"It's been a long time. I wonder how you've been. I'm getting married tomorrow, to the girl I mentioned to you before, the one I met through blind dating. I don't love her, but my family is pushing me too hard. You know I've always had feelings for you, and you're the one I want to spend my life with. It's a shame we were both too stubborn back then, neither of us willing to give in. If there's a next life, I'll definitely marry you."

When I saw this message, my whole body shook uncontrollably. The joy of my upcoming wedding was instantly doused, like cold water thrown in my face.

My heart felt as though it had been stabbed with a dagger, revealing a gaping, bloody hole. A cold wind swept through it, freezing my very blood.

I met Julian Frost through blind dating. When we first got together, he confessed to me about his ex-girlfriend.

I told him then, “You can have a past, but you can’t keep living in it.”

On our one-year anniversary, I once laughed and asked if he had truly moved on from the past. He said yes.

It was that confident, unwavering answer that made me open my heart to him.

But three years later, I found out his heart still carried traces of his ex? Even on the eve of our wedding, he couldn't help but put on a show of deep affection for her, expressing his heartfelt feelings.

It was truly disgusting.

I had once seen her on Julian’s computer, the ex-girlfriend he could never forget. She looked innocent, petite, with a beautiful smile.

They were each other's first love, together for three years, but they were forced to part ways because their paths in life diverged.

In my view on love, unless it’s death, every breakup is just another form of not loving someone anymore.

The message was sent ten minutes ago, but there’s still no reply. From the bathroom, I can hear the sound of water—Julian is taking a shower.

I hold his phone, sitting on the sofa, looking at him as he dries his hair in front of the mirror. Suddenly, I feel disgusted. The man I had poured my heart and soul into for so many years now feels utterly repulsive.

Love and honesty—he should’ve at least given me one, but he did neither.

When he lied to me so seriously, claiming he had let go of the past, did he ever feel guilty?

I don’t understand, but I guess he decided to marry me because we’re from similar backgrounds, we both enjoy cooking—those things probably made me seem like the ideal wife to him.

Julian finishes drying his hair and walks over. Seeing me lost in thought, he can't help but tease, "What are you doing here? Tomorrow’s the wedding. Shouldn’t you be putting on a face mask or something, taking care of yourself?"

I shake his phone, looking at him seriously. "Do you think we even need to get married?"

I'm tired. So tired.

During our first year of dating, Julian was completely indifferent towards me. No matter what I did, he never cared about my feelings. To him, my moods and temper were nothing more than irrational tantrums.

It took me three years to slowly mold him into the man he is now, but now, I don’t want him anymore.

Julian immediately realizes what I mean. His expression changes, and he strides over, snatching his phone out of my hands.

“You looked at my phone?”

His voice is harsh, filled with anger and accusation.

I nodded. “I saw it. The night before we were supposed to get married, you were still pouring your heart out to your ex-girlfriend, unable to let her go. If she’s still on your mind, then why the hell are you marrying me? Don’t wait until the next lifetime—go ask her to marry you now!”

I stood up. For some reason, the overwhelming wave of love I had felt just moments before seemed to vanish completely in an instant.

Looking at the man before me, who was split between two women, mentally betraying me, I felt… nothing. No anger, no resentment. Not even tears.

I only felt a sharp pain in my chest for a second, but once the moment passed, all emotions faded away, as if they had been sucked out of me. All that was left was a blank void.

I didn’t love him anymore. I didn’t hate him either. Right now, I just wanted to cut all ties with him as quickly as possible.

“Tell both of our families. Let’s just cancel the wedding,” I said.

With that, I turned and walked into the bedroom. I pulled out my suitcase and began packing my things.

This apartment, which we had only moved into six months ago, was bought by Julian before the wedding, meant to be our marital home.

Wedding decorations were scattered all around the bedroom—things I had spent half a month arranging with friends. It all looked so festive.

I packed away my heartache and bitterness, gathering all my belongings from the closet.

Luckily, we had only recently moved in, so I didn’t have too much to take. A few essential items, and my suitcase would be enough.

Suddenly, tears hit the back of my hand. I wiped my face and found my hand wet and warm. It was as if he had just realized he was crying.

