On the day we got our marriage license, I placed the certificate beside our candlelit dinner, ready to take a photo for Ins. My husband Hendley suddenly spoke up: "Billson, actually, this certificate is fake." I froze. A woman's shocked voice came through his phone: "Hendley, why did you tell her so early! This is no fun anymore!" Hendley frowned: "She's so stupid she still hasn't figured it out. Is there any point in continuing this act? You win the bet, okay? Cruz!" But I had already posted on Ins. Everyone was congratulating Hendley and me on our seven-year relationship finally coming to fruition. And Cruz, who had bullied me in high school, mockingly commented under my post: "Is this marriage certificate real? When are you inviting me to the wedding?" I thought for a moment and replied: "Next week." Cruz immediately called Hendley: "You're not breaking up with Billson?" "Why would I break up? To be with you? You're about to get married yourself, okay?" Hendley hung up on Cruz and carefully opened the cake box, placing it in the center. Then he lit the candles and beckoned to me: "Billson, come make a wish." My whole body went numb as I stared straight into his eyes. His eyes were calm and still, without even a trace of guilt. "Was it fun deceiving me for so long?" The smile faded from Hendley's face. "I wouldn't call it deception. I'd rather lose to her than keep this from you—I just didn't want our relationship to have problems. Doesn't that show how much I value you?" "Besides, we just didn't get the official license. I never said I wanted to break up with you." The cake in front of me had seven candles on it. Brazenly announcing that this was the seventh year I'd been played for a fool. The candlelight held little warmth, yet it made the long-healed scars on my arms itch slightly. I never could have imagined that my boyfriend who promised to stay with me forever and the bully who burned me with a curling iron, leaving me covered in wounds... Were actually childhood friends. The fake marriage certificate on the table was painfully glaring. The open page captured my happiest smile. I had thought my life was finally turning around. Tears welled up in my eyes. "Right, you didn't lie." I was the fool—stupid enough to think someone would willingly give everything to love someone as broken as me. I picked up the fake certificate and held it over the candle flame. The fire licked at it, and the cover immediately blackened at one corner. Hendley quickly pulled me into his arms. He grabbed a glass and splashed water to extinguish the flame. "What are you doing! You're most afraid of fire!" He remembered—the aftereffects from my bullying. Every year on my birthday, I would whisper my wish in his ear. He would make the wish and blow out the candles for me. For seven years, I made the same wish countless times. "Billson wants to be with Hendley forever." Mom remarried, Dad found someone new. More than anyone, I wanted a home with an address that would never change. What was he thinking when he heard these wishes? Was he laughing inside? Laughing at how I'd been played year after year without realizing it? And in the end, he had to mercifully tell me the truth himself? The fire was out, leaving a bloody scar on my finger. Hendley pulled out the first aid kit to apply antiseptic ointment, a flash of complexity in his eyes. "Stop being dramatic. There's really nothing between Cruz and me. You know she's about to get married. Whatever you want, I can compensate you." He picked up his phone, about to show me the gifts he'd selected in his shopping cart. But his expression immediately stiffened. He frowned at me. "You did this on purpose? I specifically told you not to post it. You deliberately hurt yourself just to pressure me into marriage?!" "Billson, are you that desperate to get married?" "Isn't dating the same thing? I was going to..." His words caught in his throat, interrupted by a phone call. It was Cruz calling, her exaggerated laughter exploding through the speaker. "Everyone knows you're having a wedding next week! I warned you—people like her have no self-respect. Even after being played, she still desperately wants to marry you." "She probably found out you have money. Too bad she doesn't know you promised to protect me forever." The man's face darkened as he hung up and ordered me: "Delete that Ins post right now." "I won't delete it. Hendley, next week, I'm getting married." Grandma was very ill. She asked me why, when Hendley and I had such a stable relationship, we still hadn't made it official. Turns out, he'd already made promises to another woman. Continuing to date me was already the greatest charity. I should be grateful. But why did he think I would want this pity that slipped through his fingers?
