My girlfriend’s first love once saved her life, and in return, she promised to do three things for him. The first was when I proposed to her. He called her away and took her on the Ferris wheel, leaving me waiting. The second time was when I was in the hospital, sick and alone. He convinced her to go with him to see the northern lights. For eight long years, I silently watched, bearing it all. Then, at our wedding, she made a shocking confession that she hadn’t married the man she loved the most. With a gentle tone, she tried to soothe me, “Zack, after this, I’ll have nothing to do with Julian anymore. Can you forgive me just one last time?” But this time, I couldn’t take it anymore. If she hadn’t married the right person, then I wouldn’t force myself to be that person. As the priest stood at the altar, asking if I would take her as my wife, a knot tightened in my chest. My gaze instinctively moved to Victoria Hale’s first love, sitting quietly in the audience. Julian Pierce’s confident smile was like a weight on my heart, and it made everything feel colder. When Victoria finally said “I do,” I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. But just as I thought it was over, she spoke again, her voice cutting through the tension, “I have a song I’d like to sing for my groom.” The song was for me, but her eyes never left Julian’s in the crowd, and I could feel the bitterness rising in my throat. The priest handed over the stage, and Victoria began to sing. But as the music filled the air, I felt the room grow colder, like I was drowning in ice. I recognized the song right away. It was one Julian had written himself and it was called “Not Marrying the One I Love.” For eight long minutes, Victoria sang. Eight minutes that felt like an eternity, as I thought back on the eight years I’d spent loving her. From the moment I’d first fallen for her in college, to the years that followed, through graduation, my career, and everything in between. She’d always been tangled up with Julian, and I had quietly accepted it. Even when she married me for the sake of her family’s business, I endured it all. But now, as I watched my parents, their faces twisted with anger, and saw the way Victoria and Julian looked at each other, something inside me snapped. I couldn’t keep pretending it didn’t hurt. Victoria must’ve noticed the change in me, because she put the microphone down and slowly walked toward me. “Zack, I’m sorry. Julian said this is the last time. After today, I won’t have anything to do with him anymore.” Her words were like empty promises. As if I should believe that everything would magically be fine between them just because she said so. I knew what was really going on. Julian knew he could never marry Victoria, so this was his way of humiliating me. At least this wedding would be the nightmare I’d carry with me for years. Looking at the woman in front of me, pretending to be so sincere, I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. I took a step back, distancing myself from her, and tossed my wedding ring onto the floor. “If you didn’t marry the one you love, then go marry him. He’s right there.” My voice rang out, cutting through the room. The murmurs of the crowd swirled around us, and for a moment, Victoria’s face flickered with embarrassment. “Zack, stop this. Today’s supposed to be our wedding.” “Yeah? Well, it’s not happening. You’re free now. Go be with the person you really want,” I shot back. Then, I turned to face Julian, who was watching from the crowd. “Julian, congratulations. You won. I don’t want her anymore. I hope you two have a lifetime of happiness.” I wasn’t holding back anymore. Julian was a well-known music producer in our circle, someone who had used his connections to force his way into our lives. Now, I was going to make sure they both felt the consequences of their actions. I dropped the microphone to the floor, shrugged off my suit jacket, and walked away, pulling my parents along with me. On the drive home, my parents didn’t say a word. They didn’t scold me, not even once. My mom just pulled me close, holding me in silence, offering what little comfort she could. Loving Victoria in silence for eight years had been a pain I could never fully explain. We were from the same world, same university, same circle. If it weren’t for her family’s business crisis, Victoria would never have agreed to this marriage. I knew that. I’ll admit, I was desperate. But after two years of being with her, I honestly thought I’d won her over. Even though she’d always put Julian first, I stood by, hoping she would one day choose me. My family had never wanted to get involved with the Hale family. After all, they were the ones trying to climb the social ladder by marrying into ours. But because I insisted, my parents had reluctantly gone along with it. If I had forgiven her today, it wouldn’t just be my pride that would be shattered. It would be my family’s as well.
