Three days before my wedding, I went to check on the venue decorations. What I saw made my blood run cold. There, on an enormous poster, was my fiancé gazing lovingly at someone—but it wasn’t me. It was his first love. And there he stood at the altar, sharing an intimate look with her. Through my tears, I demanded to know why he would do this to me. He merely looked annoyed. “I’m just letting Kira experience being a bride. Why are you being so petty? I’ve been with you for five years. If what we had was real, do you think you’d be the one I’m marrying?” I raised my hand to slap him, but he shoved me away. I lost my balance and tumbled down the stairs. At that moment, my heart turned to stone. This wedding would never happen. Let them have their happily ever after. I lay at the bottom of the stairs, my ankle throbbing with excruciating pain. “Jeffrey?” I gasped in disbelief. “Did you just push me?” Before I could process what had happened, the sound of shattering glass filled the air. A wine glass exploded beside me, showering me with shards and red wine, ruining my white dress. I instinctively shielded my face, but not before the glass sliced my arm. If I hadn’t protected myself, my face and neck would have been cut. The wine glass—Jeffrey had thrown it. “You accidentally fell on your own,” Jeffrey sneered, his voice thick with anger. “If you hadn’t shown up here making a scene, none of this would have happened. Stop the act, Raelyn. Don’t tell me you sprained your ankle—that’s pathetic!” I tried to move my ankle, and white-hot pain shot through it. Fighting back tears, I looked up at the man I was supposed to marry in three days, watching as my heart crumbled to dust. I had left work early specifically to see the “surprise” he’d been keeping from me these past few days. I’d even worn the white dress he once said he loved. But this was what awaited me at the venue: a massive poster featuring Jeffrey gazing adoringly at Kira Lopez, his first love. The sight felt surreal. What did that make me? When I looked down from the poster, I caught them sharing that same look of devotion. The love in his eyes was unmistakable. When I confronted him through my tears, this was his response. Everything Jeffrey had told me was a lie. His excuse about the decorations not being ready was just a cover for holding a wedding with Kira. I’d even noticed Kira wearing an identical wedding ring to mine. The matching rings I thought were special to us had become a set of three. It was beyond absurd. Kira looked down at me with cold eyes, though her voice was honey-sweet as she addressed Jeffrey. “Jeffrey, don’t be so harsh. You frightened me.” Jeffrey patted her hand, gazing at her adoringly. “Kira, she tried to hurt you first. Don’t worry. She’s fine—just an act.” My chest ached with a dull throb. What had these years of devotion meant to him? I wiped my tears and limped away, their mocking laughter following me. “See? I told you she was fine.” Jeffrey’s smug voice carried after me, with Kira’s agreement. “She was definitely faking. Don’t worry, I would never lie to you.” I made my way home in a daze. Sitting on my couch examining my ankle, I saw it had swollen completely—probably because I’d forced myself to walk on it instead of treating it immediately. As I stared at my ankle, tears began to fall. I silently held an ice pack to it, using ice cubes from the freezer. As they melted, water pooled on the floor, but at least the swelling started to subside. I had just applied arnica cream when the door opened. Jeffrey walked in with Kira and immediately frowned at the scene. “Raelyn Mitchell, are you throwing a tantrum again?”
