Forced to Marry a Dog I Said No — His Family Went Crazy

On the day of the wedding, it was almost noon, yet my fiancé still hadn’t come to pick me up.

Dressed in my wedding gown, I waited at the door, finally spotting the limousine.

But stepping out of the car was not my groom—it was a dog in a tuxedo.

Holding the leash was my fiancé’s first love, Lily Harper.

She smiled and said, “I used Tarot cards to predict for Eric Collins, and they showed that the wedding ceremony would bring him misfortune. So Eric decided to let this dog take his place in the ceremony.”

Tears streamed down my face as I questioned my fiancé, but Eric only said, “This dog has been with me since childhood. He’s like a brother to me.”

“It’s only standing in for me at the wedding, not in the bedroom.”

I called my future motherinlaw, but Margaret Collins thought I was being unreasonable.

Impatiently, she said, “If you truly love Eric, you shouldn’t let him take such risks.”

“Lily’s reading showed bad luck—you’d better believe it might be true.”

Heartbroken, I turned instead to Daniel Walker, who had pursued me for ten years.

When Eric’s family heard the news, they nearly went mad.

On the wedding day, as noon approached, Eric still hadn’t appeared.

The scheduled time had long passed, and no one had come to fetch the bride.

The photographers and stylists looked at each other, faces full of pity as they glanced at me.

I even overheard whispers: “Could the groom have run away?”

Embarrassed, I walked to the door, scanning the distance, but still saw no limousine.

I called Eric.

A woman answered instead: “Sophia, are you getting anxious? Sorry, we’ll be right there.”

My brows furrowed. “Who are you? Where’s Eric? Let me talk to him.”

She ignored my question and cheerfully said, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Eric arrives safe and sound.”

Then she hung up.

I tried again—no answer. One more time—the phone was off.

I stood at the doorway, restless and uneasy.

Just then, the limousine finally arrived.

Excited and relieved, I lifted my gown and hurried forward in high heels.

But when the car door opened, a halfhumansized German shepherd leapt out.

Startled, I screamed and stumbled backward, tearing my dress as I fell.

Then I heard laughter.

Lily jumped down from the car, tugging at the dog’s leash.

“Sorry, Sophia, I forgot to hold onto the leash just now.”

The dog bared its teeth at me, barking fiercely, and I didn’t even dare look it in the eyes.

A moment later, Eric got out of the car.

To my shock, he wasn’t even wearing a tuxedo—just casual clothes.

I grabbed his arm. “Eric, hurry and change.”

But Eric said, “Get in the car first. There’s no time. Once we’re at the venue, just explain that we were delayed by traffic.”

I climbed in, only to realize Eric didn’t follow.

Turning back, I saw Lily pushing the dog into the seat beside me.

The beast nearly pounced on me. Terrified, I screamed and bolted from the car.

Eric’s temper flared—not at Lily, but at me.

He pointed at me and snapped, “Sophia Bennett! What’s wrong with you? Don’t you want to get in the car?”

I shot back, “This is our wedding limousine! Besides the driver, it should only be the bride and groom inside. Why bring a dog?”

Lily smiled sweetly. “Sophia, today he is your groom. The two of you should ride together.”

“I’ll sit with Eric in the second car,” Lily Harper said.

I thought I had misheard.

Staring at Eric Collins in shock, I asked, “So the groom today is… this dog?”

Eric nodded impatiently.

I cried out in anguish, “What about you? Aren’t you the one I’m supposed to marry?”

Eric replied, “Lily read my fortune with Tarot cards. If I go through with the ceremony, it’ll bring me misfortune. So the dog will take my place.”

“I’ve raised this dog since I was a child—he’s like family. What’s wrong with letting him be my standin?”

“Sophia, you’re usually so understanding. Can’t you just make a little sacrifice for me?”

I nearly fainted from anger. “Eric! So it’s because I’m understanding that you think you can bully me like this?”

“What kind of bride marries a dog? Is there such a thing anywhere in the world?”

“You know how much I’ve been looking forward to this wedding. You know how much I love you.”

“How can you bear to make me the laughingstock of everyone?”

The more I spoke, the more it broke me, until I covered my face and sobbed.

Lily piped up cautiously, “Sophia, a wedding is just a formality. Why make Eric risk misfortune just for something that doesn’t really matter?”

“Would you rather he suffer harm, just to satisfy your vanity?”

Hearing this, Eric’s eyes grew even colder as he looked at me. “Sophia Bennett, do you even love me?”

I lifted my tearstreaked face and stared at him. “Do you love me? If you did, would you humiliate me like this?”

At that moment, Eric’s phone rang.

On the other end was Margaret Collins, his mother.

