“Dad, didn’t you once mention that my childhood fiancé, the one our families arranged for me years ago, was looking for me? Tell him I’m getting married on the first of next month. I need a groom. Ask him if he’s interested.” The other end of the line went silent. “Aren’t you still insisting on marrying Liam Hayes and getting ready for the wedding? What happened? Did he hurt you?” “Dad, just ask him!” “Alright, if you’ve made up your mind, that’s all that matters. Your happiness is all I care about.” My eyes welled up as I replied, “I will be happy!” Yes, I had once loved Liam Hayes with an intense passion, convinced he was my soulmate, my destiny. Our wedding date was set, and my heart was bursting with joy, waiting to become his bride. But just a moment ago, I received the shock of my life. An hour earlier. I stood in front of the mirror, wearing a pristine white wedding dress. The gown clung to my curves, making me feel more beautiful than ever. “Ms. Adams, Mr. Hayes had this dress custom-made for you. It’s absolutely stunning! You two are truly meant to be.” Despite the sales assistant’s compliments, I couldn’t even manage a smile. My eyes scanned the room until I finally spotted Liam, my soon-to-be husband, in a secluded corner by the window. He was on the phone with someone, his face alight with an adoring smile. The sales assistant, holding a phone, blocked my view. “Ms. Adams, you have a call.” It was from the wedding planning company I’d hired. “Ms. Adams… Mr. Hayes’s team said there was a mistake with the bride’s name and that it needs to be changed to Valerie Sterling. Are you aware of this?” An indescribable wave of grief crashed over me, and tears threatened to spill. I already suspected Liam’s betrayal, but I had underestimated his sheer audacity. A month ago, when Valerie Sterling, his ex-girlfriend from five years ago, made a grand return from abroad, I had a bad feeling. And just yesterday, chasing after Liam to give him a tie, I followed him to a private club. There, I witnessed him on one knee, proposing to Valerie. Someone asked, “Liam, aren’t you marrying Sera soon? What about her, with you and Valerie like this?” Liam answered, utterly unconcerned, “Valerie’s sick, and this is her last wish. As for Sera? As long as you guys keep your mouths shut, she’ll never find out. Even if she does, she loves me too much. She’ll get it. She won’t leave.” Valerie snuggled into Liam’s arms, nodding in agreement. “I’m so sorry to put you in this position, Liam, but I don’t have much time left. This is my last wish. I’m sure the kind Ms. Adams will understand.” The two kissed passionately amidst cheers from their friends. I scrambled away from the doorway, my heart in pieces. “Hello? Ms. Adams? Are you still there? Should we still change the name?” The old Sera would have been devastated, couldn’t have imagined a life without him. But that Sera? She’s dead and gone. “Change it. And while you’re at it, book the hall next door for me too. I’ll PayPal you the deposit in a bit. Just copy everything exactly.” “Oh, and make sure to change the groom’s name for this new booking. I’ll send you the name later.” The person on the other end paused. “So, the wedding date is still the same?” “Still the same.” I took a deep breath and hung up. Just then, Liam walked over, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind. “Sera, you look absolutely stunning today.” “Do I?” I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Yes, I was beautiful. But why was the man I’d loved for years, the one I was supposed to marry, abandoning me to marry another woman? “Absolutely beautiful. You’re the most gorgeous woman in the world.” Liam hesitated, then mumbled, “There’s something I need to discuss with you. I have something important on the first of next month. Could we… postpone our wedding?” “Something important?” I scoffed internally. His “something important” was marrying another woman! Not only that, he planned to use the venue I’d chosen, the date I’d picked, and keep me completely in the dark! “Fine. Postpone it.” My answer clearly surprised Liam, and a flicker of unease crossed his face. “I love you, Sera. I promise I’ll marry you. Just wait for me. I swear I’ll love you forever.” “Uh… something just came up at the company. I’ll see you at home.” Watching him rush off, I found his vows utterly laughable. He truly believed I loved him so much that I had no boundaries. That even if I knew he was marrying someone else, I wouldn’t leave him. But this time, he was wrong. I wouldn’t just leave. I would marry on the exact same day. Chapter 2 Back home, I started packing my belongings. I was halfway through when Liam returned. “Sera, I came straight home as soon as I finished up at the office. Miss me?” He pulled out a large bouquet of crimson roses and handed them to me. “I bought these just for you. I’m so sorry I couldn’t stay with you at the bridal shop. Forgive me, my love?” I nearly laughed out loud, seeing the roses already wilting slightly from lack of water. These were clearly the same flowers he’d grabbed from his proposal to Valerie. In his eyes, was I only good enough for his discarded proposal props? “What are you laughing at?” Seeing my smile, Liam looked a little flustered. “Nothing.” I took the bouquet, my gaze flickering, landing on a bright red lipstick stain on