After we got engaged, my best friend invited me and my fiancé, Ethan, to appear on the famous reality show, The Moment of Truth. As long as you answered twenty-one questions honestly and passed the lie detector test, you could win five hundred thousand dollars. Facing that huge cash prize, I agreed without hesitation. When we arrived at the studio, Ethan sat onstage and answered the host’s questions. The first question: During your relationship with your fiancée, have you ever slept with another woman? Ethan answered, “No.” Lie detector result: Truth. I let out a long breath, and for the next few questions, Ethan passed without any trouble. Then came the twentieth question: After getting engaged, have you ever texted your ex-girlfriend? Ethan answered, “No.” But at that moment, the lie detector sounded an alarm: False. The final question: If your ex-girlfriend came back to you, would you choose her? Ethan answered, “No.” The lie detector let out another sharp alarm: False! Sitting in the audience, I was speechless for a long, long time. The challenge failed, and the five hundred thousand dollars was gone. And what failed along with it was the relationship I had spent eight years desperately trying to hold together.
After the show ended, Ethan tried to comfort me. “That lie detector wasn’t accurate, Wren. Don’t worry. We’re already engaged, and the person I’m going to marry is you!” “If I really wanted to lie to you, I never would’ve agreed to go on this show.” I looked at him, unable to tell which of his words were true and which were lies. But Ethan’s sister frowned. “Ethan, actually, your ex, Sophia, really is back. She really wants to see you.” Ethan froze and grabbed his sister’s arm. “Are you serious?! Where is she now?” Ethan’s sister smiled. “I was worried you wouldn’t go, and Sophia would end up secretly crying again.” His best friend picked up the conversation. “I told you a long time ago that Ethan never got over Sophia!” “If Sophia hadn’t gone abroad eight years ago, Wren never would’ve had a chance to date Ethan.” “The day Wren got into that car accident, Ethan said he was on a business trip, but he actually flew overseas in secret to watch Sophia’s debut performance!” Hearing that, several of them burst into laughter. I stood where I was, my eyes empty. When pain reached its limit, all that remained was calm. I remembered the day of the car accident. I had been lying in the ambulance, covered in blood, clutching my phone with its shattered screen as I called Ethan. Before I could even speak, he said, “I’m in a meeting. If it’s something important, tell me later.” That sentence blocked off all my panic. And as for the day I was followed. I trembled and closed my eyes, trying to remember. I couldn’t remember. I couldn’t remember how many times I had called him. So it had been twenty calls. But he hadn’t answered a single one. I slowly opened my eyes and walked inside. My best friend’s regretful voice rang out. “Sophia is such a good person. I hope they can clear up the misunderstanding and get back together.” I stopped and asked, “Ethan, are you really going?” The atmosphere froze instantly. After reacting, my best friend forced a fake smile at me. “It’s just a gathering between old friends!” I looked straight into her eyes. Ethan’s sister suddenly ran over and pulled me aside. “Ethan suddenly had something to deal with, so he left in a hurry and told you not to wait for him.” His friend also slapped his own forehead. “Right, he’ll probably be busy until late and might not come home.” I stayed silent the whole time and didn’t respond. Back then, I had never known their relationship was this close. Close enough for them to join forces and shatter the dream I had waited seven years for. Just then, my mother suddenly stood up. “Wren, did you hear everything?” In an instant, everyone’s eyes landed on me. Seeing that I didn’t answer, she suddenly let out a sigh of relief. “In that case, there’s no need to keep hiding it.” “Wren, you and Ethan aren’t right for each other. You’re not good enough for him. He deserves someone better.” I tugged at the corner of my mouth and gave a self-mocking smile. “Then who is good enough? Your precious student, Sophia?”
