The tenth time I was about to walk down the aisle, my boyfriend got a call from his childhood sweetheart and took off. For the tenth time. I was left standing alone on the stage, completely humiliated, the butt of the joke, again. Swallowing my pride, I contacted my boyfriend, pleading with him to come back and at least go through the motions of the ceremony. But he wouldn't even pick up the phone! His precious Tiffany sent me a photo of the two of them sprawled out in bed together, gloating, "I win!" My heart turned to ice. We'd planned the wedding ten times, but it had been postponed, canceled, or abandoned a total of ten times. The emcee looked at me with a mixture of pity and awkwardness. "Uh… so, are we still going ahead with this… thing?" Forcing a smile, I said, "Yes! Absolutely! We have to finish this!" I sent a quick text to Jake, the guy who lived next door, practically begging him to help me out. After getting a hesitant but ultimately affirmative reply, I breathed a sigh of relief and told the emcee to stall for a little while longer. This was attempt number ten, and there was no way it was going to fall apart again. Jake got there faster than I expected. He was wearing a custom-tailored suit that fit him perfectly, accentuating his height and broad shoulders. He looked effortlessly stylish, drawing a lot of attention from the guests. He walked directly toward the center of the stage, standing beside me, completely unbothered, a lazy smile playing on his lips. "So, Miss High Society, you've made up your mind, huh?" I nodded. It was just a marriage of convenience, a way to appease our respective families. Anybody would do. Besides... Grandma's condition had taken a serious turn for the worse. I couldn't put it off any longer. Her health had been rapidly deteriorating for the past six months. Every time I visited her in the nursing home, she would constantly harp on how she wanted to see me get married before she passed. She was the person I was closest to growing up, and her only wish was for me to find someone worthy of my trust. Someone who would be there to protect me after she was gone, someone I could lean on, someone who wouldn't take advantage of me. Seeing her grow weaker every day, losing weight, becoming more and more frail, I couldn't bear the thought of her dying with such a big regret hanging over her head, so I reluctantly started taking the whole marriage thing seriously. My boyfriend, Kevin, had promised me he would marry me eventually. But after planning ten weddings, he'd bailed on me every single time. Each time, he left me standing there, becoming the laughingstock of the entire city. And all his excuses, every single one, were because of his precious little childhood friend, Tiffany. Tiffany was perfectly healthy and capable of taking care of herself any other day of the week. But the second my wedding day rolled around, she would suddenly… Have a complete meltdown, claiming she was in a really dark place, or she'd been triggered by something and couldn't handle the stress; or she'd watched some horror movie and was now too scared to be alone; or she'd caught a cold and needed someone to bring her medicine. The most ridiculous excuse of all was when she spontaneously decided she wanted to do a bridal photoshoot while they were shopping, and she'd called Kevin, demanding that he come over and pretend to be the groom. I couldn't express even the slightest bit of dissatisfaction with any of these absurd reasons. If I so much as dared to text him to ask what was going on, I would be met with a barrage of insults. "Can't you just be a little understanding, Ashley?! Tiffany is practically like a sister to me! She needs me right now! We can get married any day! Don't be such a shrew!" But ten times was too much. The constant abandonment and betrayal had finally exhausted my patience. This time, I wasn't going to wait around for him. Once I'd completely let go, I realized my heart didn't hurt as much. Maybe I was just numb. Or maybe Grandma's words were giving me strength. "Our Ashley is such a wonderful girl. I hope that after I'm gone, you'll find someone who truly cherishes you, someone who will never make you suffer." The image of Grandma's wrinkled, weathered face flashed in my mind, instantly filling me with determination and resolve. I couldn't let the people who loved me down. So, I linked my arm through Jake's and walked down the aisle with him. I was going to face this wedding with my head held high and my best smile plastered on my face. That way, Grandma would feel reassured when she watched the video. As we were exchanging rings, my phone vibrated in my purse. It was a text from Kevin. He still didn't seem to grasp the magnitude of what he'd done, still using that casual, nonchalant tone. [Be a good girl, Ashley. Tiffany has a terrible stomach ache today. I really can't leave her side. We can get married any other day, right? I'll make it up to you later, I promise.] Seeing those words again, my heart still twisted painfully in my chest. I gripped my phone so tightly my knuckles turned white. Jake raised one eyebrow, silently questioning. "Do you still want to put that ring on my finger?" I looked up at him, my eyes