Ethan stood frozen in place, shaking his head in disbelief. “No, this shouldn’t be like this…”
Henry wrapped his arms around me and turned to head into the banquet hall, not forgetting to give instructions to the bodyguards at the door.
“Don’t let unrelated people inside, it’ll ruin the mood!”
The door closed behind us and Ethan’s agonized voice came through in intermittent bursts.
“Wendy, you can’t do this to me…”
When the door was fully shut, I finally let out a sigh of relief. I looked at the man before me with a hint of guilt.
“Henry, I don’t understand why you married me. Whether it’s out of true feelings or out of spite, Ethan isn’t wrong. I did live with him for eight years. If you mind, I’ll explain it to the guests later. Today, I’ve caused you to be the subject of ridicule. If there’s ever anything I can help with in the future, I will do my best.”
I was about to say something, but my lips were suddenly sealed by something warm.
He kissed me.
For a long moment, until my heart felt like it was about to leap out of my chest, Henry finally pulled away.
“You are my wife, the woman I truly wanted to marry. Your past is beyond my control. If anyone is to blame, it’s that I didn’t meet you sooner. Wendy, you personally agreed to marry me and you can’t go back on it!”
In a daze, I was dragged onto the stage.
In front of everyone, Henry knelt on one knee and solemnly placed the ring on my ring finger.
“Wendy, whether in poverty or wealth, I will love you for a lifetime.”
Everything felt like a dream. I moved like a puppet, held by his hand as we toasted to the guests.
By the end, I hadn’t drunk much, but he seemed a little tipsy.
In the car, he buried his head in my chest, murmuring.
“Honey, my head hurts…”
The driver took us to the wedding suite Henry had arranged and the room became quiet. I couldn’t tell whose heartbeat was accelerating.
I washed a towel and gently wiped his face, but he suddenly grabbed my hand.
He flipped over, trapping me beneath him, his gaze burning as he looked at me.
“Wendy, you are finally my wife. I wasn’t doing it out of spite. I was serious.”
Our breaths intertwined and it was unclear who started it, but soon, the two of us were making love in a whirlwind of passion.
1/2 35.75
07:52 Sun, 30 Mar
The night stretched on until dawn and eventually, I could no longer keep my eyes open and drifted into a deep sleep.
The next morning, I was woken up by the sound of my phone ringing. By the time I opened my eyes, Henry was already gone.
On the other end of the line, my best friend sounded smug, as if she had just avenged a
great wrong.
“Wendy, you should’ve seen the pathetic look on Ethan’s face yesterday. His wedding with that bitch is off now. I spilled the beans about your eight years with him to a popular internet celebrity and now the web is absolutely tearing into that bitch for what she did.” “Men are so pathetic, not cherishing what they have and then getting upset when it’s gone. I heard he was pacing outside your wedding room all night. Serves him right!”
When the call ended, Cynthia’s social media account was flooded with thousands of comments, accusing her of being a mistress, calling her a hypocritical bitch who tried to sabotage others.
I felt no ripple in my heart, as if they were all irrelevant strangers in my life. I quickly blocked her.
Henry came out from the kitchen wearing an apron, holding a plate with a heart–shaped fried egg and a generous fruit platter.
“You must have been exhausted last night. Why didn’t you sleep a little longer?”
The reckless scenes from last night immediately flashed through my mind and I felt my face grow warm in blush. I quickly buried myself under the covers.
Henry walked over and wrapped me in the blanket, pulling me into his embrace.
In the chaos, things had gotten out of hand and by the time I got up properly, the fried egg on my plate had long since cooled down.
That evening, he took me to her family’s old residence for dinner.
Henry’s parents were both very kind and gentle. His mother personally took out a set of exquisite jade jewelry from her room and handed it to me.
07:52 Sun. 20 Mar