Her expression stayed calm, without a single ripple. It was as if she didn’t think there was anything wrong with choosing to help her beloved student win back her lover from her own daughter. “Who is good enough for him isn’t up to me. It depends on what Ethan chooses.” That was what she said, but the scale in her heart had long since tilted toward Sophia. My best friend hesitated, then stepped forward. “Wren, you haven’t eaten yet. Let’s go get something to eat first, okay?” I looked at her, disappointment spreading through me thread by thread. Back then, when my best friend was brutally beaten by her stepfather, I was the one who shielded her with my own body and risked my life to help her escape. Every time she saw the scar on my wrist, she cried. She had even said that in this life, if anyone bullied me, she would be the first one to stand up for me. But now, she was standing on the opposite side. I looked away and refused. “No need. You guys continue.” She didn’t really want to take me to eat. She was just afraid I would go make a scene. I picked up my bag and was about to leave. The moment I turned around, a vase brushed past my ear and smashed into the wall. I didn’t look up, and blood dripped onto the floor. “Wren! You’ve had him to yourself for so many years. It’s just one night. Can’t you let Sophia have him for one night?!” My mother’s voice crashed into me from behind, heavier than the vase. Ethan’s sister couldn’t stand it anymore, and her tone carried blame. “Wren, it’s just one meeting. Even if Ethan marries you, he still has the right to socialize freely, doesn’t he?” His friend followed along with a mocking laugh. “Olivia is right. If those two really wanted something to happen, do you think you’d even get a turn?” Another drop of blood fell. I lowered my head to glance at it and didn’t wipe it away. “Fine.” My mother let out a breath of relief and said, “That’s more like it.” “Sophia just came back to the country, and there are still a lot of things she needs Ethan’s help with. For now, don’t bother him with your problems.” I still answered, “Fine.” She frowned tightly, feeling that something was off but unable to say what. Just as she was about to speak again, my best friend suddenly cried out in surprise. “Look at Sophia’s Instagram! She posted a photo with him!” Several of them hurriedly gathered together and opened their phones to check. I didn’t linger and simply walked away. She didn’t understand what I meant. What I was giving up on was not only Ethan, but also her. Ethan came back very late. He tossed his coat aside casually, sank into the sofa, and closed his eyes to rest. He was so tired that he didn’t notice his coat had landed on my suitcase. I had just walked over when he suddenly pulled me into his arms. The perfume scent that belonged to another woman rushed straight into my nose. I struggled, but he pressed my head against his chest. “Be good. Don’t move. Let me recharge for a bit.” I covered my mouth and forced the violent sob in my throat back down. I hated crying. When my father cheated, and the judge asked me in court which parent I wanted to live with, I didn’t cry. When I couldn’t become my mother’s pride, and I watched with my own eyes as she brought Sophia home, let her sleep in my room, cooked her favorite dishes, and even changed her phone wallpaper to a photo of her, I still didn’t cry. Until now, when I desperately wanted to scream and accuse him of everything. But I was also greedily clinging to the warmth of his arms. Seven years. I had waited seven years, and we were only one step away. My nails dug into my palm, and I thought humbly. They all said Ethan would never come back today. But he still came back. Did that mean that between me and Sophia, he had chosen me? I spoke in a hoarse voice. “During the rehearsal, where did you—” A ringing phone interrupted me. After he saw the name clearly, he immediately pushed me away. “Ethan, something happened! Sophia suddenly fainted, and she’s already been taken to the hospital!” He shot to his feet, but I grabbed him tightly. “I have something to say to you!” “Wren, stop making trouble!” he said anxiously, so anxious that he called me by my full name. “We’ll have plenty of time later!” He pried my hand off and rushed out. Later? Would we even have a later? Tears fell onto the back of my hand. “Ethan, what I wanted to say was that I’m not marrying you anymore.”