filled with a newfound resolve. "Yes. I absolutely do!" Once we'd gone through all the required steps, I was completely exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Thank goodness Jake had been there the whole time, supporting me and holding my hand. Before we left, he looked at me with an unusual amount of intensity. "Ashley, I'm giving you two days to think it over, to change your mind if you want. We can go get the marriage license in two days if you still want to. I need you to really consider it carefully." His words gave me a semblance of dignity and self-respect, but I'd already decided to end things with Kevin once and for all. "Don't worry, Jake. I won't change my mind!" As soon as Jake left, I received another text message from Kevin. [Ashley, you have exactly ten minutes to pick up some pain medication and bring it to me at the hotel. Don't make me come after you.] Attached to the message was an address for one of the most notorious "love hotels" in the city. Almost immediately, my phone buzzed again. This time, it was a photograph of two people sprawled out in bed. The sender was Tiffany. And my soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend was one of the two main characters. [I win… again!] More than feeling heartbroken and betrayed, I felt overwhelmingly disgusted. On my wedding day, the groom-to-be was in a cheap motel with another woman. I clenched my fists so tightly that my fingernails dug into the skin of my palms, drawing blood. 2 In the end, I went to the hotel. This whole relationship had finally reached its expiration date for me. I didn't want to have anything else to do with Kevin after this. I wanted to break up with him face-to-face, put an end to it, and, most importantly, get the keys to the house back. After all, he was living in a house that I'd bought with my own money! As soon as I arrived at the hotel, Kevin realized I hadn't brought the medication. He immediately flew into a rage. "What the hell is wrong with you, Ashley?! Where's the pain medicine I asked you to get?!" Tiffany was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking utterly miserable, pouting like a spoiled child. "Don't be mad at her, Kevin. Ashley's been planning the wedding all day. Maybe she's just tired." She knew very well that she was the one who had caused the wedding to be called off, yet she still said it with a perfectly straight face. Being mocked and insulted to my face like that, even with my heart already battered and broken, caused a sharp, stabbing pain to flare up in my chest. I slowly clenched my fists, digging my nails so deeply into my palms that they almost drew blood. I was so disillusioned and disappointed that I didn't even have the energy to be angry. The room in the seedy hotel was small, cramped, and stifling. It made me feel like I was suffocating. Kevin and I had been together since college. At first, he was so passionate and persistent in his pursuit that I gradually fell for him. When we were together, he remembered every holiday and special occasion better than I did, and always had a thoughtful gift or romantic surprise planned. Even when I was being unreasonable or difficult, he would take all the blame and patiently try to coax me back into a good mood. My girlfriends always told me how lucky I was to have found such a perfect boyfriend. I thought so too, which is why I wanted to get married as soon as we graduated. But everything changed the day Kevin's childhood sweetheart, Tiffany, came back from overseas. From that moment on, Kevin's heart was completely turned to this virtual stranger. In any situation involving Kevin and Tiffany, I was always the one who ended up being left behind, ignored, or forgotten. Kevin patted Tiffany on the head, looking at her with obvious affection. "You're so understanding, Tiffany." Then, he turned his attention back to me, frowning with disapproval. "Why didn't you answer my texts?" My repeated concessions had only resulted in Kevin becoming more and more demanding, more and more entitled. He was the one who had abandoned me at the altar, yet he was now blaming me, acting as if I was the one who had done something wrong. I tried my best to calm myself, my voice as cold as ice. "I forgot." Kevin's eyes widened, seemingly shocked by my icy tone. I raised my head and gave him a cold, hard stare. "Kevin, you blew me off again today." Hearing those words, a flicker of guilt crossed his face, but he quickly became defensive, trying to justify his actions. "It wasn't my fault! Tiffany wasn't feeling well! What did you want me to do, just ignore her and leave her all alone?" "We can always have the wedding some other day, can't we? Ashley, you're being completely unreasonable! Why can't you just be a little more understanding?" I no longer had any desire to argue with him or try to reason with him. Forcing down the bile that was rising in my throat, I spat out one cold, emotionless sentence. "I don't want to wait for you anymore. Let's break up." Then, I turned around and walked toward the door. "What the hell did you just say, Ashley?!" Kevin yelled and immediately ran after me. Just then, Tiffany let out a dramatic little cry. "Ouch!" Immediately afterward, a