Snatched at the Altar: I Changed Grooms

There's a tradition in the clan called bride heist. The groom has to infiltrate the bride's house in the middle of the night. There, he has to carry her on his back and rush for the exit while overcoming all the obstacles.

I've waited for Nicholas Tanner for three years. Finally, the night when he and his buddies infiltrate the courtyard of my house arrives.

Just as I'm about to bolt toward Nicholas, I hear him murmuring to the others in a low tone.

"When the chaos breaks out, go for Tricia. We can't let her marry that good-for-nothing from the next village. If that happens, she won't be able to leave the mountains ever again.

"As for Charlene, she's a wild and temperamental woman, so she'll definitely fight tooth and nail to stop anyone from abducting her. You all should protect yourselves."

Nicholas' buddies swap glances with each other

"I don't think this is a good idea, Nicholas. You and Charlene have already registered your marriage, after all. If she were to find out the truth, she'd definitely kick up a huge ruckus!"

"Let her be," Nicholas replies casually. "It's way too dark for us to see anything during the bride heist anyway, so it's completely normal if we get the wrong bride. I'll just coax Charlene later if she gets mad at me.

"Besides, y'all know that the marriage certificate is a fake one. I've already promised Tricia that I'll secure a residential slot for her in Capworth. Unfortunately, Charlene will have to bear with the grievances for now."

I overhear every single word in the conversation behind the door. Instead of throwing a tantrum, I retreat back into my room quietly.

Nicholas and his buddies think that I'll cause a huge ruckus and beat up the people involved in the bride heist once I find out that the groom is another man. But I just quietly recline on that man's back and become the bride of the other bride heist team.

"Charlene, my friend, Shawna Wagner, who works at the marriage registry office, helped me look into it, and you are definitely not Nicholas' spouse," Verna Dailey, my friend, said.

I put down my phone. Something in my chest quietly shattered.

Nicholas Tanner and I had been married for five years. But no matter what I did during those five years, his parents could never accept me.

His mother, Irene Barnes, never mentioned my name in front of outsiders. Instead, she'd only call me "that woman from the mountains".

At family banquets, I was always seated in the most peripheral spot. In group photos, I was always placed on the edge, so that I could be easily cropped out if needed.

Nicholas didn't want me to feel slighted, so he had me return to the village first. He told me to wait until he had followed my family custom—after the bride heist and all the rituals were completed—then he would properly bring me back to live with