The Seventh Year as a Stand-In

In the seventh year of being with Garrison, his pure love who had been dead for years suddenly "resurrected".

He regained what was once lost, now by her side every day.

The arrogant and unruly Garrison would bend down to tie her shoelaces when no one was around, and his eyes would turn red with concern when she got pricked by a needle.

At that moment, I knew my relationship with Garrison had come to an end.

I boarded a plane to leave, but that flight crashed that very night, with none of the hundred-plus passengers surviving.

When Garrison heard the news, he went completely mad, holding my clothes and weeping day and night with regret.

But what he didn't know was that I never got on that plane at all.

------

I just received a text from Garrison's good buddy right after I finished showering.

"Sis-in-law, Garrison's had a bit too much to drink. Could you come pick him up?"

The location was a bar they frequently visited. Garrison had taken me there before, but I didn't like such noisy environments, so more often than not, I'd just go to pick up a drunk Garrison.

I replied, "Sure thing, be right there."

I quickly changed and headed out the door.

When I arrived at the bar, someone escorted me to the VIP room on the top floor.

The decor was luxurious, and only the wealthy or influential could access the top floor.

The door to the room was slightly ajar, but instead of the expected noise, it was eerily quiet inside.

Suspicious, I pushed the door open. Suddenly, confetti rained down from above. A melodious song began to play, and the floor was covered with heart-shaped candles.

I looked up to see Garrison standing a short distance away, holding red roses and gazing at me lovingly.

"Melody, will you marry me?"

He walked towards me, one determined step at a time, then knelt on one knee. He pulled out a ring from his pocket and held it up to me.

Our friends in the room started to cheer, chanting in unison, "Marry him! Marry him!" My eyes grew misty as I witnessed a scene I had imagined countless times before.

He approached me in a sleek suit, clutching a bouquet of roses. Surrounded by the well-wishes of our friends, he was about to propose.

We had journeyed together for a full seven years to reach this moment.

"I will..."

Before I could utter "I do," the romantic atmosphere was shattered by the jarring crash of a breaking bottle.

The room was dim, unlit, and in the darkness, we heard a server's flustered apology.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to."

"What kind of clumsy waiter did they hire? Just fire her already," someone grumbled, terrifying the server who immediately dropped to their knees.

"Please don't fire me. I'm sorry. How much was the wine? I'll pay for it. Please don't report me to the manager."

Not wanting to be too hard on the server, I quickly spoke up, "It's fine. You don't need to pay. You can go."

But she didn't move, just kept kneeling and crying. As the crying went on, I started to feel annoyed.

The commotion in the private room quickly reached the manager's ears. He didn't dare delay and came running. The top floor rooms were filled with guests he couldn't afford to offend.

"I'm terribly sorry, gentlemen. This was our mistake. Today's bill for the room is on the house."

The manager's attitude was impeccable, bowing deeply in apology as soon as he entered. We're all reasonable folks here. Nobody's hurting for cash, and a few bottles of booze shouldn't cause such utter confusion.

It's just that Garrison's buddies like to have a good time. They popped open a beer and set it on the table, flashing a mischievous grin at the server.

"Finish this bottle, and we'll let it slide. Hell, I'll even throw in a grand as a bonus, sweetheart."

The server was about to refuse when the manager snapped at her, "Meadow, drink up and apologize to these gentlemen."

"What did you say her name was?"

Garrison, who had been silent until now, spoke up coldly the moment he heard the server's name. His voice carried a slight tremor.

Someone flicked on the lights, and in that instant, everyone gasped.

Because the waitress's face was an exact match to Garrison's long-"deceased" pure love.