The night before our wedding, I found a photo on Ryan’s phone—him with a delicate, starry-eyed girl. I confronted him immediately. After an all-night smoking session, he confessed: "I rescued her on a mission. She’s depressed. I wavered... but I’ll keep my distance." I swallowed my pain and forgave him. But at the altar, his teammate burst in: "Captain! Skye’s on a roof—she’ll jump if you marry!" The ring hit the floor as Ryan sprinted out. "Leave now, and we’re through!" I screamed. He hesitated—just for a second—but kept running. 1 The wedding hall descended into chaos. The whispers of the guests were like a thousand tiny needles piercing my eardrums. Our parents rushed over, a storm of confusion on their faces. Ryan’s teammate, Cole, stood by helplessly, his face flushed red. “Mia… I… Skye, she has depression. The last time she tried to jump, the captain was the one who saved her. She… she really depends on him. He’s the only one who can talk her down… It’s a matter of life and death. The captain had no choice. Please, don’t blame him…” Cole had been with Ryan’s squad for three years. He’d always been respectful, calling me “Mia” with a warm, easy smile. Now, he couldn’t even meet my eyes. I had no idea how many secrets he’d helped Ryan keep, or how entangled he was with this girl, Skye. A dense, suffocating pain spread through my chest. This was betrayal, real and sharp. My parents gripped my hands, their voices tight with panic. “What on earth is going on? Isn’t he on leave for the wedding? Who could possibly need him to go on a rescue now?” Ryan’s parents, mortified, started dialing his number, muttering frantically, “Mia, don’t you worry, I’ll get that brat on the phone right now. If he doesn’t come back, I’ll break his legs!” The diamond ring lay on the red carpet, kicked aside by passing feet until it rolled far away, much like my shattered heart. I stood frozen, the train of my wedding dress pooled on the floor like a cloud wilted by a storm. The wedding I had dreamed of a million times had turned into this humiliating spectacle. The groom had abandoned his bride in a hall full of well-wishers, all for another woman. For five solid hours, I made 108 calls. Ryan didn’t answer a single one. I watched my phone screen go dark, light up, and finally fade to black. The sun streamed through the stained-glass windows of the chapel, casting mottled patterns of light on the floor. A beam landed on my empty ring finger, a touch as cold as ice. The guests gradually dispersed, leaving behind a battlefield of streamers and half-eaten reception food. Suddenly, the room started to spin. The last thing I heard was my mother’s terrified cry. When I opened my eyes again, the sterile smell of disinfectant filled my nose. A nurse was changing my IV drip. Seeing I was awake, she said softly, “You have to take care of yourself now. You’re taking care of two.” I stared at the ceiling as silent tears streamed into my hair. From the moment he handed me a love letter on the high school track at seventeen, to the surprise of him taking a twenty-hour train ride just to see me when we were in different colleges, to the day he became a firefighter, his eyes red as he promised, “From now on, I’ll protect the people, but I’ll always protect you first.” Seven years. The memories flashed through my mind like a movie on fast-forward. I looked at the poorly concealed excitement on our parents’ faces and managed a bitter smile. How was I supposed to tell them that our seven-year love story had just reached its end? At seven o’clock that evening, after disappearing for six hours, Ryan finally showed up. 2 His face was pale, and he looked at me with a flicker of guilt. “Mia, I’m sorry,” he rasped. “Skye… I couldn’t just let her die. Saving people is my duty.” I swallowed the bitterness in my throat. “There are dozens of other firefighters. Did they really need you?” “She chose today, our wedding day, to jump. She wouldn’t come down until you arrived. What do you think her intentions are?” “Ryan, I’m not an idiot.” After a long silence, he took my cold hand, his voice strained. “Mia, in seven years, I’ve never asked you for anything. Just this once, I’m begging you, please don’t make a scene. Don’t let this get out and affect Skye’s reputation. Can you do that for me? I’m afraid… with her condition, she can’t handle that kind of blowback.” I stared at the desperate plea in his eyes. My heart felt like it was being squeezed by an iron fist, the pain so intense I could barely breathe. He shouldn’t have been begging me. He should have been apologizing to me. A person’s first instinct doesn’t lie. He hadn’t thought about how humiliated I would be, left alone