Book3Chapter1.
Ethan rushed out of the dressing room, his tailored suit a perfect fit. I sat there, staring at the wedding dress in my hands, a lump forming in my throat.
“Babe, there’s a last–minute change at work. You good with the dress? Head home, I’ll pick you up tomorrow and we’ll go straight to the venue.” He kissed me quickly, already shedding his suit jacket.
I forced a smile, blinking back tears. “Yeah, you go. Don’t worry about me.”
As soon as he was gone, I cancelled the dress order, his suit too..
“Is everything alright, Miss? Didn’t it fit right?” the saleswoman asked, concerned.
“Oh, it’s not that,” I managed a weak smile. “We’ve… we’ve decided not to get married after all.”
Just last night, while Ethan showered, I found it. Tucked away in a discarded Amazon box, his marriage certificate. And the woman listed wasn’t me.
Just the day before, he’d gotten down on one knee, ring in hand, his eyes full of what I thought was love. Eight years we’d been together, and I’d finally said yes. We weren’t going to make it official, he’d said, marriage was a cage, he didn’t want to trap our love. I believed him. Fool that I was.
I was about to confront him when I heard him on the phone, through the bathroom door. “…she doesn’t suspect a thing. We agreed, no certificate, our love will be forever. Besides, after eight years, she wouldn’t leave me.”
Panic choked me, but I held it together, wiping my tears. I remembered his laptop, still in the car…
The password was easy, our anniversary. And that’s how I found the hidden
Book Chapter1.
folder, filled with photos, videos… Her face laughing, beaming – I knew her. It was Chloe, our junior from college. They’d dated briefly, before she’d left to study abroad. Ethan had sworn it was over, that it was me he loved now.
The dates on the files told me everything. A month ago, he’d married her while telling me he was busy with a new project. My future, our future, had been a lie.
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Book3Chapter2.
Ethan had told me he wasn’t the marrying type. He didn’t believe in locking their love in a cage. But it wasn’t marriage he hated, it was being tied down to me.
He’d promised me the world, a life of adventure, a wedding for the ages everything but a piece of paper. I was blinded by love, by the years we’d spent together. I believed him.
Seeing those pictures, her beaming face, I felt like the world’s biggest fool. Chloe, my junior from college, the girl who chased after Ethan relentlessly until he finally caved. They were the ‘it‘ couple back then, everyone knew about them.
When Chloe left to study abroad, and Ethan confessed his feelings for me six months later, I was hesitant. Their relationship was still fresh in my mind, but Ethan was persistent. He was there for me, always, for every little thing. It was hard not to be swept off my feet. And slowly, I forgot all about Chloe.
Until now. This wasn’t how I wanted to remember her.
I scrolled through the photos, each image a fresh stab to my heart. There they were, honeymooning in Bali, enjoying candlelit dinners, their happiness radiating through the screen, tearing me apart. While I sat at home, night after night, staring at a cold, untouched dinner, waiting for him.
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Book3Chapter 3.
Book3Chapter3.
I messaged a mutual friend, asking for screenshots of Chloe’s profile. Because when I tried to look, all I saw was a blank page. My “fiancé” had clearly been doing some damage control.
The pictures kept coming, snapshots of her life, and in almost every one, Ethan was there. They’d gotten back together a month ago when she returned, her profile bursting with their love story. The day they got their marriage certificate, she’d posted a picture, his face and details carefully hidden. “Distance, time, space, nothing can keep two hearts apart,” the caption read, followed by a string of heart
emojis.
I couldn’t breathe. Eight years of memories, of dreams, turned to ashes in my
mouth.
I booked a one–way ticket to LA, threw some clothes in a bag, and left. There was no way I was going through with this wedding.
As the taxi sped towards the airport, Ethan’s message popped up: “Hey babe, so sorry, this client’s really important. Can we push the wedding by a day? Talk to your parents, please? You understand, right?”
I didn’t reply. Instead, I opened Chloe’s profile one last time. An hour ago, a new post. A man’s hand gently massaging a woman’s stomach. The caption? “So grateful for my hubby, always taking care of me, even on those special days each month. Love you!”
I switched off my phone, tears streaming down my face. There was no ‘we‘ anymore. It was just me.
