The day my fiancée cheated, I proposed without hesitation. The night before the wedding, I knelt on the floor of my rental apartment, organizing six manila envelopes. Each one contained evidence of my fiancée's affairs over the past three years. Chat screenshots, transfer records, hotel receipts, intimate conversations with five different men. One hundred and seventy-three pages. Soon, these six envelopes would appear at the wedding banquet. One for her parents, one for her boss, one for her best friend, one for her relatives, one for my parents. The last one would go to the five men she'd been sleeping with. At this dream wedding she'd spent half a year meticulously planning, I would give her a surprise the whole world would witness. "Ethan, Lucas is going to be your groomsman tomorrow." Sophia fiddled with the veil she'd wear the next day. Lucas stood right beside her, wearing a perfectly tailored white suit. That was the custom suit Sophia had spent twenty thousand dollars on for him yesterday. Meanwhile, the suit I'd wear tomorrow was a three-thousand-dollar rental. Lucas raised his eyebrows at me, a blatant smirk of provocation on his face. "Ethan, Sophia says I get car sick. If I sit in the back car, I might throw up and ruin tomorrow." He took a step forward, reaching out to adjust Sophia's veil. "If you have a problem with it, I just won't come tomorrow. No point in causing trouble between you two because of me." Sophia grabbed his wrist, her brow furrowing instantly. "What are you talking about? Without you, what's the point of this wedding?" She turned to glare at me, her eyes full of warning. "Ethan, Lucas is my best guy friend. If it weren't for him helping me these past three years, do you think I would've said yes to your proposal?" "Tomorrow is my once-in-a-lifetime big day. What's wrong with letting him ride in the lead car?" I looked at this pair standing before me like conjoined twins, nausea rising in my stomach. If this were three months ago, I would've gotten into a huge fight with her over this. I would've been like a jealous madman, demanding to know who the real groom was. But now, my heart was utterly calm. I almost wanted to laugh. My gaze fell on the diamond ring on Sophia's ring finger. That ring cost me a hundred and twenty thousand dollars. She complained it wasn't big enough, then immediately whined on SnapChat to Lucas about how cheap I was. Lucas's reply at the time was: "Baby, once we trick him into signing over that downtown apartment tomorrow, I'll buy you a huge diamond." Those chat records were quietly stored in my backup phone right now. I pulled over a chair and sat down, looking at her calmly. "Fine. He can have the lead car tomorrow." Sophia froze, clearly not expecting me to agree so readily. She looked me up and down suspiciously. After confirming I showed no signs of anger, her expression softened. "At least you're being sensible. Stop acting like a bitter housewife watching Lucas all the time. We're all adults. Have some perspective." Lucas laughed too. He walked up to me and patted my shoulder. "Ethan's being cool about it. You better prepare good gifts for tomorrow's wedding games." "Don't worry, I've had the gifts ready for a while." I brushed his hand off and stood up, walking toward the closet. Sophia suddenly called out to me again. "Oh, one more thing." She pulled out a red velvet box from her bag — the one storing my mother's belongings. Inside was a pair of old-fashioned antique gold rings. My mother had given them to me on her deathbed, making me promise to put one on my future wife at the wedding. Sophia opened the box and picked up one of the rings with two fingers, her face full of disgust. "This ring is way too tacky to wear tomorrow. It doesn't match my custom wedding dress at all." She turned to look at Lucas, her eyes lighting up instantly. "Lucas, didn't you say you needed a ring to match your outfit? Why don't you wear this one for fun?" My breathing caught. My fingers clenched tight. Lucas made a show of declining. "That's not appropriate. This is a family heirloom from Ethan's mother. What would it mean for me to wear it?" "What's inappropriate about it? Ethan's stuff is my stuff. What's wrong with me giving it to my friend?" Sophia forcefully pushed the antique gold rings into Lucas's hand, then turned to look at me. "Ethan, surely you're not so petty you can't even part with a ring? I'm marrying you tomorrow. Can you not be so cheap?" I stared at the ring in Lucas's hand. My mother had worn it her entire life. Now these two were using it as a prop for their flirtation. Rage churned in my chest, but I forced it down. Tomorrow. Just get through tonight. Tomorrow I'd make them pay back everything with interest. I took a deep breath and forced out a smile devoid of warmth. "I'm not being cheap. Since you think it doesn't match, let Lucas wear it." I watched Lucas slip the ring onto his pinky finger, my gaze growing colder. "Just don't regret it tomorrow." Sophia rolled her eyes and pulled Lucas toward the door. "What do I have to regret? We're going to try on his groomsman suit now. Get some sleep early and don't show up tomorrow with dark circles embarrassing me." At the door, she stopped and looked back at me. "Ethan, you're such a good-tempered husband. I'm definitely going to be the most beautiful bride tomorrow." I watched their backs disappear through the door, then pulled out my phone and opened a chat group named "Special Guests." "Of course. Tomorrow everyone will remember you."
