The night before our wedding party, my wife went out with her ex-boyfriend and had an intense affair for seven days and seven nights.

By the time I found out, she had already been hospitalized due to severe lacerations on her vagina.

When the doctor called me over, she lifted her chin and looked at me.

"So what? I was just celebrating my last night of being single in my own way. Besides, after I completely become your wife, I won’t do this anymore."

——

One week before the wedding, my wife disappeared without a trace.

Her entire family was searching for her. We reported her missing to the police three times, but she was nowhere to be found.

I was extremely anxious. Even my mother-in-law had no idea where she had gone.

Just when we were all in a state of panic, Hannah finally called.

"Ethan, you don’t have to worry about me. Isn't the wedding happening soon? I just went out with my friends for a bachelorette party. I'll be back tomorrow."

Hearing this, we finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Especially my mother-in-law, who grabbed my hand and spoke earnestly. "Ethan, you see, my daughter has been pampered since she was a child. Tomorrow, for the wedding car tradition, you should give an extra 700 dollars."

This was already the fourth time today that she had brought up money.

Seeing that my expression wasn’t great, my mother-in-law immediately tried to smooth things over. "Oh, it’s fine if you don’t give it…"

"It’s okay. As long as Hannah can be my wife, money doesn’t matter."

Hearing this, my mother-in-law beamed with joy.

I lowered my head and looked at my phone, only to find that Hannah's best friend had just updated her social media feed.

In the photo, Hannah was sitting blatantly on a man’s lap.

Their mouths were open and a thin, glistening strand connected their lips. It was an incredibly indecent sight.

And that man wasn’t just anyone. It was her first love, Caleb.

His hand seemed to be inside Hannah's collar.

I zoomed in, trying to get a clearer look, but before I could, the post was deleted.

I immediately called Hannah.

She didn’t pick up the first three calls. But, on the fourth, she finally answered.

"Hello? What’s up?"

"Where are you?"

"Ethan, what kind of tone is that?"

"Are you with Caleb?"

"Ethan, are you crazy? I told you I’m at a bachelorette party. Caleb and I just lost a game and had to do a punishment, that’s all. We haven’t had any other contact. Are you sick or something? Why do you keep calling and nagging? With you acting like this, who would feel safe marrying you?"

Listening to Hannah's sharp words, I started to feel dazed. Had I really seen wrong?

I checked her best friend’s social media again.

Now, the only photo left was a group picture of the girls. Caleb was gone.

Just as I was about to let the matter go, I received a call.

"Hello, is this a relative of Hannah?"

"Yes, I am. Who are you?"

"Hannah is unconscious in the hospital. Please come to the Central Hospital immediately!"

I put down my spoon and ran out.

My mom called after me, “Ethan, slow down! She probably just fell on the way back!"

My nerves were on edge the entire way.

As soon as I arrived at the hospital, I signed the paperwork and paid the fees.

Looking at the medical report, I froze.

"Per… perineal tear? Nurse, are you sure there isn’t a mistake? We’re just getting married…"

"What kind of man are you? Do you not care about your woman at all? Even if you're just getting married, you can’t go at it for seven days and seven nights! Are you trying to kill her?"

Seven days. Seven nights.

Holding the diagnosis report, I swallowed against my dry, cracked throat.

"I… I’m not talking to you! Where’s she? Hannah!"

I pushed past the nurse and rushed toward the patient rooms.

The nurse glared at me. "Are you out of your mind? Even a farm mule doesn’t get worked this hard."

I ignored her and started searching every room.

She wasn’t there. And not there either.

Then, from a distance, I heard Hannah’s laughter.

I stood in the hallway, dazed, my eyes locking onto the last room at the end.

Without hesitation, I kicked the door open.

"Hannah!"

She was already awake, leaning against the bed, giggling as she watched a drama.

"What are you doing? You scared me!"

I stormed in and threw all the medical papers onto her bed.

"What is this? What’s the meaning of this?"

She kept stuffing potato chips into her mouth, looking completely unfazed. "I was just having some fun. Do you really need to make such a big deal out of it?"

A wave of heat exploded in my head.

"Hannah, do you have no shame at all? Do you even realize we’re just getting married?"

Hannah adjusted her posture and sat up straight. "That's exactly why I went out. We're just getting married and for the rest of my life, I’ll only be looking at your dead-fish face. What's wrong with having a little fun before that?"

She picked up another chip and casually added, "Besides, Caleb and I were just saying goodbye in our own way. Why are you so worked up? We were together for three years, can't I go crazy just once before it's all over?"

My head throbbed with anger.

"Hannah, I've been with you for so long and I haven't even dared to touch a single strand of your hair. Do you think this is fair to me?"

Hannah wasn’t happy either. She threw an entire bag of chips at my head.

"What are you yelling for? Useless and angry, that's all you are! Ethan, why are you so petty?"

