For the tenth time, my fiancée got a call right before the wedding, and for the tenth time, she ran off with her childhood best friend. I stood alone at the altar, once again a complete laughingstock. Swallowing my pride, I tried to contact her, begging her to come back and finish the ceremony. But she wouldn't even pick up her phone! Her so-called "friend," Chad, smugly sent me a picture of the two of them in bed together, boasting, "I win!" My heart turned to ice. We'd planned this wedding ten times, and each time, it was postponed. The officiant looked at me with pity. "Do you... do you want to continue the ceremony?" I forced a smile. "Yes! We're doing this!" I sent a text to my next-door neighbor, Sarah, and after getting her affirmative response, I breathed a sigh of relief and told the officiant to wait a few more minutes. This was my tenth attempt at getting married, and I wasn't letting it fall apart again. Sarah arrived quickly, her confident and powerful presence immediately drawing attention. She strode towards the center of the stage, standing beside me, her smile sweet. "Changed your mind, huh, Ricky?" I nodded. It was just a marriage to appease the families, and anyone could fill the role. Besides... Grandma's health couldn't wait any longer. Her condition had been rapidly deteriorating for the past six months. Every time I visited her, she would murmur about wanting to see me married before she died. She was the closest person to me my entire life, and her only wish was to see me find someone I could rely on. That way, after she passed, I wouldn't be alone and taken advantage of. Watching her grow weaker by the day, I couldn't bear the thought of her leaving with that regret, so I started to take the whole marriage thing seriously. My fiancée, Tiffany, had promised me she'd marry me. But through ten weddings, she'd been a no-show every single time. Leaving me to be ridiculed across the entire city, again and again. And her excuses all involved her childhood best friend, Chad. Chad never had anything going on, except on my wedding days. Then he was either in a bad mood, having a depressive episode, or freaking out over a horror movie and needing someone to hold his hand. The most ridiculous one was when he impulsively decided he wanted to do a wedding photoshoot, and called Tiffany to be his stand-in bride. I wasn’t allowed to express the slightest bit of frustration with these ridiculous reasons. If I sent a text message asking questions, I would be met with a barrage of angry texts. "Ricky, can't you be understanding for once? Chad is my best friend; he needs me right now. We can have the wedding any day! Stop being so petty, okay?" But ten times... ten times of abandonment and betrayal, finally exhausted my patience. This time, I wasn't going to wait around. After finally letting go, I realized my heart didn't hurt so much. Maybe I was just numb. Or maybe Grandma's words gave me strength. "Our Ricky is such a good boy. I hope that after I'm gone, you find someone who loves you, someone who will protect you and won’t let you get hurt." The image of Grandma's wrinkled face flashed in my mind, giving me the courage I needed. I couldn't let the people who loved me down. So I took Sarah's hand, and together we walked down the aisle, her already changed into a wedding gown. I had to put on the best show possible, so that Grandma would be happy when she watched the recording. As we exchanged rings, my phone pinged. It was Tiffany. She hadn't realized her mistake and was still talking to me like nothing had happened. [Ricky, be a dear and buy some pain relievers and bring them over. Don't make me angry.] The address was for a well-known couple's retreat on the coast. Then another ping. It was a picture of two people in bed. The sender was Chad. And my fiancée was one of the protagonists. [I win again!] More than the pain of being betrayed, I felt disgust. On my wedding day, my bride was at a romantic getaway with another man. I involuntarily clenched my fist, digging my nails into my palm. 2 Eventually, I went to the retreat. This relationship was over for me. I didn't want to have anything to do with Tiffany after this. So, I wanted to break up with Tiffany in person, and to get the house keys back. After all, she was living in a house that I had paid for in full! When I arrived, Tiffany saw that I was empty-handed. Immediately, she blew up. "Ricky, what's wrong with you? Where are the pain pills I asked for?" Chad sat on the edge of the bed, looking pathetic. "Tiffany, don't be mad. Ricky's been planning the wedding all day; he's probably tired." He knew that the bride had been called away by him, but he still managed to say it as if nothing had happened. Even though my heart was already shattered, being mocked like this still made it ache. My fingers slowly clenched, nearly drawing blood. Disappointed to this level, I didn't even have the desire to be angry anymore. The room in the couple's retreat was cramped and suggestive, almost suffocating me. Tiffany and I had been