Chosen Love, Shattered Vows

A week before our wedding, my fiancee, Lauren Blair, went to the hospital for a prenatal checkup. She was accompanied by her newly hired assistant, Ian Kane.

Coincidentally, she ended up being assigned to my clinic.

I stood there holding Lauren’s pregnancy report in my hand, staring through the narrow gap in the door at the two of them outside.

Ian pulled her into his arms by the waist, confessing with aching tenderness, "Lauren, I love you."

"I love you too, Ian. I'm only married to Sam because of the circumstances I’m stuck in, but you've always been the one who holds my heart."

I stopped hesitating. I pulled out my phone and sent a message to my father.

"Dad, I accept the marriage alliance with Ms. Sheridan. The wedding date can remain. Just change the bride."

From the clinic window, I looked down and saw Lauren Blair already walking out of the hospital with Ian Kane holding her arm.

I picked up my phone and called her.

"Are you coming home tonight?"

She answered instantly. "I’m not. Something urgent came up at work, so I have to stay late."

My eyes drifted back to the couple embracing on the sidewalk. "Are you feeling unwell? I think I just saw you at the hospital."

Lauren’s hand paused midair as she straightened Ian’s tie. She looked around quickly. When she didn’t see me anywhere, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"No, you must’ve seen wrong. I’ve been in meetings at the office all day."

My vision blurred for a moment. "You sound like you’re in a pretty good mood. Did something good happen today?"

Her voice turned cold. "No. Anyway, I’ve got other things to deal with at work. I’m hanging up."

And she did—just like that.

Ian carefully helped her into the passenger seat, and the two of them drove away together.

I stared at the scene in front of me, my mind replaying the words she had whispered to Ian with such devotion.

"Ian, I love you. I'm only married to Sam because of the circumstances I’m stuck in, but you've always been the one who holds my heart."

My chest felt like it was filled with tiny, stabbing needles, and my tears slipped down before I could stop them.

That afternoon, when I left the hospital and went home, I unexpectedly found Lauren there.

For a moment, hope rippled faintly through me, but it vanished the moment she opened her mouth.

"I’ll be staying at the office for the next few days. I’m just here to grab some clothes."

The reddish marks blooming along her neck were impossible to miss. They exposed her lie instantly.

Nevertheless, I didn’t call her out. Instead, I helped her pack her clothes and toiletries.

Seeing me so calm, devoid of any anger or accusation, made her pause. "I made dinner for you. I’ll make sure to come back before the wedding."

She stepped toward me as if to hug me.

However, I shifted aside and asked the question that had been lodged in my chest, "Do you really have to stay at the office? We’re getting married in just a week."

Lauren’s expression darkened. "The company is struggling with cash flow. There’s a lot going on. Can you stop being so childish and quit causing trouble for me every day?"

She grabbed her suitcase and slammed the door behind her.

I stood there, stunned, unable to recover for a long time.

Lauren and I had grown up together. Since we were kids, I had always loved trailing behind her. She used to treat me well, too.

In elementary school, when the other boys bullied me because I was chubby, she would step in front of me and scold the boys who were bigger and taller than she was.

In high school, when I struggled with my grades and felt crushed by the pressure, she helped me study, pulled my scores up, and even took me traveling during school breaks so I could relax.

When did all of that start to change?

It was after Ian joined her company as her assistant.

Two years ago, I brought her a homemade lunch at work.

She tossed it into the trash with a look of disgust, saying it didn’t even look edible, then turned around and ate the takeout Ian had ordered for her. I confronted her over it, but she shielded Ian behind her and slapped me. She told me never to come back to her company again.

A year ago, she gave my winter coat to Ian. I ended up standing out in the freezing snow wearing only a thin dress shirt. I ended up being hospitalized that night.

Six months ago, we went to try on wedding outfits together. Halfway through, Ian called, and she left me alone in the bridal shop. I endured the stares and whispers and picked out the wedding attire by myself. Later, I found out she had gone to the beach with Ian instead.

Once upon a time, I naively believed that as long as I treated her well, listened to her, and avoided upsetting her, she would eventually turn over a new leaf and fall in love with me again. I thought that she would remember what we used to be, and we could go back to how things were.

In the end, I was the only one living in those memories.

Her prenatal report felt like an invisible slap across my face. Ian’s confession was a knife driven straight into my heart.

Even now, with the wedding so close, she still chose Ian.

How ridiculous.

In these five years of loving her, I was the only one giving anything.

Even so, in Lauren’s eyes, what did any of that mean?

An obstacle in her love life?

A burden?

A problem she had to deal with?

I didn’t hesitate anymore. I took out my phone and sent a message to my father, Lewis Sawyer.

"Dad, I accept the marriage alliance with Ms. Sheridan. The wedding date can remain. Just change the bride."