"Billson, can you stop being stubborn over these little things!" Hendley slammed the door and left. I sat calmly on the sofa, unwrapped the bandage that had been wound several times around my finger, and replaced it with a band-aid. I should have realized sooner—he and I weren't from the same world at all. He didn't even know basic first aid. He could barely cook instant noodles without ruining them, yet he'd handled this entire candlelit dinner himself, saying he wanted to make me something delicious. Australian imported ribeye steak, estate-cellared Chardonnay wine, custom chef-made cake. Probably all ordered from upscale restaurants. Even the most inconspicuous candles were luxury brand aromatics. With one casual flip of the table, Hendley destroyed things worth three months of my salary, leaving them worthless on the floor. Splattered wine stains dirtied the wall. I was even thinking the landlord wouldn't refund my deposit now. Amid the chaos, I started packing my things and messaged the landlord about terminating my lease. Ding~ The moment I sent the message, a notification sound came from behind me. I turned around. Hendley's computer was still on—he'd planned to watch a movie with me. In a small group chat of seven or eight people, the group admin Cruz posted a screenshot of my message. "Oh my god, how pathetic. She's actually asking me about the deposit." "This is the worst property I own. I feel dirty having her live there." Cruz was actually the landlord I'd been paying rent to all along. I scrolled up through the chat. Every screenshot in the group chat... Was about my Twitter updates. The matching pajamas I bought Hendley with my first paycheck were mocked as street market goods. The birthday cake Hendley bought me was leftover from Cruz's pet dog. Every single thing in my life had become their entertainment. On my first day at the new company, someone sent me roses. I'm allergic to pollen. I had trouble breathing and ended up in the hospital. My face swelled up on one side. Hendley affectionately leaned in to take a photo, saying I looked cute. But when I opened the voice message in the group chat... It was Cruz and everyone else laughing shrilly: "Hendley, you actually kissed that pig. You've really sacrificed a lot." "Cruz, this bet of yours has really tortured Hendley." Hendley only replied flatly: "As long as Cruz is happy." At those words, everyone teased them ambiguously. Intense suffocation blocked my chest, as if that day's rose pollen had entered my nose again. Even now, Cruz was using her landlord identity to fake concern for me. "You're terminating the lease? Where are you planning to live? I have properties in every district." "Don't worry about me. Remember to come drink next week." After I replied, the group chat rolled through several more messages. Cruz said contemptuously: "What's she acting for? She probably thinks she's marrying into wealth now, that she'll get to live in a mansion!" "@Hendley, where are you? Why aren't you saying anything? Are you really going to marry her?" Soon, Hendley sent a video. "Almost there." "Of course I'm not marrying her." He sat in his Maybach adjusting the steering wheel, sunglasses covering his deep-set eyes. "But she terminated her lease. Won't she have to live at your place?" Hendley instinctively hit the brakes. "What did you say?" Unease rose in his heart. He opened the remote monitoring app on his phone. In the security camera feed at his door... I wore a thin jacket, dragging my suitcase into the elevator. But he'd never told me where his real home was.
I got in a taxi and gave the address. The driver looked back at the shabby neighborhood and said with a knowing expression: "That's quite a move you're making." I glanced out the window briefly, then lowered my head to reply to messages. "Yeah, moving in with my fiancé to prepare for the wedding." "Well, congratulations! People who live in that area are all big shots." Without responding further, I revised the ceremony schedule the wedding coordinator sent me and forwarded it out. After getting out of the car, I dragged my suitcase through the villa district for a while. Suddenly, angry shouting and screeching brakes came from behind me. "Billson, how did you find out I live here? Are you investigating me?" Seeing my suitcase made him even angrier. "You actually have the nerve to show up at my parents' door demanding they acknowledge you? Are you crazy!" I shook my head. "No, I didn't know you lived here." His face darkened inch by inch as he grabbed my wrist and dragged me toward the car. "Stop pretending! I never realized you were this calculating before!" I couldn't help but laugh. "Before you said I was stupid, now you say I'm calculating. Hendley, what exactly am I in your eyes?" The moment the car door closed, he pinned me against the window and kissed me. A bloody tearing at lips and teeth, thick with the taste of rust. He lowered his eyes. "Billson, you're the person I like." "But marriage takes time. At least, I need to wait until Cruz gets married first. I need to make sure she's happy..." I laughed through my tears, which dripped onto his fingers. "I can't wait." The first moment I got the license, I told Grandma. The old woman's spirits lifted considerably. She was looking forward to attending my wedding. Now what? Should I tell her... Her granddaughter was played like a dog for seven years? Seeing I wouldn't back down, he grew angry and punched the window beside my ear, making the glass vibrate. "Billson, no wonder your parents didn't want you! Who could stand your personality!" "You want a wedding? Can you even invite a single person on your side?" My chest rose and fell with rapid breathing. Once, this man had held me, kissing each of my scars. "Billson, it's not your fault. You did nothing wrong." "Don't think about those people who hurt and abandoned you. Think about me, think about our future." I slapped him hard across the face. "Get the hell away from me!" His eyes darkened as he opened the car door and pushed me out. "Don't know what's good for you. Fine, then we're breaking up!" I fell to the ground. His wheel nearly ran over my fingers. I chased after him a few steps, stumbling and falling again, shouting his name over and over. Hendley stared at the rearview mirror and sneered. "You never say what you mean." The sports car didn't slow down at all. He was determined to punish me, to make me give in. But I just wanted my suitcase back—my ID documents were inside. I needed them to get the marriage license tomorrow.
