One Wife, Multiple Weddings

On the day of my wedding with my girlfriend, I was unexpectedly informed by the hotel that our ceremony had to be postponed by a couple of hours.

With no time to notify relatives and friends of the change, I had to rush to the hotel entrance to intercept guests.

Upon arriving, I was stopped at the door by security, who told me that a wedding was currently taking place inside.

The host's voice could be heard as I saw my girlfriend, wearing a veil, smiling and extending her hand to a man who was half-kneeling.

In the audience, all the bride's relatives who were supposed to attend our wedding were seated, clapping and cheering.

The man on stage was her dream guy and also my current superior.

Seeing me causing a commotion, my girlfriend warned me, "I'm just helping out. Alex is your superior. I'm also doing this to help you. Don't cause any trouble."

Just helping out? I had booked the wedding venue, chosen the time, designed the wedding dress, and personally sent out the invitations.

How could a wedding be rearranged so suddenly?

I looked coldly at the ring box the man was holding.

"It seems my taste is quite similar to my yours. If that's the case, this diamond ring is yours, including the wife."

My girlfriend finally panicked.

1

Hijacked Wedding

Early in the morning, the hotel I had booked called to say the venue would be delayed by a couple of hours.

Who would announce such a major delay for a wedding at the last minute?

Moreover, how could a wedding time be changed just like that?

Even the calmest person would be infuriated, so I began yelling at the phone.

The response on the other end was indifferent. "Miss Shaw has already agreed. If you have any problems, discuss it with your wife."

I felt like someone had pulled the plug. My anger disappeared immediately.

Jessica was usually a reasonable person. The hotel must have used some kind of excuse to make her give up our wedding time.

But such a big event as a wedding, where the time was carefully chosen and invitations had already been sent out, our relatives must be nearing the hotel by now. Jessica was being unreasonable!

I instinctively pulled out my phone to call Jessica, but the call was hung up almost immediately.

I facepalmed myself. I'd forgotten our agreement!

Although we had been living together for some time, she insisted on following ancient customs and moved out months before the wedding, insisting we only meet after the marriage.

Even our nightly goodnight calls had been gradually canceled, as she wanted to maintain a "mystery" before the wedding.

In a panic, I put on some clothes and headed out.

I had to go to the hotel myself to greet the guests and explain the situation slowly.

By the time I reached the hotel entrance, most of my relatives were already there, milling around in confusion, while none of the bride's guests had arrived.

I had a nagging feeling something was wrong. Jessica couldn't possibly notify all the guests of delayed the wedding in such a short period of time.

Anger and anxiety intertwined, and I forcefully pushed past the security who were blocking the guests and stormed inside.

A staff member shouted from behind, "You can't go in! There's a wedding taking place inside!"

‘Oh?’ I wanted to see what kind of wedding could be so grand that it could steal my wedding time and venue and leave my relatives standing outside.

I pushed open the door to find the music at its most stirring moment, the bride, with a radiant smile and veil, standing on the stage, extending her hand to the man in front of her.

Seated in the audience were all the bride's guests whom Jessica and I had invited, cheering and clapping excitedly.

The woman on stage was Jessica, my fiancee.

2

Relatives gathered curiously to see what was happening inside. My heart skipped a beat, and I instinctively closed the door, cutting off my parents' inquisitive gazes.

The people on stage also noticed me and turned their heads in unison.

The man who was half-kneeling was Alex Clinton, Jessica's dream guy and also my current superior.

Alex had a neutral expression and looked at me with a smile. "Tommy, is there something wrong?"

The term "Tommy" immediately defined our respective statuses.

Jessica, standing beside him, not only offered no explanation but instead glared at me with a threatening look.

I understood immediately. It was a look that told me to shut up. During the three years that we had been together, the only time the usually mild-mannered Jessica got truly angry was when she gave me that look.

I instinctively fell silent.

In the next moment, I laughed self-deprecatingly. My fiancee, my venue, my wedding time—my wife was marrying someone else without a word of explanation. Why should I keep quiet?

I stepped onto the stage, veins bulging on my hands.

I gave Jessica one last chance to prevent embarrassment.

"Jessica, I want an explanation."

Jessica threw the microphone to the host and whispered to me urgently, "Thomas Lawson, I'm doing you a favor! Alex is in a difficult situation, and I'm here to help him out. Helping him is also helping your career. Don't make a scene! Once this is over, we'll have our wedding as planned."

‘What? Was she serious when she said those words?’

"Jessica, do you think weddings are like running a sideline? Or should I share the bride with my superior?"

Seeing my unyielding attitude, Alex stepped forward to shield Jessica.

"Tommy, how can you speak to a woman like that? I was even planning to thank you for lending me your girlfriend in an emergency and considering a promotion for you. Your attitude is really disappointing."

I didn't spare Alex a glance and turned to focus on Jessica.

"Jessica, if you come with me now, we can turn the page."