At ten PM, the bridal suite was so quiet I could only hear the ticking of the wall clock. I sat on the sofa, checking the number of USB drives in tomorrow's wedding favors. One hundred and twenty drives. Each one contained Sophia's "highlight reel" from the past three years. My phone suddenly vibrated. It was Sophia's mother, Margaret, calling. I pressed answer and put it on speaker. "Ethan, are you asleep yet?" Her voice carried the calculating shrewdness of a penny-pincher. "Not yet. What's up?" "Here's the thing — I was just thinking, three hundred thousand isn't going to be enough." My fingers stopped typing on the keyboard. "Didn't we agree the wedding would cost three hundred thousand?" Margaret snorted coldly on the other end. "That was before. Prices are rising so fast now, and Sophia's brother is getting married next year. He needs to buy a car worth five hundred thousand. If you don't have the five hundred thousand ready tomorrow as a wedding gift to our family, don't even think about marrying my daughter!" I heard Sophia's voice on the other end. She was clearly standing next to her mother. "Margaret, why are you explaining so much to him? If he can't come up with this money, we're calling off the wedding." She came closer to the phone, her tone dripping with manipulation. "Ethan, let me tell you — men chasing after me could line up from one end of the street to the other." "Benjamin offered to buy me a Porsche yesterday. If I wasn't being loyal to you, do you think you'd have a chance to marry me?" I listened to this mother-daughter duo's performance, mockery flickering in my eyes. That Benjamin — forty-five years old, balding with a beer belly, owner of a building materials company. The only reason Sophia didn't marry Benjamin was because he had a wife. She could only be his mistress in the shadows. And me? I was the honest sucker she'd carefully selected. "Five hundred thousand is a bit difficult." I deliberately slowed my speech, pretending to be troubled. "I don't have that much cash on hand." Margaret immediately panicked, her voice rising an octave. "What do you mean you don't have it? You still haven't transferred that downtown apartment to Sophia, have you?" "Just go get a mortgage loan! I don't care how you do it — if I don't see five hundred thousand tomorrow, there's no wedding!" I looked at the hotel records of Sophia and Benjamin on my computer screen, a cold smile tugging at my lips. "Margaret, there's no way I can get a loan processed in time." I paused, then dangled the bait. "How about this — tomorrow, in front of all the relatives, I'll write you an IOU for five hundred thousand with my personal signature. It'll have legal validity. Would that work?" Silence on the other end for a few seconds. Margaret seemed to be discussing it with Sophia. A moment later, her voice came back, tinged with satisfaction. "At least you know what's good for you. An IOU works, but it has to state payment within one month, or I'll make a scene at your company!" "No problem." I agreed unusually readily. "But Margaret, tomorrow's wedding is Sophia's big day. You and her brother need to arrive early, right? And you've notified all the relatives and friends?" "You think I need you to tell me that? Our family's relatives are taking two charter buses tomorrow. It's going to be lively." Afraid I'd back out, Margaret added a few more reminders before hanging up. I looked at the darkened phone screen and saved the call recording, renaming it "Extortion Evidence — Backup." Just then, a SnapChat message from Sophia came through. It was a voice message. I clicked it. What came out wasn't Sophia's voice, but a middle-aged man's greasy panting. "Baby, tomorrow's your wedding day. Won't you come out and have one last wild night with me tonight?" Then came Sophia's coquettish laughter. "Oh stop it, Benjamin~ I have to get up early tomorrow for makeup. After I get back from the honeymoon, I'll make it up to you properly~" The voice message existed for only two seconds before being quickly recalled. Immediately after, Sophia sent a text message. "Honey, I accidentally sent the wrong message. That was a client from my work group joking around. Don't overthink it." I stared at those words, almost able to see her smug face on the other end. She knew I was "honest." She knew I was "head over heels for her." So even her lies were this perfunctory. I didn't call her out. Instead, I played along. "It's okay. Work is important. Get some rest early." "By the way, is Benjamin coming to the wedding tomorrow?" Sophia replied quickly. "Yeah, he's one of my big clients. I specially reserved a VIP table seat for him." I looked at the VIP table seating chart and closed my laptop with satisfaction. At that table sat not only Benjamin, but also Lucas, the gym trainer Ryan, and the company intern Liam. An entire table of ex-boyfriends. They'd definitely get along great tomorrow. "Ethan, my mother worked hard to raise me. What's wrong with you writing an IOU?" Sophia sent another voice message, her tone dripping with condescension. I held down the record button, my voice gentle as stagnant water. "Fine. I'll write it. I'll hand it to her in front of all the relatives tomorrow."