at our wedding. He hadn’t worried about why I was in the hospital. His first words, his first thoughts, were all for Skye. Tears fell like broken pearls, landing on the white duvet and spreading into dark, wet stains. It took all my strength to force out a single word. “Fine.” He visibly relaxed. “Skye knows I was getting married now, and she’s very unstable. Let’s postpone the wedding for a while.” “I’ll stay with her while she gets treatment. Once she’s a little more stable… maybe three months. Just three months, and then we’ll have our wedding. Okay?” His voice was a careful, tentative probe. I had waited seven years. What was another three months? But looking at the undeniable concern for another woman in his eyes, I suddenly felt that I couldn't wait another three months. I couldn't wait another day. The little life inside me seemed to sense my turmoil and gave a gentle flutter. I placed a hand on my abdomen. A six-week-old life was hidden there—ours, yet it felt like it had nothing to do with him anymore. I slowly pulled my hand away, my voice as still as a dead pond. “Ryan.” “I don’t have the best memory, but I remember when I was seventeen, you handed me that letter on the track, so nervous you were tripping over your own feet.” “I remember the first time you held my hand. Your palm was slick with sweat, and you walked three whole blocks without daring to let go.” “I remember the day we graduated from college, you held me and swore you’d take care of me forever, that you’d make me the happiest bride in the world.” “All these years, you remembered I don’t eat onions, you remembered I need ginger tea during my period, you remembered every little habit… I always thought you cherished me, that you held me in the palm of your hand.” I looked up at him, and the tears finally broke free. “But today… today I don’t feel your love for me at all.” Seven years of memories surged through his mind as well. Ryan’s eyes reddened, and a single tear traced a path down his cheek. “But Mia,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion, “Skye… she can’t live without me right now.” She can’t live without me. That one sentence shattered the last remnants of hope I had. I looked at him and suddenly, I smiled through my tears. “Then go to her.” He stared, clearly not expecting me to say that. But in the end, he said nothing more. He just turned and walked out of my hospital room. The next day, as I was packing up to leave, I ran into Ryan in the hallway. 3 He didn’t even see me. All his attention was focused on the girl by his side. She was wearing a hospital gown, her face pale, half-supported in his arms like a frightened fawn. So this was the person who had made him abandon me at the altar. My gaze must have been too heavy, because Skye saw me first. She instinctively shrank behind Ryan, her fingers clutching the corner of his shirt. Only then did Ryan turn to me. His brow furrowed, his tone laced with impatience. “Mia, Skye is emotionally fragile. Whatever you want to say, we can talk about it at home. Don’t make a scene at the hospital and scare her.” Skye peeked out from behind him, her voice a barely audible whisper. “Mia… Ryan and I… it’s not what you think. Please don’t misunderstand.” I clutched the ultrasound report in my hand, my knuckles turning white, but I managed a faint smile. “You’re overthinking it. I’m just here to handle my discharge paperwork.” With that, I turned my back on them and walked toward the payment counter. Ryan’s expression was strange for a moment, as if my calmness had thrown him off, leaving an inexplicable hollowness in his chest. He reached out to grab my arm, but I instinctively pulled away. My eyes caught on a small, fresh stain on his jacket. His gaze followed mine. Seeing me shrugging off my own coat, he took off his jacket, intending to drape it over my shoulders, but I dodged him. He froze, then followed me, trying to take my coat from my hands. “Let me take that. I know how much you love this coat. I’ll have it cleaned for you.” I shook my head and tossed the coat into a nearby trash can, my voice flat. “Just throw it away. I don’t like things with stains on them. You know me, I’m a bit of a perfectionist.” Seeing my cold expression, the flicker of a smile on Ryan’s face froze. He knew I wasn’t just talking about the coat. I was talking about us. He tried to speak again, but I had already paid and walked away. A short while after I left the hospital, my phone buzzed with a text from him: [Don’t be mad at me. I ordered you that Napoleon cake you said you wanted the other day. It’s on its way.] When the delivery arrived, I stared at the familiar pink box and suddenly laughed. Whenever