I didn't know where Hendley lived, so I had to search through Cruz's social media accounts. She was beautiful with a good family background, and had quite a following on Ins. Though she usually only posted about makeup, today she suddenly posted a rant video. "This is hilarious! I've never seen a woman so desperate to throw herself at someone!" "If I hadn't paid to get her wedding time and schedule, my childhood friend wouldn't have believed she was planning a wedding all by herself!" The longer I looked at her face, the more nauseous I felt. I quickly searched through her past location tags. Finally, at the club they frequently visited, I found traces of Hendley. As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I could hear Cruz's exaggerated laughter. "When the time comes, I'll livestream the wedding. Hendley, don't go. Let her wait and completely humiliate herself." Another weak female voice hesitated: "That's not very nice. Cruz, you have hundreds of thousands of followers. If you really do this, how will she face people?" "Hendley, maybe you should talk to her again and offer some compensation or something." Hendley was silent for a moment, then scoffed. "Do what Cruz says. Let's see what kind of joke she can make of herself." I clenched my fists and turned to leave. For the next few days, Hendley didn't receive any message from me giving in. But the group chat was lively. Cruz said smugly: "Good thing I pretended to be her landlord so she didn't block me. I can see all her Twitter updates." "Look at this wedding dress—such an outdated style. Even for an enemy, I feel sorry for her!" In the nine photos, I wore a conservative wedding dress style that didn't expose my arms. But the photographer had good skills, outlining the figure by the window as sacred and beautiful. Like a light, floating cloud that could drift away at any moment. Hendley's voice grew hoarse. He unconsciously clicked to save the original image. He suddenly imagined me in a wedding dress walking toward him. His heart unexpectedly stirred. Cruz in the group chat remained oblivious, still pointing and criticizing. "This idiot even sent me a wedding invitation, saying she invited over a thousand people and hoped I'd come." "Hilarious. Of course I'm going. I really look forward to seeing her humiliate herself on stage!" The wedding day soon arrived. Cruz continued to relay Twitter updates in real-time. "Grandma can finally witness my happiness." The accompanying photo showed Grandma in a wheelchair with me in a wedding dress, tears glistening in Grandma's eyes. Hendley's friend spoke up: "Oh no, I'm starting to feel bad. What if the old lady has a heart attack on the spot?" "Hendley, are you really not going?" Hendley's lips trembled. Cruz interrupted first. "It's only fun if her family is there! That old woman sat at the education bureau for a week with her cane, insisting on reporting me for bullying her granddaughter." "My daddy confiscated my yacht because of that. I still haven't gotten revenge for that!" She tested the waters again: "Hey, Hendley, you're not getting soft-hearted, are you! You promised to help me!" Hendley gritted his teeth. "How could I? If she dared to pressure me into marriage, she should have thought of the consequences." Cruz relaxed and sent a blowing kiss emoji. "Okay, I'm going to do my makeup for the wedding. Remember to watch the livestream! I specifically paid for promotion. I'm really looking forward to what happens next." The group chat fell silent for a while, then another Twitter screenshot was posted. "This life, this person." The accompanying image showed two marriage certificates. Hendley's friend was confused and immediately @mentioned Hendley. "Hendley, didn't you say she burned the fake certificate in a rage? What's this about?" But the message went unanswered for a long time. At that moment, Hendley was driving his fastest sports car at full speed toward the wedding venue. It's just a ceremony, right? If she wants it, he'll give it to her. It's not that big a deal. The certificate wasn't officially registered anyway, so it wouldn't violate his promise to Cruz. He rushed to the wedding. The ceremony had just begun. Good, he wasn't late. Hendley pulled out the wedding ring he'd prepared from his pocket. On a whim, he'd stopped by a jewelry store on the way. It turned out the dimensions of her fingers were already engraved in his heart. Cruz, sitting in the audience, looked a bit green. Hundreds of thousands of people flooded into the livestream. All clamoring to see who was so shameless as to throw themselves at someone. Now Hendley was the first one standing on stage. The wedding march began playing. Hendley looked expectantly toward the end of the red carpet, but the person in the wedding dress still hadn't appeared. The MC picked up the microphone. "Miss Billson welcomes everyone to this event. Please first watch a video." Event? Hendley felt an inexplicable strangeness. Maybe it was just an unprofessional MC hired at the last minute. He shifted his gaze to the screen. After just one second, the world spun before his eyes.
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