At six AM, the wedding convoy stopped outside Sophia's apartment complex. I stood outside her security door wearing that three-thousand-dollar rental suit, holding a bouquet of red roses. The hallway was packed with Sophia's relatives, all whispering and looking at me like I was a circus monkey. "If you haven't prepared a cash gift of ninety-nine thousand dollars for me, I'm not opening the door for you." A flippant voice came from inside. It was Lucas. I looked at him through the iron bars of the security door. He wore the custom suit I'd paid for, with a boutonniere that should've belonged to a groomsman pinned to his chest. Meanwhile, my actual groomsmen were being blocked at the stairwell landing by several of Sophia's relatives. "Lucas, the custom is to give gifts at the door. The car gift is given when we arrive at the hotel." I stated the facts calmly. Lucas snorted and blew a smoke ring through the door at me. "Ethan, rules are dead but people are alive. Sophia says today, I make the rules." He turned and picked up a basin from a nearby table filled with murky yellow liquid. "If you want to take Sophia, sing a love song in front of everyone, then do ten push-ups. Then I'll open the door." The surrounding relatives immediately burst into laughter. "Why's the groom just standing there? Getting married and can't even show this much sincerity?" "Exactly. Our Sophia is a beauty. This little test is nothing." My gaze moved past Lucas to Sophia sitting on the living room sofa. She wore an elaborate wedding dress, holding a fan partially covering her face, laughing hysterically with a bridesmaid beside her. She had no intention of stopping this. She was even recording it on her phone. "Sophia, is this what you want too?" I stared into her eyes, my voice not loud but loud enough for everyone in the living room to hear. Sophia lowered her fan and rolled her eyes. "Ethan, if you can't take a joke, don't play along. Everyone's just having fun. Lucas is joking with you. Who are you making faces at?" She stood up and walked to the door, looking down at me. "If you don't want to drink it or crawl, then take your people and get lost. I'm calling off this wedding!" She was certain I wouldn't dare make a scene at this point. After all, in everyone's eyes, I was the pathetic simp who'd thrown away everything just to marry her. I looked at the hickey on the side of her neck, deliberately covered with foundation. That definitely wasn't a mosquito bite. The shape and color were clearly from last night. And Lucas's lips still had traces of lipstick he hadn't wiped off completely. My hands slowly clenched at my sides, nails nearly digging into my flesh. "Fine. I prepared gifts for you." I grabbed the gift bag full of items from behind me and shoved it through the door. Lucas's eyes lit up. He immediately squatted down to grab them. The moment he lowered his head, I kicked the security door hard. The old lock made a brittle crack under the strain. The door swung open. Lucas was knocked backward by the door, landing on his butt with gifts scattering everywhere. "What are you doing!" Sophia shrieked, pointing at my nose and cursing. "Ethan, are you crazy! You dare hit Lucas?" I ignored her and walked straight to the sofa, casually tossing the roses onto the coffee table. "We're running out of time. Let's go." Sophia's mother, Margaret, rushed out of the bedroom at that moment, holding a piece of paper and a pen. "Go where! You haven't written the IOU yet!" She slammed the paper and pen onto the coffee table, glaring at me furiously. "Write that five-hundred-thousand-dollar IOU in front of everyone, or nobody's leaving this apartment today!" The living room fell silent. All the relatives' eyes focused on me. They were all waiting to see this sucker make a fool of himself. I picked up the pen and without hesitation, quickly wrote out a five-hundred-thousand-dollar IOU and signed my name. "Margaret, keep it safe." I handed the IOU to Sophia's mother, my lips curling into an imperceptible cold smile. Margaret carefully inspected it, then tucked it away satisfied. "At least you know what's good for you. Sophia, I'll help you downstairs." "No need." Sophia looked coquettishly at Lucas, who had just gotten up from the floor. "Let Lucas carry me down. He's stronger." Lucas immediately dusted himself off and gave me a smug look before walking over to scoop Sophia up in his arms. Sophia wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling sweetly. Everyone present thought this scene was perfectly natural. Not one person thought there was anything wrong with another man carrying the bride downstairs. I followed behind them, watching Lucas's hand — wearing my mother's antique gold rings — pressed tightly against Sophia's waist. "Ethan, who are you pulling that face for today? If you don't want to get married, get lost right now." Sophia glared back at me from Lucas's arms. I pulled out my phone and sent a text to my lawyer: "Proceed as planned." Then I looked up at her. "Get married? Of course we're getting married. The guests are all waiting."
