On the day we went to get our marriage license, we were just one signature away from being husband and wife. But right at the finish line, my boyfriend stood by and watched as his "tomboy" best friend tore our ID documents and the application form to shreds right in front of the county clerk. Before I could even process what was happening, his groomsmen were already howling with laughter. "Damn, Mia, are you really that desperate to marry Ethan?" "We took bets on whether you'd actually manage to tie the knot today. Look at you now, you don't even have the paperwork!" "Did you seriously think that locking Ethan down would turn you into some high-society princess overnight?!" Ethan affectionately ruffled my hair, offering a light, completely unbothered smile. "Chloe is right. You've been way too jealous lately. If I don't teach you a little lesson now, how are you going to act once we're actually married?" "The Cross family isn't that easy to marry into." Amidst the blatant, unrestrained mockery of his friends, the county clerk awkwardly tapped her desk. "Ma'am, we close in five minutes. If you don't have the proper identification, we cannot process your license today." Chloe's smile grew even more triumphant. "Hear that? Even if you pull a new number, you can't get the license without your IDs!" "You better hurry up and take Ethan to the DMV to get replacement IDs!" I turned around coldly and immediately dialed the number of his biggest rival. "I accept the arranged marriage. If you can make it to the county clerk's office in five minutes, I will marry you right now." ... After hanging up, I walked to the farthest corner of the waiting area and sat down. Seeing me isolate myself, Ethan strolled over leisurely and reached out to grab my hand. "Mia, stop throwing a tantrum." "If we can't do it today, we'll do it another day. Do you really have to embarrass me in front of all these people?" I snatched my hand back. For the very first time, I raised my voice at him in public. "I'm throwing a tantrum?" "Who kept it a secret from me, and orchestrated destroying our IDs right at the most critical moment?" "You guys planned this whole thing behind my back, and now you have the audacity to accuse me of throwing a tantrum?" It was the first time I had ever completely lost my temper in public. The group went dead silent for a few seconds. I kept going. "Last month, who hid my corporate partnership proposal in a locker at the club, making me search the entire building for three hours?" "Who changed the reservations for our anniversary dinner into a frat party, leaving me to wait alone with a cold cake until midnight?" "Over the holidays, who deliberately gave me the wrong flight number, making me stand at the airport terminal from the afternoon until the early hours of the morning?" "You play these sick jokes on me over and over again. You love watching me look pathetic, don't you?" Ethan's brow furrowed heavily. "It was just a joke among friends. Do you really need to interrogate me like a criminal and dig up the past?" "Chloe and the guys took time off work specifically to be here for us today, and you insist on making everyone miserable?" I ripped my arm out of his grasp and let out a cold, sharp laugh. "They took time off to be here for us? Are they here to watch us get married, or are they here to watch me be humiliated?" "You know the answer better than anyone." Ethan's face darkened, and the group finally stopped laughing. But the silence only lasted a few seconds before they all started chiming in at once. "Come on, Mia, at the end of the day, you still love Ethan!" "We didn't mean any harm, we were just having some fun. Why are you getting so defensive?" "Ethan was just testing you! Who told you to be so insanely jealous all the time? We just wanted to play a little prank!" Chloe leaned close to Ethan, blinking innocently and whispering loudly: "Ethan, Mia's temper is seriously out of control." I stared dead at Ethan. "Did you tell them to rip up the IDs?" He gave a nonchalant nod. "I did." "You've been nagging me about getting this marriage license every single day lately. It's suffocating." "I just wanted to make you understand that even after we're married, you can't make your entire life revolve around me. It's exhausting for both of us." A bitter smile pulled at the corners of my mouth. I suddenly felt like my entire life for the past three years had been a pathetic joke. "Don't worry. My life won't revolve around you ever again." Hearing that, Ethan's brow twitched. Chloe and the others immediately swarmed in to back him up. "Seriously, Mia. You literally confirmed the flavors of the wedding favors like five times. You're trying way too hard." "Ethan was just messing with you. You're being incredibly petty." Ethan nodded in agreement, that lazy, arrogant smirk returning to his lips. "You really do need to change your attitude. If your reactions weren't so entertaining, we wouldn't mess with you so much." I lowered my eyes. For the past three years, every time they played a sick prank on me, Ethan would pull me into a hug and coax me for