he made me angry, he would buy me this cake to appease me. I mechanically took a bite. It used to taste so sweet. Now, it was just bitter and hard to swallow. That night, Ryan didn’t come home. The pain of severing a seven-year bond was worse than I had imagined. I lay awake until dawn, then finally got up and started packing. The matching couple’s hoodies in the closet, the photo frames lined up on the bookshelf, the sticky notes on the fridge… every object was a memory, sharp and piercing. I remembered the year we graduated. Ryan had just become a firefighter and was constantly busy. But he would use his days off to come see me, his eyes shining like stars. “Mia, as soon as I save up for a down payment, I’m going to marry you.” Three years later, he stood before me with a deed and a diamond ring, his voice trembling. “I did it. I’m giving you a home. I keep my promises.” The sun was so beautiful that day. I cried in his arms for a long time, feeling like the luckiest person in the world. We painted the walls together, assembled furniture together, and filled the balcony with sunflowers, my favorite. He said he wanted to make sure the sun would always shine in our home. But now, this home no longer had a place for me. As I sealed the last storage box, the sky began to lighten. Just as the moving truck I’d called arrived, both sets of our parents showed up. I hadn't told them the details, so they couldn't understand why two people on the verge of marriage were suddenly splitting up. My parents sighed but didn’t press, only saying, “You can always come home.” But Ryan’s mother clung to my hand, refusing to let go. “Mia, please, just give Ryan one more chance. What happened at the wedding… he was just confused for a moment…” I didn't speak, just motioned for the movers to continue. Just as Ryan’s mom was about to wear herself out talking, the door opened. Ryan was back. 4 And he had brought Skye with him. She was wearing his jacket, clinging to his arm like a newly claimed kitten. The room fell deathly silent. Every eye was fixed on them. Ryan’s mother’s voice trembled. “Ryan… did you… did you do something to betray Mia?” His father was shaking with rage. “Who is this girl?!” Ryan didn’t answer. He just scanned the empty living room, his gaze finally landing on me. “You’re moving out?” “Yes,” I answered calmly. “Back to my parents’ place.” He seemed to relax. “Okay. I’ll come get you before the new wedding date.” He said it so casually, then turned and pulled Skye in front of him. “This is Skye. She’s a patient with depression I rescued on a mission. The department has asked me to look after her for a while to help stabilize her condition.” His straightforwardness made our earlier suspicions seem petty and small-minded. Skye offered a sweet smile and reached for his mother’s arm. “It’s so nice to meet you, ma’am. Ryan takes such good care of me. He even brought me home for dinner today. Since everyone’s here, why don’t I cook? You can all try my cooking.” Ryan’s mother looked at me, her expression pained. “Mia, maybe… maybe we should all sit down and talk this through?” I was about to refuse when Skye cut in, a glint of defiance in her eyes. “You should stay too, Mia. The more the merrier, right?” SLAP! The crisp sound of a slap echoed through the room. My eyes widened in shock as I saw my mom hit Skye across the face. “Mom!” My mother’s eyes were red as she glared at me, her voice shaking violently. “I gave birth to you. You think I don’t know you?” “You’ve been with him since you were seventeen. You’re twenty-four now! Seven years! For him, you quit your job at the design firm to be a housewife. You learned to cook his favorite dishes. You even know exactly where he keeps his socks… Do you think you would leave unless your heart was completely broken?” “I don’t care if you marry rich, but today he brought another woman into your home to humiliate you, and I will not stand for it as your mother!” “If you won’t stand up for yourself, I’ll do it for you!” My mother’s words hit me like thunder, and my eyes burned with tears. Skye clutched her cheek, her own tears welling up, but she didn't dare cry out. Ryan immediately shielded her, his face dark with fury. “Mia! How old are you? Still running to your parents to tattle…” Before he could finish, I rushed forward and slapped him. “Ryan, you’re the one who deserves to be hit!” Then, I pulled a piece of paper from the coffee table drawer and threw it at his chest. It was the ultrasound report. “Do you know what my biggest regret is?” Ryan picked up the paper. As he read the words, his pupils constricted. “Mia… you’re pregnant?”
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