There were forty minutes left before the wedding ceremony officially began. In the hotel's luxury lounge, Sophia sat before the vanity touching up her makeup. Lucas leaned against the dresser holding a glass of champagne, occasionally leaning close to Sophia's ear to whisper something that made her giggle. When I pushed the door open and walked in, the laughter stopped abruptly. Several bridesmaids exchanged glances, their eyes full of unconcealed contempt and mockery. "Why were you glaring at Lucas earlier?" Sophia glanced at me through the mirror, her tone cold and hard. "He's been running around for our wedding and hasn't even eaten breakfast. Do you have no conscience?" I walked to the sofa and sat down, my gaze sweeping over the scattered invitations on the table. On one of the covers was clearly written "Benjamin Thompson." That was Benjamin's full name. "I wasn't glaring at him." I replied flatly, casually picking up a glass of water from the table. "If you weren't glaring at him, why would he feel so wronged?" Sophia spun around abruptly, slamming her powder puff on the table. "Ethan, don't think just because we're getting married today you can boss me around." "Let me tell you — Lucas is the most important person in my life. If you can't accept him, we don't need to continue this marriage!" Lucas immediately put on a wronged expression and tugged at Sophia's sleeve. "Sophia, don't fight with Ethan because of me. It's such a happy day. I can take a little mistreatment as long as you're happy." This manipulative speech immediately won the bridesmaids' sympathy. "Exactly, Ethan, you're being way too petty." "Sophia choosing you is a blessing you earned over eight lifetimes. Hurry up and apologize to Lucas!" "Lucas studied abroad. He's more than good enough for your wife. What are you jealous about?" I listened to these cutting remarks, my gaze falling on the trash can. Inside lay several crumpled pieces of letter paper. That was my wedding vow that I'd stayed up three nights revising over a dozen times. I walked over, bent down, and picked up the crumpled paper. "What are you doing?" Sophia wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I threw that away. What sappy garbage. So tacky I felt sick reading it." "I'm reading my own vows later. I don't need your corny words." She stood up and walked in front of me, jabbing her finger hard into my chest. "Now, immediately, apologize to Lucas. Otherwise, during the ring exchange, you can stand on stage and embarrass yourself alone!" She was certain I wouldn't dare resist. After all, in everyone's eyes, I'd already invested so much sunk cost — eight hundred and eighty thousand in wedding expenses, a five-hundred-thousand-dollar IOU, and a hall full of guests. I'd been pushed to the edge of a cliff. One step back would be an abyss. I looked at her exquisite yet mean face and suddenly felt somewhat tragic. What kind of trash had I fallen in love with these past three years? "Apologize?" I smoothed out the crumpled paper bit by bit, folded it neatly, and put it in my suit pocket. "Sure." I turned to look at Lucas, my lips curling into an eerie smile. "Lucas, I'm truly sorry. You've worked so hard today." Lucas froze for a moment, clearly not expecting me to be this spineless, then broke into a smug smile. "Ethan's too kind. We're all family from now on. Sophia's business is my business." Only then did Sophia hum with satisfaction and return to her vanity. "At least you know what's good for you. Go outside and check — make sure Benjamin's table is arranged properly. Don't neglect the VIP guests." I turned and walked out of the lounge, closing the door behind me. At the end of the hallway, my several groomsmen were waiting. They weren't my friends, but professional bodyguards and a legal team I'd hired at a high price. "Mr. Ethan, all evidence has been synced to the control room. We can cut to the big screen at any time." The lead bodyguard reported quietly. "Have all the people at the 'special guest table' arrived?" I adjusted my tie. "All present. Benjamin Thompson, trainer Ryan, and that intern Liam — eight people total, all at the front row VIP table." I nodded, listening to the wedding march playing in the banquet hall. That cheerful rhythm now sounded like a death knell counting down. "It's time. The bride and groom are requested to enter." The emcee's voice came through the walkie-talkie. The lounge door opened. Sophia walked out on her father Robert's arm like a noble princess. Lucas followed behind her, holding the tray with the rings. As Sophia passed me, she whispered a warning. "Ethan, hold onto the ring properly. Don't embarrass yourself later." I looked at her, a smile reaching my eyes for the first time. "Don't worry. Today will definitely be the most unforgettable moment of your life."
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