she had never felt more hideous in her life. She got up from the seat and walked over to her bed. Her heels clicked as she made her away across the large room, and the clicks echoed. She sat on the edge of her bed and as she rearranged her skirts so that she was comfortable, the morning paper that she had neglected to read fell to the floor. Sighing, she bent over to pick it up and then resumed her position upon the bed.

As she unrolled the paper, an envelope taped to the cover caught her attention.