On the day of the wedding, my best friend and I stood across from my fiancé, Frederick, wearing identical wedding dresses. He was blindfolded, playing a game—guess who the bride was.

Without a second of hesitation, Frederick chose her. He slipped the perfectly fitted wedding ring onto her finger and kissed her deeply—right in front of me.

“Baby, how could I ever not recognize my own wife?” he said.

Frederick took off the blindfold and froze, clearly stunned.

His mother rushed to smooth things over. “Well, of course he got it wrong—you two look so much alike! That’s what best friends are like. Frederick made an honest mistake. Gracie, surely you won’t take it to heart on such a joyous day?”

I gave a faint smile but said nothing.

Frederick quickly removed the ring from my best friend's hand and turned to put it on mine.

But the ring was two sizes too big.

I curled my fingers inward and pulled my hand back. “This ring doesn’t suit me. Let’s just call off the wedding.”

Before he lost his memory, he had custom-ordered a unique wedding ring for me a year in advance.

Now, he had engraved someone else’s initials into my ring.

If I hadn’t accidentally seen his group chat the night before the wedding, I might have remained in the dark forever.

But now that the love has soured, I’d rather have nothing at all.

—

“Gracie, are you serious right now? It’s just a ring mix-up—a silly wedding game. Do you really need to blow it out of proportion?”

“There are so many guests watching. Do you really want to ruin the day for everyone?” Frederick whispered angrily, clearly frustrated as I kept my hand closed and refused the ring.

His mother, sensing something was wrong, hurried up to the stage. She used the excuse of taking the ring box to discreetly press a red envelope with ten thousand dollars into my hand.

“Don’t make a scene on such an important day, and make a fool of us. Gracie, if you don’t like the ring, we’ll get you a new one after the ceremony. Just go along with it for now, alright?”

Even my best friend, still in a wedding dress, chimed in to smooth things over. “She’s right, Gracie. Don’t be petty with Frederick. I didn’t think you’d take it so seriously. If I had known, I wouldn’t have let him put the ring on me.”

My reaction had already drawn attention from the guests. A few of Frederick’s close relatives were beginning to look over, puzzled.

His mother, growing anxious, clutched my arm, her voice turned sharp and impatient.

“You’ve got the money, we gave back the ring, what more do you want? You’re making a scene and embarrassing everyone. I still care about appearances, even if you don’t!”

At that moment, Frederick suddenly dropped to one knee, holding up the ring and shouting loudly, “Gracie, I love you—please marry me!”

The crowd erupted in applause and cheers. But I still refused to take the ring.

They all thought I was just being difficult—that I’d fold the moment Frederick said something sweet.

But this time, I wouldn’t give him the chance.

I took the microphone from the emcee, my voice calm and clear.

“I, Gracie Adams, am calling off the wedding with Frederick. Everyone, please enjoy the food and drinks.”

Chaos broke out below the stage.

Frederick’s relatives rushed forward, demanding to know what had happened.

His mother started crying, repeating “It’s over, it’s all over.”

My best friend, Giselle, flushed with anger, helped comfort Frederick's mother while scolding me.

“Gracie, it was just a joke! Frederick would never mistake someone else for you. He treats you so well—why can’t you appreciate it? Do you have to humiliate him like this on such an important day?”

Even Frederick looked caught off guard by my public rejection.

His expression darkened as he stood up, clearly annoyed.

“Gracie, have you made enough of a scene? You’re really going to ruin the whole day over a stupid ring?”

I gave a cold laugh and grabbed the ring from his hand, holding it up.

Inside the band were three two letters.

Frederick’s expression shifted slightly. Instinctively, he glanced at Giselle.

That tiny action pierced my heart like a knife.

I held up the ring for his family and mother to see.

But they didn’t understand what the initials meant.

One of his younger cousins suddenly spoke up.

“It’s just initials, right? GA—it even matches Gracie’s name. What’s the problem?”

“This engraving isn’t mine,” I said, my eyes red. “It stands for Giselle Alvarez—my best friend. Frederick, tell them I’m right.”

Frederick’s voice grew irritated, his tone sharp and dismissive. “You’re being ridiculous! How does that initials have to do with Giselle? It’s just a coincidence. Stop making something out of nothing!”

The relatives started to murmur, their comments were harsh.

“She’s acting like a lunatic. Ruining the whole wedding over a set of initials? She's really shameless!”