“Why aren’t you back yet? The guests are getting restless,” she barked.

Eric answered, “Sophia refuses to come.”

Margaret exploded, “Put her on the phone!”

I took the call, but before I could say anything, she was already shouting:

“Sophia, where did you pick up this nonsense? The limousine is here and you’re throwing a tantrum? Trying to raise your price, are you?”

“Let me tell you, the Collins family may be wealthy, but we’re not fools. If you don’t want to marry, there are plenty of women lining up to take your place.”

I quickly tried to explain, “No, it’s not that! Eric and Lily brought a dog and want me to go through the ceremony with it.”

Margaret was a very traditional woman, so I thought she’d stop Eric. But to my disbelief, she said lightly, “I already knew.”

“Lily’s reading showed that Eric would face misfortune if he held the wedding. Better safe than sorry—let the dog do it.”

“You’re marrying my son, so you should put his wellbeing first. Stop making trouble out of nothing.”

Then she hung up.

I stood there, stunned.

Eric sneered. “Still not getting in the car?”

I looked at the dog inside and shook my head.

“Forget it then,” Eric said coldly.

He took Lily’s hand. “Let’s go.”

Lily asked softly, her voice brimming with joy, “Eric, are you not holding the ceremony anymore?”

Eric replied indifferently, “Of course it will be held. If Sophia wants to throw a fit, she can take a cab to the venue herself.”

“But it looks like she doesn’t want to get married anymore,” Lily said.

Eric glanced at me through the window and mocked, “Not marry? She wouldn’t dare. Give her some time—she’ll swallow her pride and come crawling over.”

With that, the wedding convoy drove away.

Tears fell silently from my eyes.

Everyone assumed I couldn’t bear to lose this wedding.

Eric thought so too.

It was only because Eric Collins was the heir to the wealthy Collins family that people thought I was reaching above my station.

I was just an orphan, taken in by Robert Collins, his grandfather.

To outsiders, it seemed like I had climbed too high, that I should grovel before the Collins family and cling to this chance to “rise above.”

But no one knew the truth—Robert had personally and respectfully invited me to live with the Collins family. The word “adoption” was just for appearances.

And back then, it was Eric who had pursued me relentlessly.

He accompanied me whenever I went shopping, replied instantly to every message, remembered every little thing I liked.

I was moved by his sincerity, and that was why I agreed to marry him.

I never imagined that after he proposed successfully, he would turn so cold.

Perhaps… he never loved me at all.

At that moment, the photographers and stylists approached cautiously.

“Miss Bennett, we…”

I gave a bitter smile. “You can all go. I’ll transfer the final payment to your accounts. My wedding is canceled.”

They nodded silently, gave me a sympathetic look, and left.

With a sigh, I turned to head home and change out of my gown.

But just as I reached the doorway, a sudden roar startled me.

I turned and saw a motorcycle charging toward me.

I jumped back in fright.

The bike screeched to a halt, and two thugs leapt off.

They smirked, “Hey beauty, wearing a wedding dress—who are you trying to seduce?”

Shocked and furious, I snapped, “Leave right now, or I’ll call the police.”

They exchanged a glance and sneered, “Go ahead. We’re regulars at the station anyway.”

One of them lunged at me while the other pulled out his phone, leisurely recording.

I ran, screaming for help, but there was no one around.

In high heels, I couldn’t move fast. Before long, they cornered me against a wall.

I struggled to push one of them away, but he was far stronger. His hands clawed at my gown, ready to tear it apart.

Then, at that critical moment, a tall figure’s cold voice rang out: “Stop.”

The two thugs froze.

Before they could react, the man moved with lightning speed and knocked them both down.

Only then did I recognize him—it was Daniel Walker.

I hurried to him, my eyes misting. “Thank you… thank God you came in time.”

Daniel shook his head. “I wasn’t in time. I was here all along.”

That one sentence made tears spill from my eyes.

Daniel and I had known each other since childhood; our families were old friends.

When I chose to marry Eric, he had gotten drunk and called me, saying he would never bother me again—but that he would always wait.

I thought he wouldn’t show up today. I never imagined he had been watching over me all along.

After the thugs fled, Daniel was about to leave.

I called out to him: “I’m supposed to get married today, but I’m missing a groom. Interested?”

His body trembled.

When he turned back, he wore a forced casual smile. “And what kind of groom would I be? Temporary? Parttime?”

I laughed. “Lifelong. Fulltime.”

His eyes lit with unrestrained joy. “Yes. Yes!”

As if afraid I’d change my mind, he pulled me into his car and told the driver, “Get us to the County Clerk’s Office as fast as you can!”

I looked at him in surprise. “Do you even have your documents with you?”