his collar. It was so stark, so obvious. I raised a hand and pointed to his collar. “Your shirt’s dirty.” Liam looked down, saw the mark Valerie had left when she kissed him, and his heart clenched. He stammered an explanation. “Oh, it… it must have gotten smudged somehow.” “Hmm.” I didn’t call him out. “Take it off. I’ll wash it for you.” “No, we have housekeepers. I couldn’t ask you to do it yourself.” “The housekeepers just throw things in the wash. I’ll do it properly.” Liam, thinking he’d dodged a bullet, quickly kissed me. “Sera, you’re the best.” I took the shirt, a bitter smile playing on my lips as I looked at the stain. The best? More like the easiest to trick. Perhaps I washed it with too much force, but his shirt ended up ripped. Liam didn’t seem to care. He just hugged me gently and said, “It’s fine, if it’s torn, just toss it. You can just buy me a new one.” He changed his shirt, but the scent of her perfume still lingered. I quirked my lips. “Aren’t some things better when they’re old?” “That’s true.” Liam nodded. “This shirt was really comfortable. Too bad you ruined it, or I could have worn it a few more times. You know, I’m a very loyal person.” He was a very loyal person, alright. So loyal that he still loved the girl he liked five years ago, even after she disappeared for five years and then came back. What about me? What did our five years together mean? Growing up, I never lacked admirers. After college, I applied for a job at Liam’s company. The moment I saw him, my heart was lost. But my pride kept me from making the first move. Somehow, Liam later fell for me and started pursuing me relentlessly. At first, I played hard to get, but then one day, there was a fire at the company. The fire alarm blared, sending everyone scrambling, but I was frozen stiff, paralyzed with fear. It was Liam who turned back, scooped me up, and carried me out of the burning building. In that moment, I knew. I wanted to be with him forever. Five years. Five long years. I’d never forgotten the day we got together. Liam swore to the heavens, “Sera, I promise you, I’ll only ever love you in this life.” Seeing Liam’s earnest face, I cried and said, “Liam Hayes, remember what you said today. If you ever betray me, I’ll marry another man and make you regret it bitterly!” Those vows still echoed in my ears, but his heart had already changed. No, perhaps his heart was never truly mine from the start. A sharp ache rose in my nose. I clutched the torn shirt, and tears I couldn’t hold back slipped down my cheeks. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Seeing my tears, Liam panicked, quickly pulling out tissues to wipe them away. “I’m fine.” Liam was the one who betrayed me first. So I would keep my promise. I would marry another man! Chapter 3 After finally calming me down, Liam, as usual, leaned in to kiss me, but I pushed him away. He awkwardly cleared his throat, released me, and held out his hand for a gift. “Hey, what about that gift you promised me?” I told him to wait, went back to my room, and retrieved the wedding invitations Liam and I had picked out together. I grabbed a pen, crossed out the groom’s name, and wrote my name and Ryder Blackwood’s on it. Then, I put the invitation back in the box. Downstairs, I handed him the box. “What’s this?” Liam was curious and reached to open it, but I stopped him. “Open it on the first of next month.” At that date, Liam’s hand trembled. Wasn’t that the day he was supposed to marry Valerie? “Why?” “Because the first of next month was supposed to be our wedding day, right? A perfect day.” I smiled, taping the box shut. “Now that the wedding’s postponed, I’m giving you a big gift. You’ll be surprised.” “Great, I love surprises.” He playfully poked my nose and pulled me into a hug. “Sera, I’m so happy today.” Happy? The light in my eyes faded, just like those wilting roses he’d given me, silently dying. But Liam didn’t notice. What was he happy about? Probably that he successfully proposed to another woman, assuming I was none the wiser. That evening, Liam went to take a shower. I was sitting on the sofa, scrolling through my phone, when I accidentally saw a post on Ins from one of Liam’s friends. It was a video of Liam’s proposal to Valerie. The caption read: “The love we always envied has finally found its happily ever after. Let’s celebrate tonight at our usual spot.” I froze, about to tap on it, when a comment popped up below. [You actually posted this? Did you block Sera Adams?] The friend replied: [Do you think I’m stupid? Of course, I blocked her.] I looked at the comment, a mocking smile twisting my lips. When Liam and I first started dating, he introduced me to all his best friends. They called me “Liam’s girl” and treated me like family. They’d said, “Hey, Sera, if Liam ever messes with you, just tell me. I’ll beat him up!” “Yeah, Sera, don’t worry, we’ll keep an eye on him. He won’t be fooling around. If he ever finds another woman, we’ll be the first to tell you.” But now? They were all conspiring to help Liam keep the fact that he was marrying someone else a secret! In less than a second, the Ins post was deleted. Soon after, Liam emerged from the bathroom. “Sera, you—” He’d just washed his hair and hadn’t even dried it, rushing out in a panic. “What’s wrong?” I looked up at him, expressionless, as if I hadn’t seen