What the hell do I have to cry about? After all, separating from Julian now only costs me three years. If we had gone through with the wedding, it would’ve wasted my entire life.

Who could stand the thought that the person they shared their bed with every night was secretly holding onto another woman in their heart? We had been together for three years, and he still couldn’t let her go. How could I ever be sure he’d let go of her in the future?

Maybe the only smart thing I did in this relationship was insist on having the wedding before registering our marriage.

So, now it’s just a matter of the news about our wedding leaking out, causing a few days of awkwardness. I won’t be a second-time bride, at least.

I ordered a ride on my phone. When I walked out of the bedroom with my suitcase, Julian was still sitting silently on the couch, smoking. His profile was as rigid as a sculpture. He heard the sound, looked up at me, his eyes as deep as ever.

“Are you really going to throw away everything we’ve built over the past few years just because of this one thing? Have you thought about the trouble your stubbornness will cause? How am I supposed to explain this to our family and friends tomorrow?”

Julian asked, his words dripping with the implication that I was being unreasonable.

I suddenly felt like laughing. I stopped in my tracks, turned, and looked at him.

“Don’t you think you’re disgusting?”

I stared at Julian, as if looking through him, seeing someone else entirely.

When we first got together, it was his ambition that drew me in. No matter what he did, he always had a plan. Once he set a goal, he would do anything to achieve it.

I had never seen that kind of determination in anyone my age. Naturally, I was drawn to him.

Perhaps it was because I loved him so much at the time, my affection for him created a halo around him, hiding all his flawed, counterfeit qualities.

“On the eve of our wedding, you pledge your loyalty to another woman and pour out your feelings to her. Do you really think that makes you seem incredibly devoted?”

“I asked you before if you had truly let go of your past. You told me you had. It was because of that very answer that I made up my mind to be with you. Marriage is a two-person commitment. Is it only you who has to face questions from your parents? And after all this, you still think you're blameless, and I’m just making a fuss, am I?”

I questioned him word by word, my gaze fixed firmly on Julian. Yet, I couldn't find a single trace of regret or guilt on his face.

I had never looked through his phone before. But one day, while he was in the shower, his phone was carelessly left by my side. I don’t know what came over me, but I impulsively picked it up and took a quick glance. That was when I saw the message.

Maybe it was fate, helping me out. Perhaps the universe felt sorry for me, being kept in the dark for so long, so it arranged for me to find out the truth about the man I thought I knew.

"Right now, I'm just relieved I didn't find this message after we were married. Since you want to find someone else, go ahead. I’ll tell everyone the truth about our broken engagement. Wasting three years of my life on you is better than wasting my whole life."

I didn’t know which of my words hit Julian the hardest, but his previously emotionless face suddenly changed.

He stood up, visibly irritated, his eyes locking onto mine before they shifted to the suitcase in my hand. His voice was impatient as he spoke.

"I’ve been with you for all these years, and I’ve never once cheated on you. I’d say I’ve been more than decent, maybe even perfect. Even if you wanted roasted pig’s feet at 2 AM, I’d go downstairs, get in my car, and buy them for you. And yet, over something so trivial, you're calling off the engagement? You think you’ll find a better man than me once you leave?"

I shot back, not holding back my words: “I don’t know what my next boyfriend will be like, but he’ll definitely never be someone like you, someone who’s always eyeing other options while enjoying what’s right in front of him.”

"I’ve told you a thousand times—I’ve never done anything to betray you. For years, we’ve had no contact, not even a meeting. I’m getting married tomorrow, and I just want to tell her and completely close the chapter on my past. Is that wrong?"

Julian took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Don’t you have a past of your own? I know that from tomorrow, we’re supposed to live as husband and wife, which is why I wanted to say goodbye. If there’s any fault, it’s that I didn’t delete this message immediately after sending it. You wouldn't have seen it if I had."

The more Julian spoke, the more irritated he became. He even lit a cigarette, pacing back and forth in the living room, his eyes locked on me, as if I were some unsatisfactory prey.

At this point, he still believed he was in the right.

He stood by his position, thinking that all of this was just me making a scene, nitpicking, and blowing things out of proportion.

I crossed my arms, watching him coldly.