“Exactly. She's causing trouble before even marrying into the family.”

“She’s just fishing for more dowry money—making a scene with such a disgusting excuse. What a disgrace.”

Their harsh words made me tremble with anger, and just then, Giselle walked up to me and took my hand.

She was wearing a wedding dress identical to mine. I couldn’t help but think of the late-night message I’d accidentally seen in Frederick’s group chat—the intimate photos he’d shared of the two of them. My emotions crumbled.

“Gracie, you misunderstood,” she said softly, eyes brimming with innocence. “There’s nothing between me and Frederick. How could you think like that of us? I’m your best friend—you know me.”

My future mother-in-law suddenly stepped forward, face twisted with fury. “My son lost his memory saving you after getting hit by a truck, and this is how you repay him? You're a heartless wench!”

With a loud smack, her hand landed harshly across my face.

Giselle tried to stop her, but in the chaos, she tripped and fell off the edge of the stage.

It was only a thirty-centimeter drop, yet she curled on the floor, clutching her arm as if it were broken.

Frederick shoved me aside and jumped down to her, scooping her up in his arms with a look of panic.

“My arm—Freddy, it feels like it's broken!”

She looked at me through tearful eyes. “I know you’re angry, Gracie. You’re upset I wore the same dress and put on your ring—I’m sorry. But why... why would you push me? I thought we were friends. I never imagined you'd hurt me like this.”

Frederick, drenched in sweat from panic, dialed 911 for an ambulance and held her close. Then he turned to me with cold fury burning in his eyes as I stood on the stage, clutching my stomach in pain.

“You better pray she’s okay. A vicious woman like you doesn’t deserve to be my wife. I must have been blind before I lost my memory to ever love someone like you!”

Tears blurred my vision as I looked at his face—once full of affection, now twisted with disdain. I couldn’t stop crying.

Pain flared in my lower abdomen, and I curled up on the stage in agony.

Noticing my actions, Frederick narrowed his eyes.

"Since when did you start stooping so low, Gracie?” he sneered. “Pretending to be pitiful in front of me? It's honestly disgusting.”

With that, he stormed out of the wedding hall.

Most of the guests had already left. His mother followed him out without a second glance.

I was left pale and trembling, the pain in my belly intensifying. As an orphan, I had no family—only Giselle, the very woman who now clung to my fiancé.

Frederick’s older cousin looked down at me, his words sharp as daggers.

“No wonder Frederick is fed up with you. Look at yourself—do you think you act like a decent wife?”

Without caring about my condition, he yanked me up by the arm and dragged me to the hospital.

I was in too much pain to resist. Every step made the heaviness in my abdomen worse.

When we finally reached the hospital entrance, Frederick's cousin tried to stop me, suggesting we wait to hear about Giselle's condition. But the moment we stepped into the lobby, I collapsed and lost consciousness.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed, an IV in my hand.

The room was empty.

“Don’t move,” a nurse said briskly. “You’ve just had a miscarriage. You need to rest. You’ll be discharged once the IV is done.”

My whole body froze.

I stared at her in disbelief, my voice hoarse. “What... did you say? A miscarriage? I just had stomach pain...”

Before the nurse could respond, the door burst open.

Frederick marched in, full of rage, and yanked the blanket off of me.

“Get up! Apologize to Gracie! Do you even realize what you’ve done? You pushed her off the stage and dislocated her arm! If she doesn’t recover properly, she could suffer from chronic dislocations for life. And you know how much she loves tennis!”

My body was so weak after the procedure that even a breeze could knock me over. But Frederick didn't seem to notice.

Before he lost his memory, he had always been so attentive to me.

We traveled together, climbed mountains side by side. When a tree branch scratched my forearm, he didn't hesitate—despite the long journey ahead, he insisted on taking me to get disinfected and properly bandaged.

But now, for the sake of Giselle, he completely disregards my fragile state after a miscarriage, forcing me to stand and apologize—as if none of that past ever mattered.

Seeing me still lying in bed, he lost all patience.

“You lost a baby—so what? We can have another. But Gracie might never play tennis again!”

I looked up at him, broken, stunned by how the man I once loved had become so heartless.

“I didn’t push her. She fell. I won’t apologize. And let me say it again—our wedding is canceled. We’re done. I regret ever registering for marriage with you.”