sharp cracking sound echoed through the room. Confused, I stopped and turned around, my eyes widening in disbelief. On the floor were the shattered pieces of my jade pendant. The jade pendant my grandmother had gotten for me at the temple. I was completely stunned, a wave of pure, unadulterated rage threatening to explode inside me. After I'd processed everything, I pushed Kevin out of the way and knelt down to carefully gather the fragments of the jade pendant. "Why is my pendant here?! How did you even get your hands on it?!" I stared daggers at Tiffany, demanding an explanation. Kevin walked over to me, looking annoyed and impatient. "What's your problem, Ashley? You're going to scare Tiffany with your antics." I gave him a look of utter disbelief. He knew how much this jade pendant meant to me, yet he could still say something like that, as if I was the one who was being unreasonable. In an instant, an overwhelming sense of helplessness washed over me. I was clenching my fists so tightly that the skin on my palms was bruised and bloody. As always, when it came to Tiffany, I was the one who was expected to back down, to forgive and forget, to make sacrifices for the sake of everyone else. But this time, it was about Grandma. I refused to stand for it. I raised my hand and slapped Kevin hard across the face. "If you're blind, you need to see a doctor!" "She stole the jade pendant Grandma gave me without my permission, and then she broke it! What right do you have to forgive her for me?! What right do you have to tell me to forgive her?!" The room fell silent. No matter how angry I was, I had never physically struck him before. Now it was Kevin's turn to be completely dumbfounded. "Did you just hit me? You actually dared to hit me?! I'm your boyfriend! How could you do that to me?!" He rushed forward and grabbed my neck, squeezing with so much force that I could barely breathe. He was staring at me with an expression of pure hatred and disgust, as if I were his worst enemy. I couldn't help but wonder, when had the man who once looked at me with so much love become like this? I remembered back when we weren't officially together, before we were even dating. I had simply posted a picture on social media of a tiny papercut, less than two millimeters deep, that I'd gotten while doing arts and crafts. Kevin had waited outside my dorm building at four in the morning, just to give me a small box of bandages. His eyes were shining with concern, radiating sincerity. It was at that moment that I was touched by his genuine caring nature and agreed to go out with him. But now, only six months later, he was willing to yell at me, to insult me, to physically harm me, all for the sake of another woman. It was then that I finally understood… True love can be fleeting, and even the most genuine feelings can change in an instant. 3 Now that I didn't love him anymore, Arguing with him or trying to reason with him was pointless. The throbbing pain in my neck reminded me of how foolish I'd been, how much time and energy I'd wasted on this relationship. I just forced my lips into a bitter, self-deprecating smile. At that moment, Tiffany peeked out from behind Kevin, her eyes gleaming with smugness. I accidentally made eye contact with her, seeing the malicious satisfaction in her eyes, and a sharp pain stabbed me in the heart. The next second, she was batting her eyelashes and putting on an act, pretending to be a frightened rabbit. "Don't be mad at me, Ashley! I just found the jade pendant! I was going to give it back, I swear!" She grabbed Kevin's arm and started shaking it playfully. "Tell her it's okay, Kevin! Tell her I didn't mean to cause any trouble!" Kevin calmed down, and replied, "Tiffany's right. Why can't you be more like her, Ashley?" He was serious? Suddenly, Tiffany let out a shriek and stumbled backward. "Ouch!" Clutching her wrist, she looked at me with an expression of pure terror. "I only wanted to apologize to you, Ashley…" I hadn't even touched her, but somehow I had become the villain, the one who was bullying her. Kevin saw Tiffany fall and immediately rushed to her side, helping her to stand. Then, he glared at me, his eyes filled with resentment. "Didn't you hear her say that she found the pendant? Why are you being so cruel and vindictive, attacking an innocent person?!" I almost laughed at his words. I had always treasured the jade pendant that Grandma had given me. I kept it locked away in my bedroom drawer. She just "found" it? Was Tiffany claiming that she had accidentally stumbled into my house, somehow found her way into my bedroom, and then miraculously discovered the jade pendant in my nightstand, the most private and personal piece of furniture in the room? I didn't even bother to expose this ridiculous lie, but instead curled my lips into a cynical smile. "Fine. I'll call the police and have them investigate how Tiffany managed to find my jade pendant! We'll let them figure out exactly what happened!" "And I'm going to press charges against both of you for physically assaulting me today!" Tiffany's eyes widened with alarm, and she immediately clutched her chest. "Kevin, I think I'm having a heart attack…" Hearing those words, Kevin forgot