On the day Julian’s first love, Clara, was getting married, he crashed the wedding with his fraternity brothers. He dropped to one knee. Under the shocked gazes of the guests, he spoke with absolute devotion: “Clara, I promise I will make you happy.” Before I could even process what was happening, Julian’s friends shoved me into the dressing room. They forced a bridesmaid dress onto me. “It’s an emergency. We can’t find a bridesmaid right now, so just do us a favor.” When I walked back out, I was wearing the bridesmaid dress, forced to watch my own husband embrace and kiss another woman. After the ceremony, Julian looked at my disheveled state and frowned. “Clara and I are only doing this for show. Nothing real will happen between us. Once things settle down with her family, I’ll throw you a much grander wedding.” I started laughing, but my eyes welled with tears. A wedding? I didn’t need one anymore. The guests whispered among themselves, and the church fell into chaos. “I’ve only seen this wedding-crashing drama in movies. This is wild.” “But wait, if I remember correctly, isn’t Julian already married?” “Married? No way. You’re just making things up.” Hearing those words, my eyes burned. When Julian and I got married, we didn’t have a wedding. He said he wanted to keep things simple. He hated pointless formalities. So, we just signed the papers at the courthouse and had a quick dinner with our families. Back then, I didn’t think anything of it. But today, at Clara’s wedding, Julian was holding a bouquet of red roses, proposing to the girl of his dreams. His eyes were filled with a deep, endless warmth and love. It was completely different from the cold, business-like attitude he had when we signed our marriage certificate. Julian walked over to me, grabbing my hand. He looked anxious. I was still hoping for an explanation, even a pathetic lie. But his next words chilled me to the bone. “Elena, Clara said her favorite thing in the world is hearing you play the violin. I want her to have the perfect wedding. Just do this for me, okay?” I took a deep breath, trying to suppress the suffocating pain in my chest. I looked him dead in the eye. “Julian, do you even have a heart? I am your wife, not some toy you can summon whenever you need a favor!” Julian’s face immediately darkened. He frowned, looking at me with deep annoyance. “Elena, can you stop being so unreasonable? Look at what’s happening. Can’t you just be mature for once? Do you want everyone here to laugh at Clara?” Then, his tone suddenly softened. “Elena, I promise you, this is the last time. I swear I won’t see Clara again after this. Just help me out one last time, please?” I gave him a cold look, brushed his hand off, and turned to leave. But in the next second, Clara’s voice echoed through the microphone. “Everyone, would you like to hear our talented violinist play a song for us?” Clara stood on the stage, smiling sweetly. The crowd erupted in cheers. “Wow, is that Elena? I haven’t heard her play in forever. I’m so excited!” “Don’t be shy, violinist! Get up there!” Before I could react, someone thrust a violin into my arms, and Julian pushed me onto the stage. I held the violin, standing in the dark corner of the stage. As the backing track slowly began to play, Julian and Clara began to dance gracefully in the center of the spotlight. A handsome man and a beautiful woman, dancing so perfectly together. They looked like they belonged in a fairy tale. As for me, I was nothing but an invisible, pathetic prop. When the song ended, the crowd clapped wildly. I held my violin and quietly walked off the stage. As soon as I got to the back, Julian and Clara caught up with me. “Elena, are you mad?” Clara placed her hand on Julian’s shoulder, her red lips curving into a smirk. “Elena, you know what Julian and I are like. There’s really no need to be jealous.” Those words felt like a thorn piercing deep into my heart. Julian and I had been together for five years. For those five years, Clara had always been around as his “best friend.” She always used the “just bros” excuse to hold his arm, lean on him, and behave with sickening intimacy. And I was always treated like an outsider, silently watching them. Every time I showed even a hint of displeasure, Clara would look at me with those innocent, tearful eyes. “Elena, we’re just like brothers. Why are you being so sensitive?” And Julian would always take her side, telling me to be more open-minded, saying it was just how close friends interact. If I expressed any discomfort, I was labeled as petty and dramatic. I bit my lip, took a deep breath, and looked at Julian. “I’m not mad. Carry on. I’m leaving.”
