1

On May 20th, my engagement party with Mark was held as scheduled.

But the main character was absent.

I walked to a quiet corner, ready to call him and ask why he was missing. Just then, a strange woman snatched my phone and threw it to the ground.

I frowned, looking at her bulging belly, and suppressed my anger as I muttered under my breath.

"Miss, are you out of your mind?"

Seeing me shout at her, the woman burst into tears without warning. Sobbing uncontrollably, she rushed towards me and knelt down with a thud, grabbing my dress and wailing with snot and tears.

"Jessica, please don't marry Mark. My baby needs a father!"

Sister Jessica?

sister?

I gasped, looking at her tear-streaked, blotchy face, and tried hard to remember who she was.

"Jessica, why are you standing here? Who is this?"

Mark's mother called my nickname in an affectionate tone, but her expression changed when she saw the woman kneeling on the ground.

"Why are you here?"

The moment she spoke, I raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

Realizing she had misspoken, she glared at the woman on the ground with regret, pulling me away in a rush.

The woman, seeing us about to leave, immediately got up and shoved me aside, her tear-streaked face calling out "Mom" with every breath.

Mark's mother's face turned ashen as she glared at the woman, her eyes brimming with murderous intent.

At that moment, Mark's call came in, perfectly timed.

I picked up my phone, which had been thrown to the ground but was still intact.

I put it on speaker, and Mark's deep, magnetic voice filled the air.

"Honey, I love you so much. Please don't be mad. I've decided to kneel on durian for two hours tonight just to make you smile!"

Before I could respond, the woman rushed over, snatched my phone, and began whining to Mark on the other end of the line.

"Darling, you have to stand up for me. They're bad guys, all bullying me and the baby!"

I clapped my hands in mock appreciation for her performance.

"Mark, pause the engagement. Come here now—I think I need an explanation!"

2

I ditched my long gown and changed into a black casual outfit, afraid that bloodstains would ruin my clothes later.

Looking around for a weapon but finding none, I decided to grab a chair leg instead.

I weighed it in my hand and sighed. Too light—it wouldn't pack much of a punch.

I sat in a grand chair, legs crossed, swiping through TikTok videos.

Before Mark even showed up, I could hear his cries of innocence.

"Honey, I swear I don't know this woman. You've got to believe me! Don't blame the wrong person!"

"I'll give you a chance to explain. Start your performance."

I said, watching his brother step forward to defend him.

"Jessica, don't be mad. Emily is my girlfriend. We met while playing games. I borrowed Mark's ID to make a small account, and she mistook him for me, which is why she disrupted your engagement."

Ah, a true brother—one who would gladly wear the metaphorical green hat for you.

I looked at the three of them with growing interest, tapping the chair leg on the ground rhythmically.

I've never been one to tolerate any nonsense, and my temper has always been terrible.

I actually have to thank my sister's wedding for bringing me and Mark together.

It was last May Day, and I was her bridesmaid.

What I didn't expect was that I'd encounter the vile custom of wedding pranks.

I was sitting on the bed with my sister's friends, playing on my phone when a group of men barged into the bridal room, grabbing at us as soon as they came in.

I moved fast, but my sister's friend wasn't so lucky.

She was pushed onto the bed, and two men pinned her down, trying to undo her bra.

My temper flared. Could I just stand there and do nothing?

I kicked off my high heels, tore off the outer layer of my skirt, and with one swift move, knocked the men off their feet.

The crowd that was originally laughing and making noise suddenly fell silent.

I glared at the two men still holding down the bridesmaid, raised my high heels with a fake smile, pointed at them and counted down.

"I'll count to three. If anyone still lies on top of her, I'll punch a hole in your head! One! Two!"

Before I counted three, the two men quickly stood up. One adjusted his suit a little, and the other took off his pants.

The people around began to gossip.

The man who took off his pants was so angry that he wanted to come forward and pull me away. I threw him to the ground over my shoulder and looked around.

"Who else wants to compete with me?"

Mark was shocked by my handsomeness and clapped his hands foolishly.

I raised my eyebrows at him, then pointed at the "heavy casualties" of the groomsmen.

"Can we properly welcome the bride now?"

The men stood in a row respectfully, the atmosphere unexpectedly harmonious.

When having dinner that night, we were seated together by coincidence.

He sat next to me, glancing at me from time to time, and then looking away when I looked at him.

I was full, playing with my phone, and Mark's mother looked at me with a smile.