together since college. At first, she pursued me so passionately and intensely that I gradually fell for her. Once we were together, she remembered every little holiday and always had a gift or surprise. Even when I was being a jerk, she would always take the blame, patiently coaxing me. My friends always said how lucky I was to have such a great girlfriend. I thought the same thing, which is why I decided to marry her after graduation. But everything changed the day Tiffany's childhood friend, Chad, came back to the States. After that, Tiffany's heart was completely lost to an outsider. Between Chad and me, I was always the one left behind. Tiffany playfully ruffled Chad's hair. "Aw, you're the best." Then she came closer to me, frowning at me in disapproval. "Why didn't you answer my messages?" My repeated concessions had only led to Tiffany becoming more demanding. It was she who abandoned the wedding and me, yet she started by blaming me. I tried to calm myself, my voice cold. "I forgot." Tiffany paused, seemingly shocked by my tone. I coldly looked up at Tiffany. "Tiffany, you've bailed again today." Hearing this, a guilty expression flashed in her eyes, and she angrily tried to defend herself. "It wasn't on purpose! Chad wasn't feeling well, I couldn't just leave him, could I?" "We can have the wedding another day, right? Ricky, stop being so unreasonable, okay?" She was clearly in the wrong, yet she was trying to put the blame on me. I didn't want to argue anymore, and, suppressing my disgust, coldly uttered one sentence. "I don't want to wait for you anymore. Let's break up!" With that, I turned and walked away. "Ricky, what the hell did you just say?!" Tiffany yelled, immediately chasing after me. Just then, Chad "oohed" in pain. Then the sound of something shattering cut through the air. Confused, I stopped and turned around, and my eyes widened in shock. The shattered jade pendant on the ground was the one Grandma had gotten for me, praying for my safety, one step and one bow at a time! I was completely stunned, overwhelmed with anger. I pushed Tiffany aside and rushed over, carefully picking up the pieces of the pendant. "Why do you have my pendant?!" I stared at Chad, asking loudly. Tiffany came over, pouting in annoyance. "Ricky, what's wrong with you? You're scaring Chad." I stared at Tiffany in disbelief. She knew how important this pendant was to me, but she could still say something like that. In an instant, a wave of helplessness washed over me. I dug my nails into my palms, drawing blood. It was always the same with Chad. I had to give in. But this time, it involved Grandma, and I wasn't going to back down. I raised my hand and slapped Tiffany hard across the face. "If you're blind, go to the doctor!" "He stole my grandma's pendant without my permission, and he broke it! What right do you have to forgive him for me?" The room fell silent. No matter how angry I was, I had never raised a hand to her. Now it was Tiffany's turn to be stunned. "You hit me? Ricky, I'm your fiancée, how dare you hit me?!" She lunged at me, grabbing my throat, squeezing so hard that I could barely breathe. She glared at me, her eyes filled with malice and hatred, as if she were looking at an enemy. I couldn't help but wonder when the person who once looked at me with so much love had changed. I remembered when we weren't even together yet, and I had posted a picture on social media of a cut less than two millimeters deep. Tiffany had waited outside my dorm at four in the morning, just to give me a box of bandages. Her eyes were bright and full of concern. It was at that moment that I was moved by her sincerity and agreed to date her. But only six months later, she was cursing at me for another man. Now I understood... That true love can change in an instant. 3 After completely losing all love for her, there was no point in arguing anymore. The sharp pain in my neck reminded me of how ridiculous my efforts had been. I just curled my lips into a self-deprecating smile. Chad peeked out from behind Tiffany. I unexpectedly met his eyes, which were full of mockery. My heart ached as if someone had stabbed it with a needle. The next second, his eyes turned red, and he said to me in a slightly resentful tone, "Ricky, don't be mad. I just found the pendant, I was just going to return it to you." He ruffled Tiffany's hair. "Tiffany, don't blame Ricky." Tiffany calmed down and barely loosened her grip. "You're the best, Chad." "Ricky, can't you be more like him?!" The pain of nearly suffocating made me tremble. Chad faked a comforting gesture, reaching out to me. "Ricky, will you forgive me?" His tone was almost flattering, but I clearly saw the challenge and ridicule in his eyes. As if he was saying arrogantly, "Yeah, I stole it and I broke it. What are you going to do about it?" I felt a chill and recoiled from his touch. Chad took the opportunity to scream and fall backward. "Ah!" He clutched his wrist, looking at me in terror. "Ricky, I just wanted to apologize..." I hadn't even touched him, and I