I was about to walk away when Clara grabbed my arm. She said, “Elena, can you do me one last favor?” With that, Clara pulled out a set of divorce papers from her clutch and slid them in front of me. “Elena, please just sign these pre-signed divorce papers with Julian. Once Julian and I get our license, my parents will stop forcing me into that arranged marriage.” My entire body froze. I looked at her in absolute shock. “You want me to divorce Julian?” Before I could finish, Clara put her hand on Julian’s shoulder again. “Julian, you tell her. Are you going to help me or not?” Julian’s brow furrowed. He looked at me, a hint of hesitation in his eyes. “Fine, whatever. If you won’t help, then don’t,” Clara huffed. “You’re so ungrateful. You just want to watch me get forced into marrying some old businessman! Hmph!” Hearing Clara’s words, I looked up at Julian. The hesitation in his eyes had instantly vanished, replaced by cold resolve. “Elena, let’s just help her out this once.” With that, he swiftly signed his name on the divorce papers and pressed his ink thumbprint onto the page. Staring at the papers, I felt numb. I couldn’t even remember how many times this had happened. He had abandoned my parents’ anniversary dinner because Clara sprained her ankle playing tennis. He had walked out of an important business meeting because Clara got into a bar fight and bruised her arm. He always had an excuse. And now, just to make Clara’s parents happy, he was willing to sign fake divorce papers with me. A bitter smile formed on my face, and my eyes stung with tears. Julian and I were high school classmates. He was the popular, untouchable golden boy, the brightest star in the room. And I was the quiet, invisible girl in the corner. After graduation, I thought we would never see each other again. But then he got down on one knee, holding a ring out to me with absolute devotion. “Elena, marry me. I will spend the rest of my life making up for all the time we lost.” I said yes. Even when my parents threatened to disown me, I took off my heels and ran to him barefoot. And now, we had come to this. My lips trembled as I asked him, “What if I don’t sign?” Julian pulled at his tie in irritation, his eyes turning cold. “Elena, don’t push it. I already told you it’s a fake divorce. Clara is just my friend!” Friend? He talked about this “friend” every single day. He remembered she loved mangoes, but forgot I was deathly allergic to them. He remembered she loved strawberry cake, but forgot I never ate sweets. He took care of his friend in every possible way, but forgot that I was the one on his marriage certificate. Seeing my silence, Julian softened his voice, trying to sound gentle. “Honey, please. I’m just helping Clara out. Once things settle down on her end, we’ll get remarried right away.” Just then, a group of angry men suddenly burst into the room. The leader pointed at Julian and yelled, “That’s the guy who crashed the wedding! Get him! Bring the bride back!” The moment the words left his mouth, the group rushed toward Julian and Clara.
Clara screamed in terror and instinctively hid in Julian’s arms. Julian shielded her tightly, kicking at the men who rushed them. Watching them cling to each other, a wave of bitterness washed over me. Although Julian could fight, he was outnumbered and quickly overwhelmed. “Who the hell do you think you are, taking her?” Julian yelled, holding Clara protectively, claiming his territory. “Clara belongs to me!” Hearing this, the men laughed mockingly. One of them sneered, “If I remember correctly, Julian, you’re already married.” “What? You trying to commit bigamy?” Clara looked at me with horror in her eyes. “Elena, if you don’t want to sign the papers, I won’t force you. But why did you call these people here? Do you really want them to drag me away that badly?” The moment she said that, Julian’s face turned incredibly dark. He glared at me with pure hatred. “Elena! Did you call these thugs? Are you trying to ruin Clara’s life? What did she ever do to make you hate her this much?” I was stunned by his roar. I frantically tried to explain. “It wasn’t me! I don’t even know who these people are! Why would I call them?” I tried my best to explain, but Julian didn’t believe a single word. He was convinced I was the mastermind, the malicious woman who wanted to destroy Clara. Once the security guards finally arrived and controlled the mob, Julian turned all his rage back on me. “I was only planning on a fake divorce. But now, you need to apologize to Clara. You won’t get remarried to me until you make her happy again.” Before I could say a word, he grabbed my hand and forced me to sign my name on the papers. But when it came to the ink thumbprint, I refused to press down. My hand hovered in the air, gripping the ink pad, refusing to move. Clara watched me stall and poked at the fire again. “Elena, Julian just has a temper. Don’t take it personally. I’ll talk to him later.” “Just do me a favor and sign it now. You’re embarrassing Julian in front of all these people.” Julian ignored Clara. His bloodshot eyes locked onto me, his voice freezing cold. “Elena, I’m giving you one last chance. Are you going to sign it or not?” I bit my lower lip so hard it almost bled. Seeing that I still wouldn’t budge, Julian completely lost his mind. He snatched a decorative knife from the cake table nearby and slashed it violently down toward my hand.
“Ah—!” The pain of severed flesh shot straight to my heart. My vision went black. Blood splurted out instantly, staining my hands and my dress crimson. My face went pale as my body convulsed in agony. But Julian acted as if nothing had happened. He casually wiped the blood off his hands with a napkin, grabbed my severed thumb, pressed it into the ink pad, and shoved it onto the paper. He let out a cold laugh, looking down at me. “Did you think you could stop me just by refusing to sign?” “Elena, don’t forget. I call the shots here.” In that moment, I finally saw him for what he truly was. The Julian I once loved was long gone. In his place stood a monster who would do absolutely anything for Clara. “Julian, are you insane? Do you know what you just did? Do you know how important her hands are to her?” “You just ruined her hand! How is she ever going to play the violin again?” Clara screamed, though she could barely hide the excitement in her eyes. I knew she was doing this on purpose to make me suffer more. I trembled as I looked up, my eyes locked onto Julian with pure, unadulterated hatred. Julian ignored me completely, turning around to lead Clara out of the room. “The divorce papers are signed. We can get our license next month. Tell your parents they don’t have to worry.” The door slammed shut. I was left entirely alone in the empty venue. The white bridesmaid dress soaked in my own blood was blinding, and the excruciating pain from my hand made my body shake uncontrollably. Before I completely blacked out, I reached out to touch my mangled hand. It hurt. It hurt so much… In my fading consciousness, I felt someone slowly approaching me. I tried to open my eyes to see who it was, but I didn’t even have the strength to lift my eyelids. The person knelt beside me, gently cupping my face. His voice was deep and cracked with emotion. “Was it really worth destroying yourself for a man like him?” I wanted to tell him that it wasn’t. But my lips parted, and no sound came out. The darkness slowly swallowed me whole. He sighed, gently lifting me into his arms. “Elena, let’s get out of here, okay?” His voice carried a strange, comforting magic. I couldn’t resist. I weakly nodded. The next second, I plunged into complete darkness.
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