hours afterward. He would say his friends didn't mean any harm. He would say they only messed with me because they considered me 'one of the guys.' I thought it meant they were close to me. Now I finally understood—it was just a game of slapping me in the face, then handing me a piece of candy. I looked up, my gaze sweeping coldly across the group. "The only reason you people dare to be this brazen is because Ethan has never actually respected me." No one said a word. The smirk on Ethan's face finally vanished. Chloe was the only one who seemed to realize something was genuinely wrong. She hesitantly tugged at my sleeve. "Mia, I'm sorry, okay?" "I thought they were just joking around and that they'd give the IDs back to you in a minute." "Ethan told me you two would definitely get the license today, that's the only reason I played along." I brushed her hand away. "I heard your apology." "But I don't forgive you." Chloe's face went chalk white. My phone screen lit up. Julian had shared his live location. [Just left the office. Four minutes away.] I sat back down in the waiting area. Seeing me sit back down, Chloe's crew started laughing again. "See? I told you Mia would never actually leave." "No matter how big of a scene she makes, she's still going to sit right there like a good girl and wait." One of Ethan's frat brothers pulled out his phone and pointed the camera directly at my face. "Alright, let's document this. Let's see exactly how long the future Mrs. Cross can hold out before she loses her temper after having her IDs shredded." Chapter 2 The camera lens got closer and closer. I turned my head to block it. He just laughed even harder. "Don't hide, Mia! You were acting so tough when you were interrogating Ethan a minute ago! Let the viewers see how long the great Princess Mia can actually keep up the tough-girl act." Ethan finally frowned. "Alright, knock it off. That's enough." The guy didn't take him seriously, just waving the phone screen. "I'm just filming for fun. I'm not gonna post it anywhere." Ethan didn't order him to delete it. He pulled a piece of candy from his jacket pocket, unwrapped it, and held it to my lips. "Eat something sweet. Calm down." I didn't take it. He glanced down and noticed the clasp on my bracelet was loose. He naturally reached out and secured it for me. The group immediately erupted into catcalls and whistling. "Only Ethan knows how to handle her!" "There's no way Mia can still be mad after that, right?" Ethan leaned in close, lowering his voice. "Mia, I never said I wasn't going to marry you." "I just want you to understand that once we're married, you need your own social circle. Don't focus all your attention on me." "Give everyone a way out right now, and we'll just pretend this never happened." His movements were gentle, his tone exactly the same as every other time he coaxed me. But in this moment, it only made me feel violently nauseous. The humiliation was orchestrated by him. The gentleness was a charity bestowed by him. And I was expected to swallow it all and smooth things over for everyone else, just to earn that tiny scrap of affection. Chloe leaned in and asked, "Ethan, what's your secret?" "Mia has been with you for three years, and she's never once gotten into a real, screaming match with you." Ethan let out a soft laugh. "How long can she actually stay mad?" "Three hours, max." "By tonight, she'll still text me asking if I've eaten and when I'm coming home." The group laughed even more brazenly. Chloe stood on the sidelines. She looked uncomfortable, but she still didn't say a single word to defend me. Someone else asked, "What's the longest she's ever stayed mad?" Ethan thought about it for a second. "One time I told her my dinner meeting would end at 10 PM. She drove through a massive thunderstorm to come pick me up." "I changed venues at the last minute and forgot to tell her." "She waited outside the restaurant until 2 AM. When she finally saw me, she wasn't even mad. She just asked if I was cold." He said it so casually, even with a hint of pride. "So yeah. She doesn't have it in her to actually stay mad at me." The last lingering ache in my chest completely evaporated. My endless compromises were never cherished. They just convinced him that I had absolutely zero boundaries. The PA system in the lobby chimed. "For anyone who has not yet pulled a number, please do so immediately. There are only four slots remaining for the day. This office will stop issuing numbers in exactly five minutes." I snapped my head up, checking the digital display screen. Ethan completely misinterpreted my reaction. He pushed a boba tea toward my hand, his tone dripping with indulgence. "Alright, if we don't have time today, we'll do it tomorrow." "Everyone is exhausted from waiting around with us all morning. There's no need to force everyone to keep waiting." Chloe and the others immediately chimed in. "Yeah, Mia, save yourself some dignity." "Ethan already said he's marrying you tomorrow. Are you terrified he's going to run away tonight?" I looked down at my phone, ignoring them entirely. Ethan assumed