anything. Seeing my lack of reaction, Liam visibly relaxed. “Nothing, just letting you know I’m done.” “Mm.” I got up. Just as I reached the door, I heard Liam on the phone with his friend. “Are you crazy? Delete that post right now! What if Sera sees it? I told you, she absolutely cannot know about this. Are you trying to get yourselves killed?” “Alright, alright, it’s deleted. Sera definitely didn’t see it. Anyway, you’re not coming to your own celebration? Valerie’s already here.” Chapter 4 Liam was still hesitating when I suddenly walked back in. “Who are you on the phone with?” “Oh, just Leo and the guys. They’re calling me out for a few drinks.” “Really? I haven’t seen them in ages. I’ll come along. I could use a drink too.” I wanted to see just how good their secret-keeping would be if I showed up. Liam tried every excuse to stop me, but nothing worked. He just anxiously fiddled with his phone, sending urgent messages to his friends. When we arrived at the bar’s private room, I immediately noticed Liam’s friends. All four men were sitting stiffly, politely sipping their drinks, not even having ordered any escorts. Seeing me, they all stood up in unison. “Evening, Sera! Don’t worry, tonight it’s just us guys. No one else.” I raised an eyebrow. “Meaning, I, a woman, shouldn’t be here?” They all froze, and Liam quickly squeezed my hand. “That’s not what they mean. They just don’t want you to be bored.” “I didn’t mean anything by it either. I just haven’t seen you guys in a while, and I wanted to grab a drink. Since it’s a guys’ night, I’ll just have one and head out.” With that, I picked up a glass from the table, drained it, and, pretending not to notice the fleeting smiles on their faces, turned to leave. Liam feigned reluctance and pulled me into a hug, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Alright, I’ll be home early. If you’re tired, just go to sleep. Don’t wait up for me.” I walked downstairs. I stood in a hidden spot around the corner for a moment, and sure enough, Valerie appeared. She strutted in on high heels, hips swaying, and quickly entered the private room. I stood by the door, able to clearly see everything inside. Valerie immediately settled herself onto Liam’s lap. “Seriously, why did you bring *her*? It meant I had to hide. You owe me that bag you showed me today as an apology.” Liam wrapped an arm around her, laughing. “I’ll buy you two.” Valerie giggled, hugging his strong waist and kissing him on the lips. “Ooh-la-la! You two are going to make us all so jealous! Valerie, you’re making us single guys green with envy!” “Oh, shut up, you guys! What’s there to be jealous of? Don’t you all have a few women around? Call them all! Let’s party!” Soon, they called over more women. Some were escorts, some played drinking games. A lively game of Truth or Dare began. And just my luck, Liam was the first one to get a penalty. A friend teased, “Liam, seriously, between Valerie and Sera, who do you like more?” Hearing the question, Valerie didn’t seem angry. Instead, she looked at him with a wide smile. “Be honest, now. Don’t just say it because I’m sick.” “Sera Adams.” Valerie’s face stiffened. “I’m right here!” Liam shrugged, completely unbothered. “I liked you too, but that was in the past. You were so resolute back then. Marrying you now is just to fulfill your wish because you’re sick. But Sera is the one I’ll spend the rest of my life with. We already agreed on all of this.” “Next time, don’t let this happen. Keep it quiet from Sera.” Sera is observant. If she knew he was messing around with another woman, she’d probably break up with him. But he couldn’t just ignore Valerie. She came back from abroad with a serious illness, and her last wish was to marry him. She was, after all, a woman he had deeply loved once. How could he possibly refuse her? As long as he kept it from Sera, once Valerie passed away, he would still marry Sera and take care of her for the rest of his life. That way, neither of them would get hurt. How perfect. Valerie buried her face in his chest, gritting her teeth, pretending to be nonchalant. “I don’t mind. I was the one who left you first. I’m just happy you’re spending this time with me.” “I love Liam, and I don’t want to hurt his girlfriend, so everyone, please keep this a secret for Liam!” I stood outside the door, utterly stunned, all the color drained from my face. Their words were like sharp blades, cutting into my heart, one after another. My insides felt like they were bleeding, twisted into raw knots of pain. Hearing Liam’s choice, I felt nothing but disgust. I wanted to vomit. I truly hadn’t realized that the man I’d loved for five whole years was rotten to the core! I leaned against the wall, trembling uncontrollably, the pain intense. All the strength drained from my body, and I slowly sank to the floor. It took a long time to recover. I slowly stood up, my eyes vacant, and started walking downstairs. After only a few steps, I couldn’t hold on any longer, passed out, and tumbled down the stairs. Chapter 5 “Help! Someone fell down the stairs!” Voices echoed in my ears, and then, a crowd gathered. Before my eyes closed completely, I saw Liam and his friends. They were leaving the bar, one by one. They glanced indifferently at the commotion and walked away.
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