Elise watched as Victoria approached William, their gazes locking. Tears shimmered visibly in Victoria's eyes.

Andrew Stuart, Victoria's father, gave his daughter's hand a reassuring pat. He then placed her hand into William's and gave the younger man a firm, meaningful clap on the shoulder.

It was a silent gesture, a father entrusting his daughter's future to her husband.

William responded with a respectful nod. Together, he and Victoria turned to face the priest.

The priest delivered the opening rites with fervent passion. Then came the moment everyone anticipated—the exchange of wedding vows.

"William Levine," the priest began, his voice resonating through the grand cathedral. "Do you take Victoria Stuart to be your lawfully wedded wife, in accordance with God's holy ordinance? Do you promise to be faithful to her, to love and to cherish her, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"

Every eye in the cathedral was fixed on William. The camera lenses focused intently on his face, capturing his every micro-expression.

[Oh my god, he's impossibly handsome! Don't zoom in too close, I might actually lick my screen!]

[What incredible karma did I accumulate in a past life to be blessed with this visual feast?]

[Victoria Stuart is officially the luckiest woman alive. No arguments accepted.]

A profound silence had fallen over the cathedral.

Seconds stretched into an uncomfortably long pause. William had not yet spoken the expected words.

Victoria's composure began to crack. She discreetly extended her pinky finger, gently hooking it with William's where his hand rested at his side.

The intimate gesture was instantly captured by the cameras. Online viewers immediately interpreted it as a sweet, flirtatious prompt.

[That little pinky hook is everything! So adorable!]

[My heart can't take this sweetness... it's melting!]

[She didn't just tug his finger, she tugged directly on my heartstrings.]

Simultaneously, Elise found she could no longer bear to watch. Her famed composure was a fragile facade, crumbling under the weight of the scene.

The camera feed abruptly cut away from their intertwined fingers, zooming back onto William's face.

William's gaze lifted, meeting Victoria's expectant eyes briefly before shifting to the priest.

He finally spoke, his tone somber and deliberate. "I—"

Elise tapped the 'exit' button on the live stream feed before he could finish.

She was perhaps lying to herself, a little. But life offered enough inherent pain without voluntarily subjecting oneself to more.

She switched on the television, selecting a random movie to fill the silence and distract her mind. She needed to calculate how much longer until she could take James away.

After that… she and William would return to being strangers, their paths diverging once more.

Her movie was only halfway through when Patrick called again. His first question was laced with pointed curiosity. "Well? Wasn't that absolutely thrilling?"

Elise frowned, confused by his meaning. "What are you talking about? It was… predictable."

"Oh, come now. Your heart must be made of stone," Patrick remarked, a note of genuine admiration in his voice. "If William knew you were this utterly indifferent, he'd probably be weeping in despair all the way to the detention center."

"What?" Elise's expression froze as his words fully registered. "What did you say?!"

"You didn't know?!" Patrick's surprise was evident. "Wait… did you stop watching the wedding livestream because you couldn't handle seeing it through?"

Elise didn't answer. Instead, she frantically navigated back to the livestream page, only to find it had been terminated.

Failing that, she opened a search engine, typing William and Victoria's names alongside 'wedding.' The search results were bafflingly empty.

Every single article, every post, every piece of content covering the much-hyped 'wedding of the century' had vanished from the internet.

It was as if the entire event had been meticulously erased from digital existence.

"Finished searching over there?" Patrick's unhurried voice came through the phone; he had likely deduced her frantic actions.

"What happened?" Elise asked, forcing her voice into a semblance of calm.