The new intern at the office was getting married, and he specially sent me an invitation. I opened it casually, but my entire body froze when my eyes scanned the bride’s name—Chloé Miller? Isn’t that my wife’s name? I reassured myself that there were plenty of people with the same name in the world, and I smiled, accepting the invitation. My colleagues beside me started to tease, saying how lucky Gage Price was to marry such a top-tier socialite. Someone added, “Although she’s a few years older than Gage, she’s incredibly well-preserved. She looks like a young woman.” As they spoke, someone projected the bride’s photo onto the big screen. A chorus of gasps and exclamations of envy instantly filled the room. I stiffly raised my head, and the face on the screen sent a chill through my entire body. It was clearly my wife’s face, an exact match! 1 On the day of their wedding, I arrived early. Gage Price, wearing a custom-made groom’s suit, shook my hand. “Thank you, Mr. Edwards, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to attend my wedding and witness my love.” A faint, cold smile played on my lips. To be precise, today I was here to witness their affair. At the hotel entrance, two floor-length wedding photos were displayed. In the pictures, Chloé Miller was in Gage’s arms, both smiling radiantly, full of happiness. Staring at the photos, my heart felt like it was being stretched and pulled by an invisible force. Gage’s smile was bright as he led me to the guest lounge. “Mr. Edwards,” he paused, a hint of tentative politeness in his smile. “On this special occasion, I’ll be less formal, if I may call you Adrian, sir?” He had just graduated from college this year, only twenty-two. His eyes sparkled, radiating the unique youthful energy of a college student. Seeing him smile so happily, my heart throbbed faintly. But I forced a smile and said, “You may.” I sat in the lounge. He offered me tea and fruit. His unbridled joy was exactly how I had been when I married Chloé. A hard, heavy stone felt lodged in my chest, making me feel suffocated and restless. That morning, before coming to the wedding, I had called Chloé. She said she was still away on a business trip. In the video call, she looked like a homesick child, her eyes filled with longing for me. She even showed me the watch she had bought for me. “I won’t be back for another three days. It feels like an eternity. Honey, I miss you so much.” Several times, I nearly broke down and exposed her hypocritical facade, but I held back. For fifteen years of marriage. In everyone’s eyes, Chloé was a good wife. A good mother, even a good daughter-in-law. Before this incident, I had once believed she was the best woman in the world. As happy as I once was, that’s how much pain I was in now. My colleague, Mark, arrived and complimented Gage. “You look absolutely dashing today!” Gage smiled, looking at me. “I’m happy because of the big day, but Adrian, sir, you’re still the handsome one.” At work, I was considered a handsome man. In college, I was the undisputed campus heartthrob. Even though I was a few years older than Gage, I still looked more attractive than him. But marriage was never won by looks alone. I felt no emotion, just a faint smile. Mark, ever the gossip, asked him, “Gage, I heard you’ve been with your wife for four years.” “How did you meet such a top-tier socialite like your wife?” Mark even playfully nudged his arm. “Are there any other eligible women like her? Introduce me; I’ll get a divorce right away.” Hearing the words “four years,” my heart shattered into ice. Four years. She had kept this from me for four years. And I hadn’t noticed a single sign of Chloé’s infidelity. I just pretended to be calm and listened to Gage speak. “She’s the best gift destiny could have compensated me with.” As he spoke, Gage pulled Mark to sit next to me. He said, “My freshman year, my parents both died in an accident.” “I almost couldn’t afford college. It so happened that my wife’s alma mater was my university.” “She donates five hundred thousand dollars to the university every year, and I was one of the students she sponsored.” “That winter was very cold. To thank her, I personally knitted her a sweater.” “That sweater, it started our love story.” I remembered Chloé did have a handmade sweater. She cherished it. But she had told me it was a gift from my deceased mother. Once, our son accidentally dropped the sweater on the floor. She lost her temper, giving him a harsh scolding. Turns out, that sweater was hand-knitted by Gage. What chilled me most was that she donated five hundred thousand dollars to the school every year, and I knew absolutely nothing about it. Two years ago, she claimed the company was facing a cash flow crisis. She mortgaged