At the wedding, Asher’s secretary called him, saying the client was behaving inappropriately with her. Fearing that Adeline might be in danger, Asher abruptly left me and the wedding. The guests laughed, eagerly waiting for me to become the subject of ridicule. Soon after, I received a message from Adeline on Snapchat, showing a picture of Asher holding her. “See? The moment I call, Asher comes running to me,” she wrote. “So what if you’re having a wedding? The person he truly cares about is always me.” At the same time, a message from Asher appeared on my phone: “Adeline is really drunk. I’ll take care of her first and then I’ll come back for the wedding.” “Our families are just forming an alliance anyway. It’s only a formality, so please bear with it.” Reading his cold words, I took a deep breath and looked at a corner of the wedding hall, grabbing the microphone from the host. “Declan, want to get married?” The man in the corner strode forward eagerly, “Yes!” A moment ago, people were just watching the drama unfold, but after hearing the deep male voice, they turned to look. He wore a perfectly tailored suit with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, striding confidently until he stood in front of me, “I, Declan, have waited all these years, and finally, the wait is over.” If the groom is gone, you simply replace him. There are plenty of men in the world. After the wedding ended and the crowd dispersed, I picked up my phone and saw that Finn had messaged me two hours ago with just a few words, “The wedding is off.” I had painstakingly prepared for this wedding for two months. How could it be canceled just because of Finn’s words? As I was looking down at my phone, a furry head rested on my shoulder. Declan hugged me from behind, “Nora, marry me, and you’ll be happy. I promise. ” Saying that, he took my phone, “Stop looking at it. You’ve been tired all day. Rest well at the hotel, and we’ll get our marriage certificate tomorrow.” I raised an eyebrow, “You’re letting me stay at a hotel?” I had no home of my own in this city. The only place I could call home was Finn’s. Luckily, I had my documents with me, so I didn’t need to go back there. Declan avoided my gaze, “We just had a wedding, but we aren’t really married yet, so we can’t stay together.” I didn’t expect him to say that, finding it amusing. Declan avoided eye contact with me, his ears turning red down to his neck. I found it interesting and reached out to touch his ear. “Don’t!” Declan quickly dodged, but his ears turned even redder, “I’ll take you to the hotel.” On the way, the car was silent except for the sound of our breathing. After arriving at the hotel, Declan’s ears returned to their normal color. “I won’t go up with you. Get some rest today.” He spoke while looking at the ground. We had known each other since we were young, and I’d rarely seen him like this, so I felt playful. I hooked my pinky around his and rubbed it with my thumb, “You too.” Declan’s face turned red, and he drove away. Watching Declan almost flee, my bad mood from the day eased. But I didn’t expect to run into Asher and Adeline as soon as I got out of the elevator. Adeline was flushed, practically clinging to Asher. Asher, supporting her, frowned upon seeing me, “What are you doing here?” I couldn’t believe Asher could act so justified. He and Adeline had come out of the same room. His once neat tie was gone, and the open collar revealed faint kiss marks. I didn’t respond and planned to walk past him. When I didn’t reply, Asher suddenly grabbed my wrist, “I’m asking you!” “Why aren’t you at home at this hour? What are you doing at the hotel?!” Seeing his angry face, I almost thought he was worried about me. Pain shot through my wrist, and I shook his hand off, “What’s it to you?!” “I’m your boyfriend, your fiancé, why wouldn’t it concern me!” The next second, Asher’s anger faded, and he sighed softly, “Nora, be good. Don’t throw a tantrum.” I laughed out of anger, “I’m throwing a tantrum?” He claims to be my boyfriend, yet he’s holding another woman. He says he’s my fiancé, but he left me at the wedding for another woman. Now, he shows up at the hotel with all these marks on him. Asher, with patience, tried to soothe me, “Didn’t I explain before I left? Even if you’re angry, you shouldn’t run away. Let’s go home.” His so-called explanation was his concern that Adeline might get drunk while entertaining clients. “Adeline is a girl hanging out with customers. I was worried she’d get drunk and something might happen, so I went to check. I’ll be back soon.” I’ve heard pet owners comfort their dogs before leaving, saying they’ll be back soon, but I’ve never heard it applied to a wedding. What am I to him? What is this wedding to him? At that thought, anger surged to my head, and I started trembling, “Get lost!” Asher’s face turned grim, and his patience ran out after my repeated refusals, “Nora, I’m telling you for the last time, come home with me!” “Adeline is drunk and has a terrible headache. Go back and make her some hangover soup.” I thought he wanted me to go home to comfort me, but it was still for Adeline. I glared at him, a thousand words stuck in my throat but unable to come out. While we were at an impasse, Adeline, who was just in a daze, spoke up, “Nora, why are you here?” One after another, they