Frederick’s face froze. His eyes widened in disbelief, and it took him a long time to react.

“Gracie, are you out of your mind? Do you know how many friends and relatives we invited? I’ll let today’s tantrum slide, but in a few days, we’re going to apologize to everyone—and complete the wedding.”

My hand clutched the sheets tightly as a bitter laugh escaped my lips.

“Frederick, I’m not going to apologize to Giselle, and definitely won’t go through with any wedding. The moment you betrayed me with her, whatever we had was over.”

Giselle, sensing our argument spiraling, feigned fragility as she clutched Frederick’s arm.

“Freddy, don’t fight with Gracie because of me. I’m not worth it. It’s just a dislocated arm. If it comes to that, I’ll stop playing tennis. I really don’t want to be the reason your wedding is canceled.”

Her words reeled Frederick back in.

He ignored my condition and yanked my arm, trying to drag me up from the bed.

“Apologize to Gracie, and we’ll put all this behind us. You don’t have to threaten me with breaking up. Where would you even go without me?”

“Frederick! Let me go!”

The more I struggled, the tighter his grip became. He hauled me off the bed, completely ignoring the IV still in my hand.

Blood trickled from where the needle had been ripped out, but Frederick didn’t even flinch.

Tears streamed silently down my face, and a choked sob escaped my throat.

“It hurts, Frederick...”

“Apologize!”

When I didn’t respond, his temper snapped. He twisted my arm again, and a sickening crack echoed in the room. Both of us froze.

Moments later, Frederick dashed out and returned with a doctor.

Just like Giselle, my arm was now dislocated.

Frederick stood there awkwardly, guilt flickering in his eyes as he finally spoke.

“You and Gracie are even now. She said she won’t hold it against you. Just... focus on recovering.”

I stared up at the ceiling, vision blurred with tears.

The sound of my heart breaking was louder than my sobs, a sharp, unbearable ache in my chest.

Later, Frederick brought us both back to the villa in the woods.

He claimed he’d make bone broth for our recovery, then left again.

Now, only Giselle and I were left in the villa.

She casually tossed her bag onto the couch and looked around with the arrogance of a hostess.

“This is your first time here, right? Did you know that in the master bedroom upstairs, there are wedding photos of Frederick and me, along with snapshots of every happy moment from our trips? He told me to take them down, but I didn’t want to. Why hide it? Anyway, he only agreed to marry you because you saved his life once.”

I clenched my jaw, using the back of the sofa for support. Her words cut deep, but I didn’t want to believe them.

Frederick had once told me this villa was meant to be our love nest after marriage. Every detail, every piece of décor, had been chosen according to my preferences.

At that time, he had looked at me with eyes full of dreams about our future—and I had believed him.

But now, after losing his memory, he had turned this place into their home.

I followed her numbly upstairs.

The entire aesthetic had changed. Wedding photos of the two of them hung proudly on the walls, alongside candid shots of their daily life.

In the corner stood a small crib.

“Isn’t Frederick ridiculous?” Giselle giggled. “We haven’t even talked about kids yet and he has already set up a nursery next door—and a family activity room for the three of us. Want a tour?”

Every photo, every word she said, shattered another piece of me.

Each step I took felt like walking through knives.

I had never hated Frederick more than I did now. I had never felt such searing heartbreak.

“Whenever Frederick takes me to see his friends, he always encourages me to hang out with their girlfriends. I'm not great at socializing—honestly, I have a bit of social anxiety. They call me 'sister-in-law,' and it always makes me feel a little awkward.”

My eyes were red, ears ringing. Suddenly, everything made sense.

Frederick had never introduced me to his friends. When they visited, he’d send me out for a walk or even book me a hotel room.

He just didn’t want them to know I existed.

“You know, the initials inside the wedding ring? He had them engraved on your birthday.”

No wonder he’d come home drunk that night, just before midnight.

He had brought a small cake and a designer bracelet. I had caught a glimpse of the wedding ring falling out of his pocket and thought he might propose.

But the next morning, he took the ring and left. I had told myself maybe he wanted to surprise me on the wedding day.

I never imagined the ring was meant for her all along.

I stood frozen as Giselle gleefully spilled the truth.

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of my lips.

“He’s just a man I no longer want. If you want him, keep him. I must’ve been blind to ever think you were a true friend. No—calling you a ‘friend’ is an insult to the word.”