Ethan didn’t come home for two nights in a row. When he called, his voice was thick with exhaustion. “My friend just had appendix surgery. He has no family with him, and he can’t be left alone.” I was tired too, so I asked him, “Ethan, is this friend of yours a man or a woman?” “...A man.” I laughed. He sounded a little guilty. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing. Just asking.” The one who had appendix surgery was Sophia. On social media, his sister Olivia posted a big group photo. The table full of fruit and flowers had been bought by my best friend. The milk and nutritional supplements on the floor had been bought by his friend. And the bowl of soup Sophia was holding had been made by my mother. My mother had never liked cooking. But when it came to Sophia, she always made exceptions. Funny enough, I had also had appendicitis before. Back then, I called Ethan. He said he was too busy to come and asked if I needed him to call an ambulance for me. When my mother received the news, she replied lightly, “It’s just a small surgery. Why are you being so dramatic?” During the seven days I was hospitalized, none of them came to visit me even once. It wasn’t until I was about to be discharged that the attending doctor looked at my file and asked in surprise, “I saw you were alone the whole time, so I thought you were single. Turns out you’re already married.” I packed the last suitcase. The wedding planning company called first. “Ms. Wren, your husband has already spoken with us on the phone. The wedding is on the eighth, and we’ll come in to set up the venue on the sixth, one day early. Is that okay with you?” Holding my phone, I froze for two seconds. The setup was on the sixth, and the wedding was on the eighth, so who was that extra day in between for? The answer didn’t even require thought. I rushed to the hospital, and as soon as I reached the corner, I heard voices. “They’ve had it so hard. They clearly love each other, but because Wren keeps clinging on, they can’t be together. Let that wedding ceremony make it up to them and fulfill their dream!” My best friend chimed in. “Ethan is only with Wren because he pities her. Have you ever seen him take Wren’s hand on his own?” My mother sighed. “If only Sophia were my biological daughter, I wouldn’t have to watch her suffer like this.” His sister sneered. “Poor Ethan. He has to marry a woman he doesn’t love and spend the rest of his life with her!” I leaned against the wall and listened until the last word. It didn’t hurt. It truly didn’t hurt anymore. I stepped out from around the corner. The five of them fell silent at the same time, as if they had seen a ghost. My mother was the first to block my way and glare at me. “What are you doing here? That night, were you the one who dragged Ethan down and kept him from coming, which is why he arrived so late?!” I looked into her eyes, so calm I didn’t seem like myself. “I’m here to give you what you want.” Hearing the commotion, someone opened the hospital room door from the inside. Ethan hadn’t expected to see me here. His shoulder instinctively shifted toward Sophia, blocking her from me. His body moved faster than his words, faster than his mind. The things he couldn’t say, his body said for him. He looked at me, and his voice carried wariness. “Why are you here?” I looked at the figure standing in front of Sophia and suddenly felt very light. All these years, he had never protected me like that. Not even that time when I was followed, dragged out of the elevator, and choked, my phone smashed on the ground with twenty missed calls on the screen, all showing his name. He had never appeared. “I came to see that friend on the phone who had no one to stay with him.” His expression changed slightly, and he wanted to explain. Sophia poked her head out from behind him, her face pale, and forced a smile. “Wren, long time no see.” “I had surgery right after coming back home. Don’t blame Ethan. He only came to help me because he felt sorry for me.” Her voice was very soft, like a needle wrapped in cotton. Over the years, whenever she spoke in that tone, I became the one at fault. The more understanding she seemed, the more I looked like the villain. My mother grabbed my arm from behind. “Leave. Don’t disturb Sophia’s rest!” The back of my hand hit the door handle and instantly turned red. “One sentence. I’ll leave after I say it.” Ethan’s brows twisted into a knot, and just as he was about to walk toward me, Sophia let out a low hiss of pain. Ethan immediately pulled his hand back and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t move. I’ll call the doctor!” My best friend sighed. “Wren, leave yourself some dignity. He doesn’t even have time to listen to one sentence from you.” His friend sneered. “So what if you marry Ethan? A man who doesn’t have you in his heart is truly pathetic!” Sophia blinked her innocent eyes. “I’m sorry, Wren. I didn’t mean to—” “You don’t need to apologize,” I interrupted her. I pulled the ring off my ring finger with force and threw it onto the floor. “Tell Ethan for me.” “I’m not marrying him.”