asked why I was here, not thinking they were the ones who shouldn’t be here! “Mr. Asher, don’t be so harsh. Girls don’t like that,” she giggled, “If Nora doesn’t want to go back, she must have her own reasons.” At a hotel, besides sleeping, what else could one do? Adeline said it intentionally, hinting at Asher to think otherwise. And he didn’t disappoint her scheming, glaring at me, “Who did you meet?” I shook my head, but the room card in my hand was snatched away. When I reached to grab it back, Asher, in his rage, pushed me hard. Bam—my lower back hit the door handle painfully. Holding my waist, I crouched down, still trying to catch my breath when Asher dragged me into the room, pushing doors open one by one, “Where’s your lover?! Let him get out!” The pain lingered, and I stumbled as Asher dragged me, “No! I didn’t!” He didn’t believe me, but after searching the room and finding no one else, he pushed me onto the sofa. With his hands on either side of me, his gaze was dark, “Nora, if I find out you’re cheating, just wait and see.” I was in so much pain tears welled up, but I retorted, “Ha, fine, I’ll wait!” We’d fought before, but even during our worst argument, if I pouted and teared up, Asher would give in, even if I had been harsh. But now, Asher grabbed my chin, speaking in a voice only we could hear, “Think about those paintings~” With that, he let go and left with Adeline without looking back. With a loud bang, the door closed, and I slumped to the ground, tears silently streaming down my cheeks. Because of Finn’s words. Finn is an artist, running his own art company. When we first met, he couldn’t even be called an artist, just a broke student who could paint. At that time, I had just had a falling out with my family and moved to San Francisco alone. My living expenses were running out, and my credit card was stopped. To afford food, I worked as a model. My first and last client was Finn. We never made eye contact during the process. He painted, and I earned money. After he finished, I was about to leave when I heard things being thrown in the studio. Curious, I asked, “What happened? Did I pose wrong?” Finn was startled but quickly explained he was upset because he couldn’t get the painting right. Indeed, from proportions to color composition, there were issues. I happened to be bored that day and helped him correct the painting. A week later, he excitedly told me his painting was praised by his teacher, and he wanted to treat me to a meal. From then on, we stayed in close contact, growing into a couple. I continued to help him with his paintings when he struggled, pointing out errors and correcting them, until he became known as an artist. In love, everything was romantic and meaningful. We met because of life drawing, and naturally, left behind many such artworks during our passionate moments. But now, Asher is using those tokens of our love to threaten me. The next morning, after a sleepless night, Declan arrived and noticed my dark circles. He opened his mouth several times but said nothing in the end. The journey was quiet again, but the atmosphere was different from yesterday. I was uneasy, and Declan was uneasy. The car passed by the marriage office but didn’t stop. “Aren’t we getting the certificate?” Declan pursed his lips, “We’re going to take wedding photos first, then pick out the wedding dress.” Exhaustion from the sleepless night overwhelmed me, and I didn’t question why he changed the plan. Upon arriving, Declan went to park the car. I just entered the store and saw Finn and Adeline. Adeline stood under the lights in a white wedding dress, smiling blissfully, “Asher, do I look good?” Finn, in a matching suit, stood opposite her, kissing her hand, “Beautiful.” I stood at a distance, clearly witnessing their sweet interaction. Adeline is Asher’s secretary, always calling him Mr. Asher, but just now, she called him Asher, so intimate. The exhaustion from a sleepless night hit me hard, but I didn’t dwell on why he changed his plans. Once we arrived, Declan went to park the car. As soon as I entered the store, I saw Finn and Adeline. Adeline was standing under the lights in an immaculate wedding dress, smiling blissfully. “Finn, do I look beautiful?” she asked. Asher, dressed in a matching suit, stood across from her, lowering his head to kiss her hand gently. “Very beautiful,” he replied. I watched from a distance, clearly seeing their sweet interaction. Adeline was Asher’s secretary and always called him Mr. Asher. Just now, she called him Finn so intimately. They didn’t look like they had a superior-subordinate relationship; they seemed more like a couple… They didn’t notice me. Adeline walked over to Asher, snuggling up to him. “Then let’s go with this one. Let’s take some photos.” Asher didn’t move. Just when I thought he might refuse, he spoke up, “Adeline, wait a little longer for me.” Tears welled up in Adeline’s eyes. “Finn, I’ll wait for you, but you have to tell me how long.” “Do you know how much it hurt me yesterday?” They embraced tightly, while I stood there, feeling cold all over. Even though I had suspected their hidden relationship yesterday, hearing this made me think there was more to it. The next second, Asher raised his hand to make a promise, “Adeline, once I’m completely established, I’ll marry you!” “You