"Turn the page" was our agreed-upon safe word. If either of us did something beyond the other's limits, we used "turn the page" to offer a way out, and the other would immediately understand that the issue was to be left behind.

Thanks to this little tactic, we hadn't had any serious breakups in three years.

I spoke, staring into Jessica's eyes, silently counting down in my mind.

I could feel my deep-seated love rapidly fading.

After a moment of silence, Jessica gritted her teeth and said, "Thomas, you can't embarrass Alex like this. He'll be humiliated. Wait for me. Once I'm done here, we'll continue with our wedding."

I watched as Jessica left me on stage, took the microphone from the host, and urged him to hurry up with the proceedings. My emotions gradually calmed to a state of tranquility.

"Do you take this man as your husband?"

"I do!"

"And do you take this woman as your wife?"

"I do!"

"Is there anyone here who objects?"

I crossed my arms and coldly watched the show unfold. Slowly, under the gaze of everyone, I raised my hand.

A murmur of surprise erupted from the groom's guests, who looked at me with expressions of disbelief. The bride’s guests had cold and indifferent looks on their faces and the room fell silent.

I stepped back onto the stage and slowly took the microphone, eyeing the familiar ring on Alex's hand.

"Mr. Clinton, it seems your taste is quite similar to mine!"

Alex, confused, stood there in a daze.

Using my chosen stage design and wedding dress, and stealing my wife—his taste was indeed quite similar to mine.

"In that case, I'll give you the wedding ring I personally designed. I'm sure you'll like it. No need to be thank me. It's not valuable. Consider it my wedding gift, and I wish you both a lifetime of happiness and eternal commitment."

A murmur of sympathy arose from the audience. Jessica's expression changed.

Ignoring the fact that she was still on stage, holding the microphone, she blurted out, "Thomas, let me explain..."

My heart was already calm and unperturbed. I walked to the door and pushed it open.

Since Jessica had chosen to prioritize another man's dignity over our wedding and treated it as a joke, there was no need for us to go through with the wedding.

3

As I stepped outside, the guests who had been prevented from entering the venue seemed to have figured out what had happened. They looked at me with a mixture of emotions.

Seeing the elderly relatives standing out in the sun for so long with no place to sit, a surge of guilt overwhelmed me.

It was my selfishness that had caused them to suffer and embarrassed my parents.

I bowed deeply to everyone and said, "Sorry, everyone, but the wedding may need to be canceled. Let's just consider this a gathering and move to the next room for a meal."

Once the guests were re-seated, the wedding in the adjacent room was nearing its end.

I opened all the fine wine originally intended for the wedding and drank glass after glass, trying to numb myself with alcohol.

After all, Jessica and I had been together for three years.

I had known all along that Alex and Jessica were exes, and their dramatic romance had even become known throughout the entire university.

Yet, Jessica had repeatedly assured me and had always been proactive in giving me her passwords to various apps on her phone.

I was never inclined to check her phone, and that only made me feel even more petty. So, I gave her my full trust.

Even until she insisted on living separately before marriage, and until she stopped answering calls and responding to messages, I had never doubted her.

But now, she had silently postponed our wedding, leaving my family outside, and openly embraced Alex with passionate kisses in the place and time meant for our wedding.

And she had the audacity to say she was doing me a favor.

I wasn't some secondary character in a porn video, who relied on letting my wife to sleep with others to get a promotion.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I became, and I downed the contents of my glass in one gulp.

A hand stopped my action, and I saw Jessica, now in her casual clothes and with red eyes, trying to stop me from drinking.

"Thomas, come back with me and let's get married, okay? I can explain—it was just an act..."

"Oh? Then let me see your phone."

A look of embarrassment flashed across Jessica's face, and she instinctively tried to hide her phone behind her.

"Thomas, you... you never check phones, remember? You said that you despise such things..."

I sneered and waved my hand dismissively. "Jessica, just leave. I've already taken care of my relatives and friends. It's over between us. If you have any sense of responsibility, go back and attend to your guests."

Jessica bit her lip, tears falling down her cheeks, the droplets catching on her eyelashes, making her look pitiful.

"Thomas, we're supposed to be an engaged couple. My friends and relatives are also yours. Won't you come with me to host them? They'll understand—I've already explained! Just come with me to toast and follow the procedure on stage, and let's turn the page, okay?"

"Turn the page" again.

She clearly remembered and understood what "turn the page" meant, but she chose Alex instead.

My parents, seeing the situation, walked over with their wine glasses.

My heart ached for them and hurried to help them back to their seats. But my mother, determined, walked over and stood in front of Jessica.

My mother was trying to stand up for me. Fearing a confrontation might hurt my parents, I reached out to mediate, but saw my mother grab Jessica's hand.

"Jessica, you're a good girl. Please forgive Thomas! He's still young and immature, and he doesn’t like to be embarrassed. Please, as an adult, don't hold a grudge. Just forgive him!"