When my mom saw how much I was hurting, she couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “Zack, if you still want to marry her, we can put pressure on the Hale family. Victoria will definitely come and apologize.” But I knew that even without my parents intervening, Victoria would still come to apologize. She would do it because she had no choice. I shook my head slowly. “Mom, I’m sorry I’ve embarrassed you. I’m done with Victoria. It’s over. I’m the one letting her go.” Mom didn’t argue. “It’s probably for the best. A woman like that… you’re better off without her.” She didn’t say anything else. Instead, she simply ruffled my hair, offering comfort in silence. Knowing I was still struggling, my parents planned a family trip to try and take my mind off things. I selfishly picked Kanvas, where Victoria and I had once gone to see the Northern Lights. It had been one of the most beautiful moments of my life, and now, I needed that place to help me let go of everything. For a whole week, I tried to put the past eight years behind me. But when I got back home, the media storm had already started. The internet was ablaze, and it was all aimed at me. Julian’s fans had twisted my words from the wedding and spread them online, editing my statements to make them look like I had said, “If you love Julian so much, then go marry him. I’m done with you.” They didn’t know the full story or understand the scene at the wedding. But they made it sound like I was the one who had dragged Julian into the mess. What hurt more was that Victoria and her family had said nothing. They let the storm brew and only allowed the fans to continue their attack on me, without a word of defense. In just a week, rumors were so widespread that my death photo was circulating online. But I knew deep down that this kind of media frenzy didn’t just happen on its own. Someone had to be behind it, stoking the fire. Even my family’s PR team couldn’t put out the flames. And I immediately thought of Victoria. When I called her, I could hear Julian’s voice in the background. “Victoria, are you going to address all this drama online?” Her voice was as cold as ice, unaffected, like none of this had even fazed her. “Zack, if you apologize to Julian, we could still have a wedding. I’d still marry you,” she said, as if nothing had changed. The self-loathing hit me hard. Why had I even hoped she’d be different? I couldn’t help but let out a bitter, empty laugh. “Victoria, how much lower can you both go? You let this mess spin out of control online, and instead of explaining yourself, you want me to apologize?” “If it weren’t for you, Julian wouldn’t have almost lost his job. You’re the one who deserves all that hate,” she replied, still sounding so high and mighty. I didn’t waste another second and hung up the phone. Turning to my parents, I managed a dry smile. “Dad, it’s time to pull all funding from the Hale family. A woman like that doesn’t deserve any more of our energy.”
There was no deeper reason behind my words. I just wanted to see if Victoria could still demand an apology from me without my family’s financial support. As for the online rumors, I didn’t bother directly addressing them. Instead, I simply paid to have the trending topic removed. The reason behind this was simple. I wanted to see if there was someone pulling the strings behind these rumors. By the time morning came, that trending topic was back at the top of the headlines. That was when I knew. Someone was deliberately trying to bring me down. Once I had my target, everything else fell into place. It was right then that my phone began buzzing non-stop with messages from Julian. During the seven days I’d been away, he’d sent me countless photos of himself with Victoria, along with his messages. [Zachary, do you really think Vicky loves you? The only person she cares about is me.] Among the dozens of photos, one stood out, sharp and painful. It was of Victoria and Julian embracing on a mountaintop, the sunset casting a golden glow over them. My heart clenched. Victoria had once told me she didn’t like outdoor activities, but here she was, climbing the city’s tallest mountain with Julian. For a brief moment, I felt a sting. But more than that, I just thought how foolish Julian was. All the public opinion that had been focused on me was now turning in another direction. I wasn’t bothered by using Julian as a shield, whether or not he was the one behind all of this. I took those photos, along with the screenshots he’d sent, and sent them to a few marketing accounts I’d bribed. In just two hours, the narrative completely flipped. Even though Julian had spent a fortune to push his own trending topic, he couldn’t compete with the proof I held in my hands. Once that was done, my phone exploded with his messages, crude and filthy insults flooding my screen. Victoria also called me more times than I could count. It was probably more than we’d spoken in the entire three years we were together. The irony wasn’t lost on me. I pretended I didn’t see any of it. After a few days at home to clear my head, I got back in the car and headed to the office. Just as I parked, someone suddenly rushed toward me from a distance. My instincts kicked in, and I tried to retreat back into the car. But it was too late, and she was too fast. The woman came straight at me, a knife gleaming coldly in her hand. Pain exploded in my abdomen as the blade pierced deep. For a moment, everything went blurry, and I could barely stay conscious. With what little strength I had left, I grabbed her, refusing to let go. Even if I died, I wasn’t going to let her escape. In the haze of my vision, I could hear her speaking into the phone. “Julian, don’t worry. I’ve taken care of this bastard. No one will ever hurt you again.”
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