Daniel nodded seriously. “I’m always ready to marry you.”

At the County Clerk’s Office, Daniel Walker finally let out a sigh of relief only after we had completed the registration and received our marriage certificate.

The entire way there, he had been worried I might change my mind.

As we stepped outside, I looked at the burgundycovered certificate in my hands, a wave of emotion washing over me.

“My father liked you a lot,” I whispered. “He mentioned you to me several times. If only he could see this.”

Daniel’s voice was low. “No word from Mr. Bennett yet?”

I nodded faintly. “It’s been three years since he went missing.”

Three years ago, my mother, Julia Bennett, died in a car accident overseas.

My father, Richard Bennett, went abroad to investigate, but then mysteriously disappeared. We never heard from him again.

Out of concern that, as a young woman, I might be mistreated or misled, Robert Collins had invited me to live with the Collins family while waiting for news of my father.

I never expected that wait to stretch into three years. And in that time, I had nearly become a Collins daughterinlaw.

Just then, a bespectacled young man hurried past and accidentally bumped into Daniel, spilling coffee all over his suit.

The young man was flustered, stammering apologies.

Daniel, in high spirits after our marriage, smiled. “It’s fine.”

He turned to me. “Wait here a moment, I’ll clean this up in the restroom.”

I nodded.

But no sooner had Daniel rushed off than a group of men closed in around me.

Startled, I tried to step aside, but they lunged, seizing my arm.

I opened my mouth to call out, but one of them quickly covered it with his hand.

I recognized one of them immediately—it was Eric Collins’ bodyguard.

He made a quick call. “Mr. Collins, we’ve found Miss Bennett. We’re bringing her to the wedding venue now.”

Eric’s cold voice came through the phone: “Hurry.”

The next second, I was shoved into a car.

Half an hour later, I was dragged into the hotel banquet hall where Eric was waiting.

His face was icy. “Sophia Bennett, were you really planning not to show up?”

“All because of a dog—you’d throw away our wedding?”

“I’m not just disappointed in you, I’m heartbroken.”

At that moment, Margaret Collins came out and snapped at him, “The guests are waiting. Start the ceremony immediately. Bring her in.”

As she passed me, she shot me a sharp glare. “Sophia, you’re far too unruly. On your wedding day of all days, you kept everyone waiting over an hour. After this ceremony, I’ll see to it you learn some proper discipline.”

Eric waved his hand, and two bodyguards forced me toward the hall.

I struggled. “Eric, I have nothing to do with you anymore. I’ve already married someone else!”

He looked at me as if I were insane. “Sophia, do you think lying like this is amusing?”

“Making a scene at our wedding will get you nothing but my disgust.”

“My advice? Know your place, and stop squandering the love I’ve given you.”

They dragged me to the entrance of the hall.

There, I froze.

A massive poster hung by the doors.

On it was my photo—next to Eric’s black dog.

Beneath it, bold letters read: Sophia Bennett & Blackie — Joyfully Wed.

Blackie. That was the name of Eric’s dog.

The hotel had turned it into a spectacle. Guests gathered around, taking pictures, laughing as they posted them online.

Lily Harper bounded over, grinning. “Sophia, I designed that poster myself. Do you like it?”

I clenched my teeth in rage.

But Eric didn’t so much as glance my way—he only urged the bodyguards on, dragging me into the hall.

Inside the banquet hall, all eyes turned to me, filled with contempt.

I overheard whispers:

“Doesn’t Sophia Bennett know her own worth?”

“On her wedding day she dares to put on airs? How could someone like her be worthy of the Collins family?”

Others muttered, “Eric Collins isn’t just rich and handsome—he’s actually devoted. And here Sophia is, making a scene on such an important day. Yet Eric even went out of his way to bring her back.”

Their pointing fingers and hushed comments made my chest burn.

I couldn’t hold back anymore. I raised my voice: “I’m already married to someone else. Eric and I have nothing to do with each other anymore. Let me go!”

But not a single person believed me.

Someone even sneered, “Sophia, stop pretending. Everyone knows you’ll do anything to climb up to Eric.”

“You served him like a maid—pouring tea, washing his feet—just to marry into wealth.”

“And now your dream is about to come true. Would you really throw it away?”

“My advice: be smart about this. If Eric gets angry, you can kiss your rich life goodbye.”

The one speaking was one of Eric’s socalled brothers.

I turned, eyes blazing with grief and rage. “Eric, is this what you’ve told them about me?”

He cleared his throat and whispered into my ear, “I’m a man. I need to save face in front of my buddies. What’s the problem with that?”

Then he said aloud, “Enough. Today’s a joyous day. Don’t insult Sophia anymore.”

His friends laughed and cheered, pretending to agree.

