Our tenth attempt at a wedding, and for the tenth time, my girlfriend was whisked away by her childhood sweetheart. I stood alone on stage, a complete laughingstock. I swallowed my pride and tried to reach her, begging her to come back and finish the ceremony. But she wouldn’t even answer my calls! Her childhood sweetheart sent a smug photo of them together in bed, boasting, “I won!” My heart went completely cold. We’d held the wedding ten times, only for it to be postponed each time. The MC looked at me sympathetically, “Do you still want to go through with the wedding?” I forced a smile, “Yes! We must finish it!” I messaged the girl next door and received her assurance. I sighed in relief and turned to tell the MC to wait a little longer. This was my tenth wedding, and it couldn’t be ruined again. Cora arrived quickly, her commanding presence drawing everyone’s attention. She walked straight to the center stage, stood beside me, and smiled warmly. “Nolan, have you made up your mind?” I nodded. After all, marriage was just about pleasing the elders; the person didn’t matter. Besides, Grandma’s illness couldn’t wait any longer. Her health started rapidly declining half a year ago. Every time I visited, she’d express her wish to see me married before she passed. As the person closest to me, Grandma’s only wish was for me to find someone trustworthy. So after her passing, I’d have someone to rely on and wouldn’t be bullied. Watching Grandma grow thinner each day, I couldn’t bear to see her leave with regrets, so I took marriage seriously. Adeline had promised we’d get married. But after ten weddings, she was absent every time. She made me the laughingstock of the entire Seaside City over and over. And all her excuses were because of her childhood sweetheart, Jasper. Jasper was fine on regular days, but on my wedding days, he suddenly had issues. Either he was in a bad mood, couldn’t handle stress due to depression, or needed company after watching a scary movie. The most absurd time was when he suddenly felt like taking wedding photos while shopping and called Adeline to be his partner. I couldn’t express any dissatisfaction with these ridiculous reasons. If I messaged her, I’d get scolded. “Nolan, can you be more understanding? Jasper is my buddy, he needs me now, and the wedding can happen any day, right? Don’t be so petty, okay?” But after being abandoned and betrayed ten times, my patience finally ran out. This time, I wouldn’t wait around. After letting go completely, I realized my heart didn’t hurt as much anymore. Maybe I’d become numb. Or perhaps Grandma’s words gave me strength. “Our dear Nolan is so good, Grandma hopes that after she leaves, you’ll find someone who loves you and won’t let you suffer.” Grandma’s aged face appeared in my mind, giving me firm confidence. I can’t disappoint the people who love me. So I took Cora’s hand, and with her in her wedding dress, we walked down the aisle. I had to be in my best state for the wedding so Grandma would feel at ease when she saw the video. When we exchanged rings, my phone chimed; it was Adeline. She hadn’t realized her mistake at all, still using a casual tone. [Nolan, behave yourself, Jasper has a stomachache today, I really can’t leave, it doesn’t matter when the wedding is held, I’ll make it up to you later.] Seeing such words again, my heart still ached. I clenched my phone. Cora noticed and raised an eyebrow slightly. “Still want the ring?” I looked up, eyes firm, “Yes!” After completing all the procedures, I was exhausted. Before leaving, Cora looked at me with a particularly serious expression. “Nolan, I’ll give you two days to regret it, after two days we’ll get our marriage certificate, I hope you’ve thought it through.” These words gave me dignity, but I had already decided to end things with Adeline. “Don’t worry, I won’t regret it!” After Cora left, I received a message from Adeline. [Nolan, you have ten minutes to buy painkillers and deliver them, don’t make me angry.] Below was the address of a well-known romantic hotel in Seaside City. Immediately, my phone chimed again. It was a photo of two people lying in bed. The sender was Jasper. And my girlfriend was one of the protagonists. [I won again!] More than the pain of betrayal and abandonment, I felt disgusted. On my wedding day, my bride was with another man in a romantic hotel. I unconsciously clenched my hands until my palms bled. Chapter Two In the end, I still went to the hotel. This relationship had already come to a full stop for me. I didn’t want any more entanglement with Adeline. So I planned to break up with Adeline face-to-face and ask for my house key back. After all, the place she was living in was a house I bought outright! When I arrived at the hotel, Adeline saw I was empty-handed. She immediately lost her temper. “Nolan, what’s wrong with you? Where are the painkillers I asked for?” Jasper sat at the corner of the bed, looking pitiful. “Cora, don’t be mad, after all, Nolan has been preparing for the wedding all day, he might just be too tired.” He knew very well that he had called away my bride, yet he still spoke so nonchalantly. Being mocked to my face, my heart felt like it had been pierced a thousand times. But it still couldn’t stop the sharp pain. My fingers slowly tightened, almost drawing blood. Disappointment reached a point where I no longer felt the urge to be angry. The romantic hotel room was cramped and ambiguous, making me feel suffocated. My relationship with Adeline started in college. Initially, it was her intense and passionate pursuit that gradually made me fall for her. Once we were together, she remembered every holiday better than I did, always having gifts and surprises. Even when I was occasionally moody, she would take all the blame and patiently comfort me. Brothers and friends often marveled at how lucky I was to have such a good girlfriend. I thought the same, which is why I wanted to get married right after graduation. But everything changed the day Adeline’s childhood sweetheart, Jasper, returned from abroad. From then on, Adeline’s