Lena had spent her whole life on the outside looking in—left out of every sibling’s wedding, always the afterthought. By the time her own big day arrived, she made a decision: they wouldn’t be invited. Not out of pettiness, but because she was finally done begging for inclusion.

When her family found out, they were furious. But Lena stood her ground. “None of you wanted me at your weddings. So why should you be at mine?” she said. That’s when the truth came out—she wasn’t their sister, but a cousin taken in after her father’s death. The exclusion had never been about age. It was about blood.

The revelation shattered her. Everything she thought she knew about her place in the family collapsed in one conversation. Her siblings admitted they kept her at arm’s length. Even her parents had hidden the truth. Hurt and hollow, Lena walked out and found solace in the one person who had always seen her—Rowan.

Instead of a wedding for them to witness, Lena chose love on her own terms. She and Rowan eloped, no audience, no performance—just the two of them. And in that quiet courthouse, with sun streaming through dusty windows, Lena felt something she never had with her family: she belonged.