“I was just passing by.”

When the words left my mouth,

even I found them pale and powerless.

I decided not to explain any further.

I turned to leave.

“Passing by? Fine then.”

Keira chased after me relentlessly,

her smile dripping with malice.

“Then come attend my wedding with my brother.”

“Didn’t you say you wished us well?”

“Enough.”

Barry frowned.

“Watch your tone when you talk to Chloe.”

He turned to me,

his voice softening again.

“Don’t listen to her nonsense, honey.”

“I’ll be back by your side soon.”

Keira stamped her foot in anger.

Barry lowered his head and soothed her

with a look I knew all too well.

At that moment,

I suddenly felt nauseated.

I turned back to Keira

and spoke calmly.

“Alright.”

“Send me the invitation.”

“I’ll be there on time.”

When I pushed open the door

to the house Barry and I once shared,

his scent rushed at me.

It was as if the entire world

still carried his shadow.

I could no longer hold on.

I squatted on the floor,

clutching my stomach tightly,

vomiting blood mouthful by mouthful.

I couldn’t stay in this place anymore.

In the end,

I returned to the hospital.

When the doctor saw me,

he visibly let out a sigh of relief.

He said he had been most afraid

that I would die suddenly on the road.

That night,

I received the wedding invitation Keira sent me.

The wedding photos were exquisitely retouched,

flawless in every detail.

Clearly not a last-minute decision.

Suddenly, I realized that

that so-called “depression diagnosis”

was probably part of their plan all along.

The wedding date

was ironically perfect.

It fell on the exact day

I was leaving.

Over the next few days,

I lay quietly in the hospital.

My social media feed

was filled with Barry’s friends.

No matter which app I opened,

all I saw were posts sharing

the news of his remarriage.

They assumed that after the divorce,

I would delete everyone.

So they spoke freely, without restraint.

Discussing me,

the thoroughly betrayed ex-wife.

Until the wedding day arrived.

My body had grown so weak

that I could no longer stand.

I rented a wheelchair from the hospital.

And put on

the wedding dress

I had worn

when I married Barry.

Along the red carpet,

I moved forward bit by bit

in an electric wheelchair.

Employees of the Gu family,

business partners, relatives,

all cast shocked and uneasy glances at me.

This wedding

was far more extravagant

than the one years ago.

Back then,

I had nearly emptied my savings

just to secure this venue Barry adored.

What I could give him

might not have been expensive.

But that was

everything I had.

The wedding march began.

Barry walked alone

from the other end of the aisle

toward Keira.

As expected.

Osiris still did not appear.

No parents.

No elder brother.

He stood at the center

of this grand wedding,

like a groom forgiven and blessed by the world.

At the end of the aisle,

the two embraced deeply.

Keira clutched Barry’s hand tightly.

Her voice, amplified through the microphone,

was clear and resolute.

“Brother, from the first moment I saw you,

I fell in love with you.”

“Later, when I learned

that you were living in such suffering,

I swore…”

“I wouldn’t just marry you.”

“I would treat you well for the rest of my life

and never let you be wronged again.”

I almost wanted to laugh.

So this was it.

Every cheating man

had a story

about being ‘saved.’

I just hadn’t expected that

in Barry’s version,

our marriage

had become a living hell.

Barry threw himself into Keira’s arms,

tears streaming down his face,

his voice thick with sobs.

“I finally married you…”

“I finally married the one I love.”

Cheers and applause erupted from the audience below.

The sound rolled toward me, wrapped in the sweet scent of roses.

They cheered.

They offered their blessings.

Someone whistled.

The noise was sharp, shrill,

like countless fine needles.

They pierced my heart one after another,

yet no one noticed me, hidden in the corner.

The red carpet curved toward the stage.

Barry stood there.

His suit was crisp, immaculate.

Joy lay hidden in his brows and eyes.

He had finally married the woman he loved.

And me?

I clenched my hand beneath the hem of my dress,

my nails digging deep into my palm.

The sharp pain spread.

We had seven years of marriage.

Seven years of shared days and nights.

Promises he once swore with sincerity.

What were those now?

Disposable trash,

or stepping stones toward his new love?

“Brother.”

Keira suddenly turned around.

Her wedding gown flared in a perfect arc.

Her smile was radiant, blinding.

Her gaze locked precisely onto me in the corner.

“To be able to marry you,

the person I need to thank the most is Chloe.”

In an instant, the noise died.

Countless eyes converged on me.

Curious.

Probing.

Laced with faint mockery.

A sharp intake of breath rippled through the hall.

People exchanged glances, unsure

whether to be shocked by my so-called generosity

or unsettled by the pallor of my face.

The weight of their gazes pressed down on me,

so heavy I could barely breathe.

Barry followed those stares.

The moment he saw me, his smile froze.

Panic replaced it.

He abruptly lowered his head,

gritting his teeth as he questioned Keira,

his voice urgent, trembling.

The microphone captured everything,

broadcasting it clearly across the hall.

“You invited her?”

“Keira, what exactly are you trying to do?”

“Oh, nothing at all.”

Keira tilted her head,

smiling with a mix of innocence and cruelty.

“I just want to vow eternal love to you

under Chloe’s witness.”

Barry looked awkward, his brows tightly knit.

But he did not stop her.

“Chloe.”

Keira turned to me again.

Her voice was sweet enough to cloy.

“Did you hear the promise I made to my brother?”

“Please come up on stage

and witness us exchanging rings.”

The crowd erupted again, louder than before.

Whistles.

Table pounding.

Laughter.

A strange man shoved me from behind,

his voice rough and impatient.

“Hurry up and go!

Don’t ruin the newlyweds’ moment!”

I gripped the wheelchair, my knuckles whitening.

Using all my strength,

I forced myself to stand.

Agonizing pain tore through my stomach in an instant.

I doubled over, cold sweat soaking my back.

My vision darkened.

The noise around me blurred into nothing.

Clenching my teeth,

I slowly lifted my head.

I looked at Barry, standing at the center of the stage,

the man I had loved for seven years.

He once said he would protect me always.

Yet now, all I saw in his eyes

was his desperate wish for the wedding to proceed smoothly.

I steadied myself

and walked toward him, step by step.

Every step felt like walking on shattered glass.

Every step ground seven years of love into dust.

Finally, I stood before them.

The hem of my wedding dress brushed against my ankle,

cold against my skin.

Barry feared the wedding being ruined more than anything.

He hurried half a step forward,

lowered his voice, and pleaded.

“Chloe, I’m begging you.”

“Just endure today.”

“We still have many happy days ahead.”

I looked at him.

At the panic in his eyes.

At the shallow reassurance.

Suddenly, he felt like a stranger.

All that past tenderness and devotion

felt like nothing more than an illusion.

I smiled at him.

The smile was faint,

but filled with release.

“Barry.”

My voice was calm.

“There will be no ‘after’ for us.”

As the words fell,

the entire hall sank into silence.

I turned my head.

At the entrance of the hall,

a familiar figure stood there.

His gaze was deep, steady, fixed on me.

I gave him a small nod,

completing my final farewell.

The next second,

all my strength drained away.

I collapsed straight down.

As my consciousness sank into darkness,

I closed my eyes.

At the corner of my lips remained a faint, peaceful smile.

This time,I finally didn’t have to hold on anymore.