our house, her parents’ house, and my parents’ house. Only then did she help the company through its difficult period. Even now, the company’s business remains stagnant, neither losing nor gaining, in a half-dead state. Yet, such a shrewd woman would do something so absurd—cutting off her own arm to help a lover, just for a smile. Mark was incredibly envious and asked again: “I heard your wife might make a lot of money, and she gives it all to you.” “So why are you still working like a dog at our company?” I pricked up my ears, staring at Gage. The smile never left his face. “Even though she gave me all her money, it’s more than I could spend in dozens of lifetimes.” “But I want to do a job I enjoy. I don’t want to just be a man she supports.” “I have my own worth.” More than he could spend in dozens of lifetimes? My chest tightened even more! Just last month, our son couldn’t afford the fifty thousand dollar tuition for his private school. He transferred to a public school, and the huge sense of loss caused my ten-year-old son to develop anxiety and depression. I pretended to be calm and asked: “What industry is your wife in, to be making so much money?” “Her company mainly operates overseas. The domestic company doesn’t make much.” I was stunned. I had no idea Chloé had opened a company overseas. For the past four years, she claimed the company was struggling. And cut off money for the household. My after-tax annual salary of eighty thousand dollars was just enough to cover our family expenses. So I never pressured her. Even a few years ago when my mother-in-law passed away, spending almost two hundred thousand dollars on treatment over a year. I paid for all of it, a hundred thousand of which I had to borrow. To pay off that debt as soon as possible, I had to both maintain the facade that our family hadn't fallen on hard times and scrimp and save. Chloé witnessed my many nights of worry and sleeplessness, saw my hair rapidly turning gray in my thirties. Yet, she never contributed a single dime. Mark continued to gossip, his voice a little lower. “I heard your wife was divorced, and you’re her second husband.” “Can she manage her relationship with her ex-husband’s side well?” A cold laugh formed in my heart, but I managed to control the churning emotions within me. Gage seemed to have nothing to hide, a smile still on his face. “Her ex-husband and son both passed away.” A gaping hole tore through my chest, and a choking sensation lodged in my throat. Incredulous, Chloé had actually told him that my son and I were dead. A hint of regret appeared on Gage’s face. “It was an accident. Such a shame, that poor guy didn’t get to enjoy life with her.” More colleagues from work arrived. Gage continued to smile, greeting them. He showed no sign of noticing my changing expression. They surrounded Gage, praising him. Everyone envied his good fortune, finding a wealthy, generous, and loving wife. As they were talking, Gage’s phone video rang. It was Chloé calling. Everyone cheered for Gage to answer. Gage didn’t answer, instead saying, “I want her to see me like this today, only when we exchange rings at the wedding.” Everyone cheered again. “Gage wants to surprise his wife at the wedding.” Gage smiled. “To be honest, my wife didn’t have a wedding for her first marriage.” “She never took wedding photos, nor did she ever see her beloved in a groom’s suit.” “So I want her to be happy and unforgettable today.” He was right. Fifteen years ago, when Chloé and I married. She was still a penniless Cinderella. Our wedding was completely bare-bones. Even the rings were fake, bought from a dollar store. I put all my money into supporting her entrepreneurial venture. Three months ago, our son suggested that she take wedding photos with me as a keepsake. She gave a natural smile. “We’re old married folk now.” Then added, “We’ll take a family photo sometime.” I felt a vague disappointment then, but I didn’t dwell on it. I always believed that as long as the family was safe, sound, and loving. Nothing else mattered. She had completely forgotten that on our wedding day, when we lived in a two hundred dollar basement apartment. She had tears in her eyes as she promised me: “Honey, when I have money, I’ll definitely take wedding photos with you, buy you a car, a house, and give you all the best things.” But when she had everything. What she gave me in return was a soul-crushing betrayal. Someone gasped, covering their mouth. “No way, she didn’t have a wedding with her deceased ex-husband?” “She said she had no feelings for her ex-husband, didn’t want to, but her parents forced her.” Gage said this calmly, as if he wasn't talking about Chloé’s life. “She said, when her ex-husband died, she finally felt a sense of