Then, she grabbed her phone and tablet and hurled them at me.

I wasn’t quick enough, but her phone hit me square on the head.

"Caleb took care of me for three years. Even after we broke up, he didn’t touch another woman for two whole years. What's the big deal if I give him this one chance?"

My head throbbed painfully as I looked down at the phone in my hand. Messages kept flashing on the screen.

Three minutes ago, she had sent him a text.

[Even though I'm going to be someone else’s wife tomorrow, I can still wear a wedding dress for you. You can do whatever you want.]

Below it was a selfie she had just taken with several buttons of her hospital gown undone.

I looked up. Hannah hadn't even had time to button them back up.

So, the photo had just been taken.

I glanced down and saw that Caleb had replied.

[You look great just like that. Which room are you in?]

I looked at Hannah again. She wore a smug expression, completely unashamed.

"Do you even realize your mother has raised your dowry price three times already? The ‘carrying-the-bride’ money went from a thousand dollars to four thousand dollars! Your mom cursed at mine for so long and my mother didn’t even dare to say a word!"

She waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, stop nagging. Once I completely become your wife, I’ll satisfy you too."

"Hannah, how can you even say that? You’ve completely let me down!"

I clenched my teeth, my eyes stinging as tears slipped down my cheeks.

At that moment, my mother-in-law and father-in-law walked in.

My mother-in-law screamed and rushed at me, hitting my shoulder.

"Ethan! What do you mean by this? I heard you yelling from down the hall! Why are you shouting? Can’t you see that my daughter is in the hospital? Ethan, you're just married her and you’re already showing your true colors, huh?"

My father-in-law anxiously looked at Hannah. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"

"Dad, I'm fine. It's just a small issue and I just need some rest. But Ethan keeps making a fuss. He's giving me a headache."

Hearing this, I let out a cold laugh.

The next second, my mother-in-law's palm came swinging toward me.

"Ethan! What are you laughing at? Do you still have the nerve to laugh? If my daughter hadn’t been in such a rush to come back and try on her wedding dress, would she have ended up in the hospital?"

I chuckled bitterly. "Yeah… how would she have ended up in the hospital?"

My mother-in-law didn’t catch the hidden meaning in my words.

She was still trying to haggle.

"Ethan, let me tell you, because of this incident, you have to add another thousand dollars to the bride price! My daughter ended up in the hospital, shouldn't you at least compensate her with two or three thousand dollars?"

"Do you even know why she’s in the hospital? She spent seven days and nights with her ex-boyfriend! She ended up here because of a perineal tear! And you expect me to pay her medical bills? Pay for what?"

My mother-in-law took a step back, staring at me in disbelief.

Then she turned to look at Hannah on the hospital bed.

At that moment, my parents also rushed in.

Hannah held her waist as she swung her legs off the bed.

“Ethan, don't be so unreasonable. I've already explained everything to you, haven't I? It’s just a little celebration. What's wrong with me having some fun with Caleb? We were just saying our final goodbye."

Her mother chimed in, "Exactly, don't push your luck."

Hannah continued, "We just booked a hotel room, that's all. Do you really have to be this mad?"

The moment those words left her lips, the temperature in the room plummeted.

Her mother had been about to agree, but suddenly, her smile vanished.

"You… you… what are you saying?" She grabbed Hannah, but Hannah shook her off.

"Mom, be gentle. My whole body hurts right now."

She tossed the diagnosis report aside. "Can't you see I'm sick? I'm in so much pain."

My parents were panting heavily, my mother clutching her chest repeatedly.

"How can you be so shameless? You're just married my son!"

"So what?" Hannah sneered. "Your generation is just too old-fashioned. This kind of thing is completely normal for young people like us. What's the big deal?"

She limped toward me, her loose neckline exposing the unmistakable marks on her skin.

The sight of those glaring red stains made my vision blur with rage.

"Ethan, Caleb is in the room next door. Go pay his hospital bill."

Her mother hurriedly grabbed her and when Hannah winced, she immediately switched to supporting her gently.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.

"Hannah, why is he still here? And why did you bring him to the hospital?"

"Oh, come on, the bachelor party lasted seven days. He lasted all seven, so now he needs some supplements to recover. It's not a big amount. Ethan, you can cover it, right?"

Hannah stuffed the hospital bill into my hands, smiling as if none of this was out of the ordinary.

"Ethan, you've chased me for so long. You're not really going to get upset over something this trivial, are you? Relax, once you pay the bill, I promise I won't have anything to do with him anymore."

She raised three fingers in mock sincerity. "I swear, okay?"

"I…" My voice was hoarse, my chest tightening with suffocating anger.

My mother-in-law immediately smiled and stuffed 3000 dollars into my hand.

"That’s right. Hannah was just saying goodbye to him, wasn't she? It's just that… well, their way of saying goodbye might be a bit more modern, haha. I have some money here, take it and go pay the bill first, okay?"