With my wedding day drawing near, I was so elated that sleep felt impossible. Late into the night, as I scrolled through my phone, a sudden post from my fiancé stopped me cold. He had written my name in bold, followed by open humiliation.

[Leah Dakota is even more annoying than a dog. Honestly, I’ve been sick of sleeping with her for a long time!]

My breath caught in my throat. A cold chill crept down my spine. Without thinking, I dialed his number.

The call barely rang before he picked up. "I only left that post up for five minutes. No one would’ve seen it this late at night."

"Tessa had another breakdown because I’m marrying you. That post was just a joke to make her feel better. Leah, do you have to be this petty?"

Before I could respond, soft sobs filtered through the receiver.

His voice sharpened. "Leah, this is all your fault. If anything happens to Tessa, I will never forgive you!"

The line went dead in my hand.

In the suffocating silence of my room, I stared at the neatly stacked wedding photos beside me. I fed them to the flickering flames one by one, watching as each smiling memory curled into ashes.

Elliot Amberson, I think I’m quite generous.

For the sake of Tessa Hughes’s recovery, let’s not get married.

***

I didn’t sleep a wink. Elliot finally returned home when the sun crept over the horizon.

The moment he stepped through the door, his finger jabbed toward me, his voice dripping with fury. "Leah, are you out of your mind?"

"So what if I insulted you in a post? Did you have to call me in the middle of the night and blow things out of proportion?"

"You made Tessa cry until morning. Do you even have a heart?"

Every word cut like a blade, slicing deep into my chest.

I didn’t want to cry. I refused to. But the tears betrayed me, slipping down my face faster than I could stop them.

I stared at him, my vision blurred, my lips trembling, yet I couldn’t find a word to say.

Maybe my pitiful state softened him, or maybe he just needed an excuse. His voice lost a fraction of its edge.

"Tessa’s depression spiraled because of our wedding."

"We owe it to her to be responsible for her condition."

"The worse I treat you, the easier it is for her to let go of her pain and recover."

"Last night, when I lashed out at you, it was all an act. Just playing along."

"Tessa was right beside me. I had to consider her feelings."

A hollow laugh slipped past my lips, my voice hoarse and raw. "So… our marriage is a mistake now?"

"If that’s the case, let’s cancel the wedding."

For the first time, Elliot faltered. A flicker of panic flashed in his eyes.

But then, Elliot let out a cold, humorless laugh. His expression twisted into one of pure contempt.

He stepped toward me, his fingers gripping my chin, forcing me to look up at him as he sneered. "Leah, you've got some nerve. Trying to use this wedding to control me now?"

He paused, his eyes narrowing. "But it looks like you've forgotten your place."

"Wasn't this wedding everything you ever dreamed of? Your greatest wish?"

"If you want to cancel it, fine. But don’t come crawling back to me when it all falls apart."

With a forceful slam, Elliot kicked the door open, leaving me in a deafening silence.

I stood alone in the emptiness of the house, the walls closing in.

A bitter laugh escaped me.

I’d cried so many times before, begged him for scraps of affection.

I’d loved him for as long as I could remember. Ten long years of chasing after him, thinking if I just tried hard enough, he’d see me.

But to him, I had always been a nuisance. Every bit of kindness he showed me felt like pity.

Even this marriage? It was probably just another form of charity in his eyes.

I had been the one arranging every detail for this wedding from the very beginning.

Elliot never once lifted a finger to help. Instead, he was too busy tending to Tessa’s delicate emotions.

At that moment, it hit me and I realized how truly foolish I had been.

Then, my phone rang, breaking the silence.

"Miss Dakota, your wedding ring and gown have arrived at the hotel. Wishing you a joyous wedding."

I froze.

It was only then that the weight of the moment sank in. Today was supposed to be the rehearsal.

Having already made up my mind to cancel the wedding, I knew I had to handle the hotel arrangements.

Without wasting a second, I jumped into my car and sped toward the banquet hall.

As I stepped inside, the venue was already alive with the glow of wedding decorations, the air thick with the kind of festive atmosphere that made it all feel sacred.

My gaze lifted to the stage at the front.

To my shock, Elliot was already there.

Dressed impeccably in a suit that seemed to have been tailored just for him, he stood like a prince from some long-forgotten fairy tale.

Beside him stood Tessa, clad in a wedding dress.

Seeing them together felt like the weight of a thousand stones crushing my chest.

The moment Elliot saw me, his face twisted with contempt. “What are you doing here?”

I froze for a second before forcing a bitter smile. “You're right. I shouldn’t have come to disturb you.”

I turned to leave, but just as I did, Tessa burst into tears.

“Leah, are you blaming me?” she sobbed.

“I just wanted to experience what it felt like to marry Elliot.”

“Even if it’s fake... even if it lasts only a day, I could die with no regrets.”

Elliot rushed to her side, holding her tightly. His voice shook with distress.

“Tessa, don’t say that. You have to live; you have to live well.”

Tessa buried herself in his embrace, her tear-filled eyes meeting mine.

"Leah, can I be Elliot’s bride today?" she asked, her voice trembling.

I barely looked at her as I replied, "You can. You can be his bride every day from now on."

"I’ve broken up with Elliot. You two can get married."

"I spent 200,000 dollars decorating this wedding. Just send me the money."

"Elliot is yours now. So is this wedding."

I thought those words would be enough to silence her, that she would finally find peace.

But to my surprise, Tessa cried even harder. "Leah, I know you're mocking me."

"But I just want to have Elliot for one day. One day is all I ask."

"Leah, please, can you give us your blessing?"

