End of a Decade's Dream

My husband, Dominic Moore, insists on having his first love, Irene Cobb, at our wedding ceremony.

Just when it's time for the bride to enter the hall, he suddenly asks for the ceremony to be paused for three minutes. Then, he gets off stage and pulls Irene, dressed in a white gown, out of the crowd.

Right in front of all the guests, he takes her by the hand and walks her down the aisle, saying, "I promised Irene I'd walk her down the aisle someday."

The tearful Irene throws herself into Dominic's arms before saying to my in-laws, "Mom, Dad. Although I won't get to be your daughter-in-law, I still want to address you as Mom and Dad just once."

She turns back to Dominic and kisses him passionately.

The guests exclaim in shock and whisper among themselves, eager to revel in my humiliation.

However, I simply open the doors with a smile. I take off my veil and place it on Irene's head.

"Why do you say you won't get to be their daughter-in-law? Since you like this cheating scumbag so much, I'll give him to you."

Because of what I said, Irene Cobb fainted right there in Dominic Moore's arms. But even as she passed out, she continued to wrap her arms tightly around his shoulders, refusing to let go.

And, without hesitating for even a second, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her off in a hurry to take her to the hospital. While leaving, he didn't forget to rebuke me in front of everyone, calling me a petty and small-minded woman.

Dominic said I couldn't even be gracious for three minutes—that I was deliberately trying to ruin the wedding ceremony.

I had been with Dominic for ten years and legally married to him. His parents, Gordon Moore and Molly Porter, finally agreed to let me have a wedding ceremony after I got pregnant with his baby.

Until ten minutes ago, I still believed that he would settle down, and I'd finally have a happy family of my own.

But now, my own mother was ashamed of me. She threw her bag at me and wailed for me to get Dominic to turn back.

Dad was also looking at me like I was his biggest disappointment. He tore off the pin I had pinned to his suit myself and stomped on it.

Molly, who never had any regard for me in the first place, was scowling as she publicly berated me. She said I had no sense of propriety and lacked proper upbringing.

Clenching my arm tightly, she declared in a sharp voice, "If you want to marry into the Moore family, you need to learn how to be a virtuous and obedient wife.

"Even if you feel like you've been wronged, you'd better keep it to yourself. Since you ruined this wedding ceremony, don't expect there to be another one."

As I took in Molly's nasty, unpleasant expression, it finally hit me that genuinely loving someone else with all my heart didn't mean I would get the same in return.

After being with Dominic for ten years, I no longer wanted to be the Moore family's daughter-in-law.

Before I could say anything, Molly yanked me by the arm and shoved me out of the building.

"If you fail to get Dominic to turn around, don't bother coming back either."

I turned my head back around, only to see that the doors had slammed shut behind me.

A torrid rainstorm was crashing down in front of me, while behind me was the lively atmosphere inside.

Even though I was standing there in a wedding gown, it seemed as though I had been abandoned by the entire world.

Before my tears could fall, the doors opened. Mom and Dad walked up to me.

The moment I saw them, all the hurt I had been holding back came rushing out. Keeping my voice down, I called out lightly, just like I did as a child, "Mom."

However, Mom's expression turned nasty.

"I'm not your mom! I told you from the start not to throw any tantrums, but look what you've done! You angered Dominic and drove him away.

"You also ruined the wedding! How are your father and I supposed to hold our heads up in front of everyone now?"

Her cold, harsh voice felt like a dagger stabbing me in the heart.

"Hurry up! Do as your mother-in-law said and go after Dominic. If he doesn't want you anymore, what's going to happen to that baby in your belly, huh?" Mom snapped.

Without saying anything else, Mom and Dad went back inside, and the doors slammed shut once more.

I stood in place, my tears falling at last.

The wedding ceremony had been held at a villa on the outskirts of the city. Even though I wanted to get a cab, my phone had no reception. I had no choice but to get an umbrella and walk out into the storm.

The pouring rain soaked into my wedding gown, the white fabric soon turning a filthy shade of gray after getting caked with mud.

It was just like the state of my love life.

There was no way of knowing how long I had been walking. My gown kept getting heavier thanks to the rain.