I was still throwing a tantrum, determined to get the license today. The impatience faded from his face, returning to his usual, confident smirk. "Mia, stop being so stubborn." "I just wanted you to fix your clingy, jealous attitude. The position of Mrs. Cross is still yours." My phone buzzed. Julian sent his live location. He had just turned onto the street where the clerk's office was located. [There's traffic right outside the main entrance. I'm taking the back alley.] I replied with two words. [Hurry up.] While I was staring at his location, my mom called. "Mia, sweetie! Did everything go smoothly?" Chapter 3 My mom's voice was bright and cheerful. "I went to the fish market at 6 AM to get Ethan's favorite sea bass." "And I have your favorite sweet and sour spare ribs simmering on the stove. I didn't put a single speck of green onion in the soup, just how you like it." "Hurry up and finish the paperwork, and get back here so we can eat." I stayed silent for two seconds, trying with everything I had to keep my voice steady. "Mom. I'm not done here yet." There was a noticeable pause on the other end of the line. She asked, her voice cautious and tentative: "Is... is the date I picked bad? Is Ethan not happy with it?" "Mom will pick a new date right now. Don't you guys fight over this." My eyes instantly burned with tears. Over the last few years, because I loved Ethan so blindly and completely sacrificed my own dignity, my mom had lowered herself too. Just so he would treat me a little bit better, she constantly walked on eggshells, terrified that if she made even the slightest mistake, he would love me a little less. My throat tightened painfully. "Mom, it's not the date. There was an issue with our IDs." "Don't heat the food up again. You go ahead and eat first." She paused for two seconds, forcing a bright tone. "It's fine if you can't make it back." "I can keep the food warm on the stove." "If he doesn't want to come over, don't force him. Don't ruin the mood for everyone." "If you guys are delayed, tell him to go hang out with his friends. Mom will just keep the food warm on the stove." I heard the ding of the microwave in the background. She had already reheated the same dish multiple times, terrified it would get cold. I didn't even notice when Ethan had walked up behind me. He smoothly snatched the phone out of my hand. "Mrs. Vance, it's Ethan." "Mia is just having a little mood swing. It's nothing." "We still have some loose ends to tie up here, so we probably won't make it for lunch today. I promise I'll come over and apologize in person another day." My mom hurriedly agreed. "Okay, okay, no problem at all! You young people have your own plans." "Are there a lot of friends with you? Do you want me to pack up some food and send it over to you guys?" Before my mom could even finish her sentence, Ethan impatiently hung up the phone. Someone behind us let out a high-pitched, mocking laugh. "The Vance matriarch is really putting in the work, huh?" "Desperate to shove her daughter into the Cross family, they're attacking from both sides. One guards the clerk's office, the other guards the kitchen. Absolutely brilliant strategy!" Chloe couldn't listen to it anymore and muttered quietly. "Hey, cut it out. Mrs. Vance has always been really nice to us. Don't cross the line." The guy standing next to Chloe scoffed loudly, pointing directly at me. "Nice to us? She's only nice so she can secure the bag and get her daughter married to Ethan!" "The old lady is literally selling her daughter. Sending food and playing the victim... pathetic tactics!" I shot up from my chair and slapped him across the face with everything I had. "SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" "If I hear you say one more word about my mother, I will call the police right now and have them investigate the hidden camera videos on your phone." The guy was completely stunned by the slap. Ethan grabbed him, pulling him behind his back, his face turning terrifyingly dark. "Mia, have you lost your mind?!" "You want to call the cops on my brother over a stupid joke?!" He took a deep breath, reached out to straighten my collar, and lowered his voice. "We are done here for today." "Do not tell your mother about the IDs getting ripped up. There's no reason to stress her out. I'll go over and apologize some other time." The sheer, staggering entitlement of his "charity" was nauseating. His gentleness was always, always built upon silencing my suffering. Every single time his people bullied me, I was the one expected to back down. But from beginning to end, he never forced a single person to genuinely apologize for hurting me. The last microscopic ember of warmth in my heart turned to absolute ice. My phone screen lit up. My mom sent me a photo. The food on the table was covered with insulated thermal domes. Beneath the photo was a text. [No rush. The food is keeping warm. Mom will just wait.] I kept my face perfectly blank and replied: [Don't worry. I will be bringing your son-in-law home right on time for lunch.]
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