heart completely leaned towards someone else. Between me and Jasper, I was always the one left behind. Adeline affectionately ruffled Jasper’s hair. “Oh, you really are considerate.” Then she approached me, frowning in displeasure. “Why didn’t you reply to my messages?” My repeated concessions only made Adeline push further and further. Clearly, she was the one who abandoned the wedding and me, yet she opened with accusations. I tried to calm down and spoke coldly. “I forgot.” Adeline was stunned, seemingly shocked by my tone. I coldly lifted my eyes to look at Adeline. “Adeline, today you broke your promise again.” Hearing this, her eyes flashed with guilt, but she angrily defended herself. “I didn’t do it on purpose, Jasper wasn’t feeling well, I can’t just ignore him, right?” “We can hold the wedding another day, can’t we? Nolan, stop being unreasonable, be more sensible, okay?” Clearly, she was the one in the wrong, yet she was trying to turn the tables. I had no interest in further entanglement, suppressing my disgust as I spoke coldly. “But I don’t want to wait for you anymore, let’s break up!” With that, I turned and walked away decisively. “Nolan, what the hell did you just say?!” Adeline screamed and immediately chased after me. At this moment, behind me, Jasper let out an “Oh no.” Then came the sound of something shattering, unexpectedly loud. I stopped in confusion and turned to look, and in the next second, my eyes widened in shock. The jade pendant, shattered into pieces on the ground, was the one Grandma had painstakingly prayed for to keep me safe! I was completely stunned, a wave of anger nearly erupted from me. Realizing what had happened, I forcefully pushed Adeline aside and rushed forward to carefully pick up the pieces of the jade pendant. “Why is my jade pendant with you!?” I stared fiercely at Jasper, loudly questioning. Adeline walked over, muttering in dissatisfaction. “Nolan, why are you overreacting? You’re going to scare Jasper.” I couldn’t believe it as I met Adeline’s gaze. She knew how important this jade pendant was to me, yet she could still speak so nonchalantly. All at once, a sense of powerlessness crept over my heart. The soft flesh of my palm was gouged open, bloody and mangled. Indeed, when facing Jasper, I always had to back down. But this time, it involved Grandma, and I was done holding back. I raised my hand and gave Adeline a hard slap. “If you’re blind, go to the hospital for treatment!” “He took the jade pendant Grandma gave me without my consent, and broke it, what right do you have to forgive him for me?” The room fell silent for a moment. I had never resorted to violence before, no matter how angry I was. Now it was Adeline’s turn to be dumbfounded. “You dare hit me? Nolan, I’m your girlfriend, and you dare lay a hand on me?!” She rushed forward and grabbed my neck, squeezing so hard I could barely breathe. She glared at me, eyes filled with malice and hatred, as if looking at an enemy. I couldn’t help but think, when did the person who once looked at me with love change? I remembered when we weren’t together yet, I had posted a photo of a cut less than two millimeters on my finger on social media. Adeline was waiting outside my dorm at four in the morning just to bring me medicine. Her eyes were bright and full of concern. It was at that moment, touched by her sincerity, that I agreed to her pursuit. She darted at me and clamped her hands around my neck, squeezing so intensely that I could scarcely breathe. Her eyes bore into me with malice and hatred, as though she were looking at an enemy. I couldn’t help but wonder when the person who once gazed at me with love had changed. I recall when we weren’t even a couple, I had merely posted a photo on social media of a tiny cut from a knife, less than two millimeters. Adeline stood outside my dorm at 4 AM just to bring me a box of medicine. Her eyes were bright with concern. In that moment, her sincerity moved me, and I agreed to pursue her. Yet just six months later, she could lash out at me for another man. That’s when I realized… True feelings can change in an instant. Chapter Three: After love is completely gone. No matter how much you argue, it’s pointless. The sharp pain in my neck was a cruel reminder of how laughable my efforts over the years had been. I could only manage a self-deprecating smile. Jasper peeked out from behind Adeline. Caught off guard, I met his mocking gaze. It felt like a needle was piercing my heart, intensifying the pain. The next second, his eyes turned red, and he spoke to me in a resentful tone: “Nolan, don’t be mad. I found the jade pendant and was just looking for the right moment to return it to you.” He patted Adeline’s head. “Cora, don’t blame Nolan anymore.” Only then did Adeline calm down and reluctantly release me. “Jasper, you always understand.” “Nolan, can’t you learn from him?!” The suffocating pain made my whole body tremble. Jasper pretended to come over and support me. “Nolan, can you forgive me?” His tone was slightly ingratiating, but I clearly saw the provocation and ridicule in his eyes. It was as if he were proudly saying, “Yeah, I stole it, yeah, I broke it, what can you do about it?” I felt disgusted and avoided his touch. Jasper seized the opportunity to scream and fall back. “Ah—” He clutched his wrist, looking at me in horror. “Nolan, I just wanted to apologize…” I hadn’t even touched him, yet I was made out to be the villain. Seeing Jasper fall, Adeline immediately crouched to help him up and angrily scolded me. “Nolan, didn’t you hear Jasper say the jade pendant was something he found? Is it fun to blame the innocent?” I almost laughed out of anger at his words. The jade pendant Grandma gave me was something I treasured. I kept it carefully in my bedroom drawer. Found it? Did Jasper accidentally enter my home, accidentally walk into my bedroom, and accidentally find the jade pendant in my most private nightstand drawer? I couldn’t be bothered to expose this poor lie and curled my lips in mockery.
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