was already the villain who abused him. When Tiffany saw Chad fall, she immediately rushed to his side, helping him up, and then scolding me. "Ricky, didn't you hear Chad say he found the pendant? Why are you taking it out on an innocent person?" I almost laughed at his words. I always cherished Grandma's pendant. I kept it safely stored in a drawer in my bedroom. Found it? Did Chad somehow get into my house, then into my bedroom, and then found the pendant in my bedside table? I didn't bother to expose his ridiculous lie, and sarcastically curled my lips. "Okay, I'll call the police and have them investigate how Chad found my pendant!" "And I'll hold you responsible for assaulting me today!" Chad panicked and immediately clutched his chest. "Tiffany, my heart hurts..." Hearing this, Tiffany didn't care about anything anymore and helped Chad to the hospital. "Don't worry, Chad, I won't let anything happen to you!" As she passed by me, she glared at me with gritted teeth. "Ricky, you wait! If anything happens to Chad, I'm not letting you off the hook!" She intentionally bumped into my shoulder. Caught off guard, the force caused me to fall to the ground. But Tiffany didn't even look at me, scoffing and leaving. 4 After they left, I was still sitting on the floor. That familiar face had become distorted, foreign, and terrifying. My throat became dry. Tears fell uncontrollably. Just as my emotions began to calm down, my phone rang. It was a call from the hospital. I answered without hesitation. Grandma's condition had worsened, and she had been taken to the operating room. I didn't care about anything, I staggered to my feet and ran out. I ran right into Sarah as I left the retreat. The girl had an aloof and refined air about her. She propped her hand on the car door, and her eyes lit up when she saw me. It was as if she had shown up just to wait for me. I didn't have time to think about why she was here, so I got into the car and asked her to take me to the hospital. When I got to the hospital, Grandma had already been rescued by the doctors. I was relieved and stayed with her from the operating room to the ward. Because Sarah was with me, I decided to tell Grandma about our marriage to make her happy. Grandma looked through the pictures from our wedding on my phone album and smiled from the bottom of her heart. "Good, good! My Ricky has finally found a good woman!" Sarah sat nearby, answering whatever Grandma asked, very politely and without a hint of impatience. It wasn't until the nurse reminded Grandma that it was time to rest that I got up and left with Sarah. Before leaving, Grandma whispered in my ear. "Sarah is a hundred times better than that Chad! I'm glad my grandson knows how to pick a wife!" My cheeks flushed red. I just mumbled a couple of words and fled the ward. Then I ran straight into Sarah. Sarah's height was just below my chin, and the girl's cool breath touched my skin. It made my heart skip a beat. "Did you hurt yourself?" I didn't dare to look her in the eyes, so I asked dryly. "No..." Sarah seemed a little flustered, too. She took the payment slip from my hand to pay the bill, and my heart was still beating fast. I couldn't help but accuse myself of being pathetic. I had only met her three times, and she was just my fake wife. How could I have feelings for her? I took a few deep breaths and finally calmed down. But I never expected to run into Tiffany and Chad as I was walking around the corner of the hallway! The two of them quickly separated when they saw me, and each of their faces flashed with a hint of guilt. I just glanced at them indifferently, without any emotional fluctuations, and wanted to leave. Tiffany quickly rushed over and grabbed my hand. "Ricky, it's not what you think, don't misunderstand!" I raised my eyes calmly. "You don't need to explain to me, we're not together anymore." Perhaps unnerved by my gaze, Tiffany scratched her head in annoyance. "Tsk, is there any point in you saying these things? Chad wasn't feeling well, so I hugged him to comfort him." As she said this, she leaned closer to my ear and said in a voice that only the two of us could hear: "I promise you, we'll have the wedding next week, okay?" "But Chad isn't feeling well, I'm afraid he'll be upset, so don't tell him for now." I couldn't help but chuckle. If even a wedding had to be kept a secret, what was the point? I curled my lips into a cold smile, shaking my head: "No need." I'm already married. I didn't say the last half of the sentence. Because the woman in front of me wasn't worth me wasting any more effort on. But my cold attitude made Tiffany anxious. She stopped me from leaving, her tone aggressive: "What do you mean, no need?" "Ricky, haven't you always said you wanted to have a wedding and get married? Why no need?" The next second, a cool and familiar fruity scent enveloped me again. Sarah wrapped her arm around my arm, declaring her claim. "Because we're already married!" "He's mine now, some trash better leave!"
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