"Just pity me and lie to me, even if it’s a lie."

I rolled my eyes and turned, walking away.

But before I could escape, Elliot’s hand shot out, grabbing my arm.

His expression was dark, his eyes filled with something I couldn’t quite read.

He snatched a shopping bag from the floor and shoved it into my hands.

"Put this on," he ordered.

I opened it and found a bridesmaid dress inside, its fabric mockingly elegant.

Suppressing the rising tide of anger, I looked at him coldly. "Sorry, I’m not interested in playing along with your little game."

Without warning, he shoved me hard, forcing me into a corner.

He growled in my ear, his breath hot against my skin.

"Leah, Tessa is already begging you. Why are you still pretending?"

His words dripped with contempt. "Are you really going to push her into another depressive episode? To the point where she might harm herself?"

"How can you be so heartless?"

"I'm warning you, put on that bridesmaid dress, give her your blessing and help her recover."

I wrenched my arm from his grip, my chest tightening.

"So being sick gives her the right to hurt others?"

"Elliot, we’re done. We’re not bound to each other anymore. Don’t touch me."

"I wish you both a lifetime of happiness. Goodbye."

The finality in my voice echoed between us as I turned away, feeling the weight of his eyes burning into my back.

Like an enraged lion, Elliot lunged at me, his grip tightening around my throat.

"Leah, if you walk out that door today, you’ll be condemning Tessa to her death."

"I won’t let that happen."

"You’re going to be the bridesmaid today, whether you like it or not."

He shot a cold, commanding glance at the attendants. "Ten thousand dollars each. Get her into the dress."

Greed gleamed in their eyes as they grabbed me, pulling me into the dressing room and forcing the bridesmaid dress over my body.

Tessa stood nearby, her smile like that of a triumphant queen. She dipped her head slightly, her voice dripping with saccharine sweetness. "Leah, thank you. Your blessing makes me so much happier."

But Elliot, his voice thick with disdain, sneered. "Tessa, why are you thanking her? This is what she owes you."

They forced me into a seat, making me a spectator to their twisted wedding ceremony.

Though I had already made up my mind to end everything with Elliot, the sting of humiliation still made tears well up in my eyes.

I overheard one of his friends whispering to him, "Elliot, isn’t this a bit much for Leah?"

Elliot’s response was cold, dismissive. "It’s fine. Leah loves me. I’ll explain it to her later."

Of course, he knew how deep my love ran.

That’s why he had no qualms about repeatedly shattering me.

But what he failed to realize was that my love for him had dried up and faded into nothing.

On stage, they exchanged rings and shared a kiss, a scene that felt like acid to my soul.

I stared at them, numb, only realizing too late when my tears had fallen and mingled with the bitter taste in my mouth.

Tessa had always been Elliot’s unreachable "white moonlight," the one he’d worshipped from afar.

He’d chased her for years, but she’d always kept him at arm’s length.

It wasn’t until she left for abroad that he finally allowed himself to accept my love.

I had thought he was over her. But now, it was clear he had only used me to numb his pain.

When Tessa returned and discovered Elliot was engaged to me, she fell into a deep depression.

Elliot, too, drowned his sorrow in alcohol, his voice laced with bitterness as he muttered to his friends, "Fate is playing a cruel joke."

From that moment on, he was convinced I owed Tessa.

He also believed I owed him, though I was still his fiancée.

I became nothing more than an unwelcome third wheel in our own relationship.

Elliot never officially ended things with me and so I kept humbling myself, loving him cautiously, waiting for a future that seemed more distant with each passing day.

Even as he spent entire nights at Tessa’s place, never returning home, I swallowed my pain, my heart heavy with silence.

Back then, I thought loving someone meant enduring everything, no matter the cost.

But with time, I came to understand that loving someone who didn’t love you back wasn’t just painful; it was degrading.

I sat there, lost in thought, my mind a whirlwind.

When I finally snapped back to reality, I saw that Elliot had already carried Tessa into the wedding car.

The staff had begun clearing things away, their eyes filled with pity as they glanced at me.

Suddenly, the weight of everything pressed down on me and I felt utterly drained.

Loving Elliot had drained me for far too long.

It was time to let go, to finally break free.

I hailed a cab, made my way home and began packing up the remnants of a life I no longer wanted.

I called a moving company and watched as they took away everything that had once belonged to us.

Before I left, I placed a note on the dining table, my words brief yet heavy. "Elliot, let’s part ways and move on. Goodbye."

Then, I added a red envelope, its weight more symbolic than anything. "Wishing you and Tessa a lifetime of happiness together."

As I finished, I checked my phone. Tessa had just posted an update.

There she was, lying in bed with Elliot, their fingers intertwined, the diamond ring that once adorned my hand now sparkling on hers.

Tessa proudly captioned her post: [Wedding rehearsal, perfectly completed.]

A flood of people, blissfully unaware of the truth, liked and congratulated her.

I tapped the "like" button without a second thought.

But no sooner had I set my phone down than Elliot called.

"Leah, do you really have to be this pathetic?" he snapped.

"Tessa's condition has just improved and you’re deliberately provoking her?"

I sighed, unable to hide my frustration. "It was just a like. Does that really count as provoking her?"

Elliot's voice was thick with irritation. "From now on, stay invisible when Tessa’s around."

"If you dare mess with her again, we’re done."

I replied, "Okay."

Without hesitation, I hung up, grabbed my bag and booked a flight.

A museum had been inviting me to consult on an art project for months.

But I had turned it down each time because of Elliot.

Now, it was time to stop letting him control my life and start living for myself.