After I got home, I scheduled a time with the moving company. There was movement outside the door. Ethan had come back. I didn’t go out to greet him like I usually did. Instead, he walked toward me on his own, still carrying the faint scent of jasmine perfume. That was Sophia’s scent. He took my hand, and his fingertip gently touched the base of my ring finger. “You dropped your ring.” After saying that, he took the familiar ring out of his pocket. “I didn’t drop it. I threw it away.” His face darkened. “You don’t have to act like this. There’s nothing between me and her. We’re just friends now.” Friends? Right, a friend for whom he would make up for the “past” with a ceremony and fill an old emptiness. “You don’t have to be just friends,” I said. He suddenly stood up, his voice rising. “Wren! What nonsense are you talking about?” “Look at yourself. With that awful temper of yours, how was I supposed to dare tell you?” I laughed. I was clearly the one who had been played for a fool for seven years, but in the end, I was still the one at fault. “Have you ever truly treated me as your future wife?” He rubbed his brow. “If I didn’t see you as my wife, why would I marry you?” He tried to slide the ring onto my finger, but it got stuck at the knuckle and wouldn’t move. Frowning, he pressed down hard, and pain shot through the bone of my finger. “Why is this ring smaller now?” I didn’t speak and lowered my head to look quietly. It had been too small for a year. I had realized the size was wrong the moment I got it. I soaked my finger in ice water to reduce the swelling, forced the ring on, and my finger stayed swollen for three days. But he had never noticed. Ethan pulled it off and casually said, “Forget it. It’s just an engagement ring anyway. I’ll buy another one later.” The moment he pulled it off, the letters engraved inside the band caught the light. E & S. Ethan and Sophia. He froze, then his fingers tightened, and he quickly put the ring away. I stared at the hand he had tucked into his pocket and suddenly felt very light. So this ring had never belonged to me. Ethan’s phone rang. It was my mother calling. Her voice trembled badly. “Ethan, Sophia is missing. She just had surgery. Where could she go...” Ethan lifted his foot to leave, then abruptly stopped. He glanced at me, as if he had suddenly remembered there was still someone else in the room. “Her job overseas fell through, and she’s in a bad mood. She doesn’t have much family here either, so I—” “Go,” I interrupted him. He froze for a moment. There was a flash of hesitation in his eyes. But in the end, he still left. The next day, I was busy moving when my friend frantically sent me private messages. “Wren, you’re about to go viral!!!” “Look at this dance video. Isn’t this the clip you recorded last time? The whole internet is looking for this person now.” I tapped in and saw trending tags like “angelic dancer from behind” and “genius girl appears on the street.” The next second, a familiar profile picture sent an identity confirmation comment. “This new talent is my student, Sophia.” The comments exploded. “No wonder she’s so full of spirit! She’s actually Ms. Linda’s student!” “I know her! She’s Ms. Linda’s favorite student. Ms. Linda treats her even better than her own daughter!” “I’ve seen her before! She had a minor surgery in our department, and she had a handsome, sweet boyfriend staying with her every day. They’re so in love!” The phone rang. It was my mother. Her tone was still impatient. “I know the person in that viral dance video is you.” “You danced fairly well this time, but it was only a fluke.” “Right now, Sophia needs a stepping stone to break into the theater world here. You stole her lover. Surely you won’t refuse to help with even this small favor, right?” I didn’t speak, and someone else took the phone. Ethan’s breathing grew heavy. “Wren, I’ll make it up to you.” “Let Sophia have this opportunity first.” I heard myself laugh. Make it up to me? In what capacity was Ethan making it up to me on Sophia’s behalf? “Got it.” There was no sarcasm, no questioning, and he even froze for a moment. “You’re... not angry?” “No.” His tone immediately relaxed. “That’s good.” “The wedding is the day after tomorrow. I picked out a new ring, and I’ll send you a picture later. Don’t overthink things. Just prepare properly.” After hanging up, I saw the wedding planning company post photos of the venue setup on social media. So today was the sixth. The design draft I had painstakingly worked on for three months had been turned into a real-life setup. In the video, my best friend and the others were crouched near the side of the stage to supervise, while my mother sat in the first row flipping through the photo wall. She selected the most perfect photo of the two of them from a pile of proofs and placed it in the center. How warm. What a complete family. Then I found my call log and called an entertainment reporter. “The viral ‘genius dancer’ online is holding a wedding. I have exclusive material. Do you want to come film it?”
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