Meanwhile, the bodyguards forced me onto the stage.

The dog, Blackie, was tied up not far from me, snarling and snapping its jaws like it wanted to tear me apart.

Someone in the crowd joked, “Looks like Blackie can’t wait.”

A group of men snickered obscenely.

I shouted, “Where’s Grandpa Collins? I want to see him!”

From the audience, Eric replied coldly, “Grandpa isn’t well. He won’t be coming today.”

He was still dressed in casual clothes, sitting beside Lily Harper, both of them in matching outfits that screamed “couple.”

Grinding my teeth, I demanded, “Give me a phone. I want to call him myself.”

“Eric, I swear I’ll tell him everything that’s happening today.”

Eric hesitated.

But Lily came over, sighing softly. “Sophia, please stop making trouble. You know if Eric doesn’t marry you, Grandpa won’t let him inherit the family fortune. Why are you pushing him so hard? He’s already so pitiful.”

Her words stunned me, and a wave of ice washed over my heart.

So Eric had never loved me. He only pursued me to secure his inheritance.

Eric’s face darkened at her slip. He snapped, “Sophia Bennett, no wonder you’re acting out today. You must’ve heard about this and thought you could use it to blackmail me?”

He turned angrily to the bodyguards. “Forget her status—just finish the ceremony. If she resists, teach her a lesson!”

Just then, someone at the doors exclaimed, “Mr. Collins Senior is here!”

A moment later, a dozen bodyguards filed in, escorting Robert Collins, leaning on his cane.

Eric’s expression faltered, and he hurried forward, calling out, “Grandpa.”

Robert gave him a faint nod.

Seizing the moment, I cried out, “Grandpa Collins!”

I broke free from the bodyguards and ran to him, tears streaming down my face.

“They’re forcing me to marry a dog.”

Robert Collins’ expression darkened.

He glanced at the black dog tied on the stage, then at Eric Collins, still in casual clothes, and slammed his cane angrily against the floor. “Nonsense!”

Eric faltered, guilt flickering in his eyes.

He looked toward his mother.

Margaret Collins stepped forward nervously. “Father… here’s what happened.”

“Before the ceremony, Lily used Tarot cards to read Eric’s fortune.”

“She said if Eric went through with the wedding, he’d attract misfortune.”

“I thought in such matters, it’s better to be safe than sorry. After all, Eric is the heir of the Collins family. If anything happened to him, the consequences would be too great.”

Robert’s face grew stern. “Absurd! Tarot cards? Superstitious nonsense—nothing but trickery!”

Lily Harper shrank back, not daring to say a word.

Margaret forced herself to continue, “And… there was another reason. I wanted to use this chance to put Sophia Bennett in her place. If she comes into our family too arrogantly, it will disrupt our household.”

I expected Robert to scold her further.

But instead, he fell silent.

Turning to me, he said, “Sophia, I know you’ve suffered today. But listen to me—just finish the ceremony, treat it as a blessing for Eric. I’ll make it up to you afterward.”

Shock and fury surged through me. “What?!”

When my father first went missing, Robert had invited me to live with the Collins family.

At that time, his attitude toward me was almost humble.

As the years passed, his humility faded, replaced by the kindly demeanor of an elder.

I had truly believed he cared for me.

But now… he was a different man entirely.

“Grandpa Collins,” I cried out in grief, “you’re asking me to marry a dog? How could you? You were my father’s old friend. When you meet him again one day, won’t you feel ashamed?”

To my horror, Robert gave a chilling laugh.

Smiling coldly, he said, “Your father? I received word just hours ago. They’ve found his body.”

“He isn’t missing anymore. He’s dead.”

The words struck like lightning. My head spun; I nearly collapsed.

No one moved to steady me.

Clutching a chair for balance, I fought to stand, then burst into sobs.

Robert offered no comfort. His calculating gaze even held a trace of glee.

“I originally insisted Eric marry you to secure an alliance with your family. But now that your father is dead, as his only child, you’ve inherited all the Bennett fortune.”

“That’s even better. Once you marry into the Collins family, that fortune will belong to us. Hahaha…”

My heart went ice cold.

So Robert had never truly treated me well.

Everything he did was out of greed for my family’s wealth.

When my father was alive, he dared not make a move and sought alliance through marriage.

Now that my father was gone, he planned to seize everything.

Robert waved his hand. “Why are you still standing around? Continue with the ceremony.”

“Today, I’ll break her spirit once and for all.”

Those present cheerfully agreed.

I wiped my tears, my voice cutting cold. “Wait.”

“I never got a marriage license with Eric. This wedding is void. I won’t marry him.”

Robert froze. He turned sharply toward Eric. “You mean… you two never got the license?”