relief.” “Like the whole world brightened up.” My heart was tearing apart with pain. I never imagined Chloé would so cheapen and humiliate our relationship in front of her lover. She was the one who relentlessly pursued me until I agreed to marry her. On the surface, I remained unfazed. As Gage was speaking, he suddenly remembered something and smiled blissfully. “Oh, and my wife is pregnant, two months along.” Everyone gathered around him, congratulating him. Saying his child would be a genuine heir to a wealthy family. Gage didn’t shy away from the topic. “My wife has already given all her assets to me and our child.” “She’s also planning for us to move abroad as a family after the wedding, a honeymoon of sorts, to truly relax.” Again, there was a chorus of envy. My spine turned cold. His child is the heir? What about my child?! My ten-year-old son, at the age of eight, had risked his life to save Chloé from a fire. That time, Chloé was inspecting a warehouse. The warehouse caught fire due to an electrical problem. My son saw her trapped inside and rushed in without hesitation to save her. Since then, my healthy son had a broken leg and has been limping ever since. Chloé had cried for several nights, heartbroken. She promised me and our son, again and again. She would work hard to give me and our son the best life. To make our son a wealthy heir who would never run out of money. Now, those words were the biggest joke in the world. Mark was once again insanely envious, exclaiming again. “Gage, heaven has been so good to you.” “Your wife truly loves you so much! You two must be happy.” Gage patted Mark’s back, his tone full of certainty. “Don’t worry, she’d even risk her life for me. She’ll definitely love me forever.” I raised an eyebrow, deliberately asking, “What reckless thing did she do for you?” “Two years ago, I was with her, meeting at her company’s warehouse.” “Later, I lost a shoe. Actually, a pair of those shoes only cost fifty-nine dollars.” “Just because I really liked those shoes, she went back herself to look for it.” “But the warehouse unexpectedly caught fire, and she almost lost her life.” “Luckily, she was blessed with good fortune and found that cheap shoe for me.” My blood boiled, and I clenched my fists, my fingernails digging deep into my flesh. I never imagined that my son’s broken leg was because of him. Fifteen years of marriage, and I only just discovered that my wife, the person sleeping beside me, was a demon. The one who delivered the fatal blow was my most trusted wife! “Oh my god, how touching, this is just like a novel!” someone exclaimed. Everyone, like Gage, was moved, quietly wiping away the faint tears at the corners of their eyes. Someone else said: “Your wife is so good to you. Are your in-laws also that good to you?” I looked at him, and he nodded firmly. “Her mom and dad are both very good to me.” My spine tingled with coldness. Chloé’s mother had passed away four years ago. Her father suffered from Alzheimer’s and now resided permanently in a nursing home. Gage pulled out a fine piece of black jade from his chest. It was identical to the one I wore around my neck. He held it up for everyone to see. “This was a gift from my father-in-law. Although it doesn’t look like it’s worth much, he said it’s a family heirloom.” “It’s only passed down to sons-in-law. Starting with him, we’ll pass it down generation to generation.” I carefully touched the black jade around my neck, only to realize it was fake. As everyone once again expressed their envy. A staff member called out from a distance: “Where’s the groom? The wedding is about to begin.” Gage immediately smiled and responded: “Coming, coming.” Then he smiled at us and said, “See you later.” I silently thought to myself: See you later! Many people came to the wedding. I saw a couple with “Bride’s Father” and “Bride’s Mother” written on their chest badges. A bitter smile formed in my heart. Chloé, in order to give Gage a happy wedding. Actually hired people to impersonate her parents. The wedding entered the groom picking up the bride’s procession. On stage, Chloé’s lips curved into a blissful smile. I stood in the corner behind her, my heart churning with immense hatred. I watched her eagerly walk towards the door of happiness, take Gage’s hand, and walk back to the stage. At the wedding, they exchanged vows of eternal love. The officiant, following the script, asked Gage: “Groom, do you take this bride?” Gage, without hesitation, smiled and loudly replied, “I do!” I took the microphone, walked onto the stage, and spoke loudly with a sharp tone: “That depends on whether I agree!” My gaze, sharp as a blade, fixed on Chloé’s eyes. “Wife, wouldn’t you agree?”
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