know marrying Nora was just a reluctant move. Everyone in the industry knows about our relationship. I’m still in my rising phase, and I need her.” Yes, everyone knows Asher’s fiancée is me. Not just because we’ve been together for a long time, but because over the years, I’ve been the one supporting Asher. An artist isn’t worth much before they become famous. For years, I worked hard alone, supporting Asher with his artistic dreams. After he gained some success, I decisively quit my job to manage his studio. The overlap in our work made many people aware of me. People are judged not by their professions but by their worth. Managing the studio inevitably brought me into contact with people with ulterior motives. Even though Asher really needed that contract, money, and fame, he would still block those who disrespected me, refusing to work with them ever again. When a female client asked him for a portrait, Finn would stubbornly say, “The only leading lady in my paintings is my girlfriend, Nora!” But when did it all change? When did Asher stop needing me, stop painting for me, and even stop allowing me into the studio? “Asher, you know I’ve only ever had you in my heart,” his words interrupted my thoughts. “From high school until now, for so long, you’re the only woman I’ve ever loved.” “Look, I even have a couple’s tattoo on my chest with your birthday. You have to trust me.” The world spun around me. Asher had a half-winged butterfly and four numbers tattooed over his heart. I once curiously asked, “Why a half butterfly? What’s the meaning?” He explained it was art—”The beauty of imperfection.” He said the numbers represented the day he fell for me. I believed him. I even naively got a flower tattoo on my waist, thinking, “Butterflies always love flowers.” I stared at them unblinkingly, not noticing when Declan came in. “What are you looking at?” Declan’s voice drew Asher and Adeline’s attention. The moment Asher saw me, his face flashed with panic but quickly returned to normal. “Why did you follow me here? I told you to go home. Are you stalking me?” I stared at him steadily. Ignoring me, Asher was displeased. “I’m talking to you! When are you going home?” He came over to grab my arm, but Declan blocked him. “Dude, talk if you have something to say, but don’t lay a hand on my wife.” “Your wife?” Asher furrowed his brows. “Nora, enough with the nonsense. You don’t have to go this far to spite me by hiring someone to act.” Adeline slowly approached. “Mr. Asher, maybe Nora is just jealous. You should comfort her.” Just then, she seemed to step on her dress and suddenly fell forward, landing right in Asher’s arms. “Are you okay? Did you hurt anything?” Asher forgot to pretend in front of me, his concern glaringly obvious. I took a deep breath and couldn’t help but say, “Disgusting.” I was about to leave with Declan, but Asher stopped me. “Wait! I haven’t asked you, who is this guy?” Suddenly, he seemed to realize something. “Is this your fling from last night?!” His words became nastier, dragging Declan into it, forcing me to turn and face him. “Asher, did a donkey kick your brain? What right do you have to question me? The moment you ditched the wedding, we were done!” He seemed to find it hilarious. “Break up? Did I agree?” He said this while reaching for me again. This time, Declan didn’t hold back. As Asher reached for me, Declan grabbed his wrist, pulling him back and pinning his shoulder. “Buddy, I warned you to be respectful to my wife.” “Who the hell is your wife!” Asher’s words played right into Declan’s hands. He smiled, pulled out his phone, and showed a wedding photo of us as his screen wallpaper. “My wife. Beautiful, huh.” The next second, he turned to me, winking to reassure me. “Wife, when are we getting our marriage certificate?” Seeing Asher defeated made me feel good. “Let’s do it now!” I wasn’t lying. I had my documents with me. Declan was stunned for a second, then let out a playful whistle. Asher recognized the wedding setting, eyes wide, shouting, “Nora, who gave you permission to marry?!” I looked at him coldly. “Isn’t this perfect? Now Adeline doesn’t have to wait for you. We can all marry our first loves. It’s fair.” With that, I ignored both Asher and Declan’s shocked expressions and left without looking back. As I brushed past Adeline, I looked her up and down. “If Asher really cared, he wouldn’t have let you wear that wedding dress.” “What do you mean?” “The dress has a high neckline. It makes your big chest and short neck look bulky. If you’re taking wedding photos, you should wear something that makes you look beautiful.” Adeline looked at me deeply. After I left, Declan quickly caught up to me, wide-eyed. “What did you mean by what you said earlier? Marrying our first loves?” Meanwhile, Asher shouted from behind, “Nora, wait till those paintings spread everywhere!” I’m sorry, but it seems that the text to be translated is missing. Could you please provide the content that needs translation? A studio in San Francisco caught fire due to inadequate fire safety measures. Thankfully, there were no casualties, but renowned artist Asher’s paintings were entirely destroyed. When I saw the news, Declan was pestering me. “Come on, tell me, what did you mean by what you said that day?”
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