everything else and scooped Tiffany up in his arms, rushing her out of the hotel and toward the emergency room. "Don't worry, Tiffany! I won't let anything happen to you!" As he rushed past me, he gave me a hateful glare. "You just wait, Ashley! If anything happens to Tiffany, you're going to regret this!" He deliberately shoulder-checked me as he went by. The force of the impact sent me crashing to the floor. But Kevin didn't even spare me a glance, huffing in annoyance before leaving the room. 4 After they had both left, I was still sitting on the floor, feeling numb and dazed. The man I had loved for so long, the man I had expected to spend the rest of my life with, had become a completely different person. He was unrecognizable, twisted, and utterly terrifying. My throat was parched and sore. Tears streamed down my face. Just as I was beginning to pull myself together, my phone rang. It was a call from the hospital. Without hesitating, I swiped to answer it. Grandma's condition had worsened, and they were taking her into surgery immediately. Forgetting about everything else, I stumbled to my feet and ran toward the exit. As soon as I stepped out of the hotel, I saw Jake. The man was impossibly handsome, his shoulders broad, his jaw chiseled, his hair perfectly styled. He was leaning against the hood of his car, looking relaxed and composed. He seemed to have been waiting for me to emerge. Barely registering why he was there, or how long he had been waiting, I ran over to him and jumped into his car, begging him to drive me to the hospital. When we finally got there, I was relieved to hear that Grandma had been successfully revived. I heaved a sigh of relief and stayed by her side as she was wheeled from the operating room to her private room. Since Jake was there with me, and I wanted to make Grandma happy, I decided to tell her that we were getting married. Grandma smiled weakly, gazing at the pictures from our wedding on my phone. "That's wonderful, Ashley! It looks like you've finally found a good man!" Jake sat quietly by her side, answering all her questions patiently and politely, without the slightest trace of irritation or boredom. Eventually, a nurse came in and told us that Grandma needed to get some rest. I got to my feet and led Jake toward the door. Before I left, Grandma leaned close to me and whispered in my ear. "That Jake seems like a wonderful young man. He's a hundred times better than that Kevin fellow!" "I always knew you had good taste!" My face flushed red with embarrassment. I mumbled an awkward reply and practically ran out of the room. The next second, I accidentally walked straight into Jake's chest. Jake chuckled, his warm breath tickling my ear. "Are you okay?" My face was still flushed, and I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eye. I just shook my head. "Yeah… I'm fine…" Jake took the billing statement from my hand and went to pay the hospital. My heart was still racing. I started to berate myself. I had only known him for a short time. He was supposed to be my fake husband, nothing more. How could I be developing feelings for him already? I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. Unfortunately, as I was walking past a corner in the hallway, I ran into Kevin and Tiffany, who were locked in a passionate embrace! The two of them jumped apart, their faces turning red, a look of embarrassment flashing across their eyes. I gave them a cold, disinterested look and turned to walk away. Kevin rushed over to me, grabbing my arm. "Ashley, it's not what it looks like! You've got the wrong idea!" My expression remained cold and emotionless. "I don't need you to explain anything. We're not together anymore, remember?" Seeming flustered by my gaze, Kevin started to fidget, scratching his head in frustration. "Ugh… Does saying that make you feel better or something? Tiffany was feeling down, so I was just giving her a hug to comfort her. That's all it was." Then, he leaned closer to me, whispering in my ear. "I promise, we'll have the wedding next week. I swear. Will that make you happy?" "But Tiffany isn't feeling very well, so I think we should keep it a secret from her, at least for now. Okay?" I couldn't help but snort with derision. If getting married required me to lie and hide my relationship from everyone I knew, what would be the point? I curled my lips into a cynical smile and shook my head. "No thanks." I was already married. I didn't say the last part out loud. The man standing in front of me wasn't worth any more of my time or energy. But my cold demeanor seemed to alarm Kevin. He blocked me from leaving, his voice suddenly sharp and demanding. "What do you mean, 'no thanks'?" "You're the one who was so insistent on having a wedding! You're the one who was always nagging me about getting married! So why are you suddenly saying 'no thanks'?" The next second, that familiar, comforting scent of sandalwood enveloped me. Jake reached out and pulled me into his arms, declaring his ownership of me. "Because we're already married!" "She's with me now. So, it might be best for you to just disappear. Trust me, you don't want to cause any trouble here."
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