“Throwing a tantrum?” I fixed him with an icy stare. Jeffrey responded matter-of-factly, “Aren’t you? Look at this mess of the house.” I followed his gaze to the wet spots and footprints on the floor—some of which they had just tracked in themselves. Taking my silence as confirmation, Jeffrey continued, “You’re obviously fine. Kira was actually worried about your foot and insisted I check on you, but look how energetic you are! Make sure you clean it up later.” I took a deep breath, trying to suppress the ache in my heart. Jeffrey hadn’t always been like this. How could he have changed so completely in just a few years? We met in college and shared some beautiful moments together. He used to treat me with such care and consideration—otherwise, I would never have accepted his proposal. I truly believed Jeffrey was someone I could build a life with. He remembered every anniversary, every little detail about me. He even tracked my menstrual cycle in his calendar when I sometimes forgot. I’d always known about Kira. He told me about her when we first started dating. They’d known each other since high school but separated when they attended different colleges in different cities, and Kira went abroad to study. When did our relationship begin to deteriorate? It started a year ago when Kira returned. One look, one word from her could completely win Jeffrey over. Sometimes I thought bitterly that the moment Jeffrey picked up Kira at the airport, I had already lost him. I didn’t want to deal with either of them, so I limped back to my room, wanting to be alone. But Jeffrey followed me in with Kira, demanding, “Raelyn, what’s with your attitude? You haven’t said a word since I came in. Did that fall make you mute?” “Jeffrey, calm down.” While Kira pretended to soothe Jeffrey, her eyes wandered around the room, landing on a jeweled necklace on my vanity. “What’s this? How beautiful. Such a large gem must be fake, right? Could I have it, Raelyn?” As she reached for it, disgust welled up inside me. How could someone be so shameless? “Put it down!” I snapped. “Touching other people’s things without permission? Where are your manners?” Kira jumped, her face instantly crumpling into a hurt expression as if she might cry, which only fueled Jeffrey’s anger. “Raelyn, why are you being so petty? It’s just a fake gem. What’s wrong with giving it to her? I’ll buy you a real one later.” I almost laughed at how quickly he dismissed it as fake, completely disregarding my feelings. My fury finally boiled over. “Fake? Jeffrey, you know perfectly well that’s from my mother! Don’t push me too far! Buy me a real one? You couldn’t afford it even if you sold your company!” “What do you mean? I can’t afford your stupid necklace?” Jeffrey exploded, reaching for it. Without thinking, I grabbed an eyebrow razor and slashed at him. “Jeffrey!” “Raelyn!” Jeffrey clutched his face, staring at me in shock while Kira fretted over whether he needed medical attention. He angrily wiped the blood from his face. Seeing that I wasn’t lowering the razor and recognizing I was on the verge of breaking down, he had no choice but to storm out with Kira. I collapsed slowly to the floor, staring at the blood on the eyebrow razor. My throat tightened before I burst into loud, wracking sobs.
Tears blurred my vision, and my emotional outburst sent fresh waves of pain through my swollen ankle. Yet the physical agony was nothing compared to the crushing weight in my chest. I still could hardly believe it. How had the gentle, caring Jeffrey transformed into this stranger? Had this been his true nature all along? Had I been fooled by his masterful performance these past years? I had loved him with every fiber of my being, yet his heart had always belonged to Kira. Fresh out of college, we’d been so poor we could barely make ends meet. We survived on bread and water, splurging on pizza only for birthdays. I remembered the modest cake he’d somehow managed to buy that day—small but meaningful. Jeffrey had carefully placed the candles, and despite my touched expression, he’d looked devastated, apologizing repeatedly. “I’m sorry, Raelyn, you deserve better than this. I’ll never forget your kindness. I promise to give you a better life.” As I looked at his youthful face then, my heart had overflowed with warmth. I’d smiled, nodded, and blown out the candles, making my wish. What was that wish again? Ah yes—that Jeffrey would keep his promise and love me forever. But things had changed. Now that we lived comfortably, his feelings had transformed. That man who once pledged eternal devotion with tears in his eyes was gone forever. I roughly wiped my tears away and began packing despite the pain. Only then did I realize how little I truly owned after all these years. Perhaps fate had never meant for this place to be my real home. Everything I possessed fit into a single suitcase. I left behind all the gifts and mementos from Jeffrey. They meant nothing to me now. Suitcase in hand, I took one last look at what had been our home before turning away without hesitation. I took a taxi to my parents’ house. Opening the door, I found only silence within. The setting sun cast golden-orange light through the windows, bathing the space in a warm glow. Dust motes danced in the air, and a fine layer of dust covered the furniture. Standing in the doorway, I could almost see Mom emerging from the kitchen, smiling, telling me to wash up for dinner. Just a bittersweet fantasy, of course. I closed the door, curled up on the floor, and hugged myself tightly. After a while, a muffled sob escaped. God, I missed them so much. As twilight faded to darkness, my phone suddenly rang. I lifted my head groggily, realizing it was now the middle of the night. It was Jeffrey. “Raelyn! Where the hell are you? What’s with all the water on the floor? Didn’t I tell you to clean that up?” His accusations and displeasure shattered the silence. I stared into the darkness, managing a bitter smile. How absurd. He’d come home this late, hadn’t even noticed my missing belongings or my departure, and his first concern was scolding me about the floor. After my prolonged silence, he continued, “Raelyn, how could I marry someone who tried to stab me with an eyebrow razor?” Hearing his callous words, I finally interrupted, my voice heavy with exhaustion, “Jeffrey, then don’t get married. Let’s break up.” Before he could respond, I hung up and blocked his number without a second thought. The moment I hung up and blocked Jeffrey, an unprecedented sense of lightness washed over me. All those attachments I’d thought would be impossible to face or let go suddenly dissolved in seconds.
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