"I remember you and my son Mark are in the same university! Why don't you two add each other on Twitter so you can get to know each other more often."

No one knows a child better than his mother!

I saw Mark giving his mother a thumbs up.

I reluctantly showed the code and added Mark's Twitter.

Mark pursued me for three months. After considering every aspect of him, I finally agreed to become his girlfriend.

To give him a surprise, I appeared in front of him at midnight on May 20 and confessed my feelings to him first.

So moved, he hugged me and said excitedly.

"Jessica, I love you. If I leave you, I will die!"

I buried my head in his arms and put my arms around his waist.

"I hope you can keep your promise."

When we got home, Mark, to compensate me, gave me a gift box.

I took the gift and opened it, and saw a diamond necklace lying there quietly.

I have another advantage of a good memory.

The thing the girl named Emily just now wore on her ears seemed to be a set with this necklace.

"I remember this necklace should be a set. Where are the earrings?"

Mark's face froze, and then he hugged me and acted like a spoiled child.

"Jessica, I'm sorry. It's all my incompetence. I only have enough money to buy a necklace. Next time, I will definitely give you a complete set."

I nodded and gestured for him to let me go.

It's unheard of for the wealthy second generation to cry poverty.

I didn't know if it was because he has been a good-for-nothing for so long that he didn't even use his brain.

"I'm a little hungry. Go to the kitchen and cook some noodles."

When Mark heard I was hungry, he immediately got up and went to the kitchen to cook some love noodles for me.

I rubbed my eyes tiredly, wanting to close my eyes and rest for a while on the sofa.

Just then, the mobile phone rang for the Twitter message.

I picked up the phone and had a look, only to find that I had picked up the wrong phone.

"Mark, Emily is making a fuss about wanting to see you. Damn it, she has already climbed onto the balcony. Hurry up to comfort her! Otherwise, she might die!"

I frowned and put the phone back, a layer of haze in my eyes.

Great!

The red flag at home does not fall, while the colorful flags float outside.

Mark brought the noodles and called me to eat. I sat at the dining table, picked up the noodles casually, eating them in small bites.

Mark held his face with one hand, two dimples faintly visible.

"Is it tasty?"

I looked at him a little dazed, unconsciously overlapping him with another figure in my mind.

"Tasty."

"Fuck, is what I cooked so delicious? You are even moved to tears!"

"Ah?" I touched my cheek in confusion. It turned out that I was crying without knowing it.

He reached out to wipe away my tears, but I turned my head away.

He withdrew his hand awkwardly.

"Your phone just rang. Do you want to check it?"

I pointed at the coffee table, and his phone rang at the right moment.

The indifference in my tone made a trace of sadness in his eyes. He bit his lip and didn't say anything.

He just walked to the coffee table, picked up his phone and took a look at it, but his expression became extremely awful.

"Jessica, did you touch my phone just now?"

"I have my own phone. Why should I use yours? Is there anything in your phone that I can't see?"

I pretended to stand up and walk over to him.

He quickly shook his head, hiding his phone behind him.

"Something urgent happened at the company, so I have to go out for a while. Put the bowl in the sink after finishing eating, and I will wash it when I come back."

I nodded, walked over to him, pulled his tie, and stood on tiptoes to leave a kiss on his cheek.

He was a little excited, wanting to hug me and give me a French kiss, but I rejected him.

"There are some things I still want to save for you when getting married."

He looked at me with sparkling eyes and finally kissed me on my cheek.

"Jessica, I really love you more and more!"

I nodded, smiled and saw him out.

After he drove away, I closed the door with a cold face, sat back at the dining table, took out a wet tissue and wiped the place he had just kissed.

It was so disgusting!

It made me want to vomit my food!

After the engagement party, Mark's mother, to compensate me, gifted me a whole set of gold accessories.

I accepted them all with a wide smile, calling her "Mom" with every word.

Emily hadn't come looking for me again, and Mark had been coming home straight after work to cook for me, diligently playing the role of a good husband.

It seemed like everyone had forgotten what happened that day.

I'm not the kind of person who likes to stir up trouble. Since everyone wanted to gloss over things, I was happy to play along.

On Qingming Festival, Mark wanted to take me to visit his grandfather's grave.

I declined, using the excuse that I needed to visit my own family's graves.

I opened the safe, inside was a plain white dress.

To keep fitting into this dress, I not only hit the gym regularly but even watched my food intake carefully.

Mark once teased me, saying I was like a finely tuned machine.

Driving past a flower shop, I bought a bouquet of red roses and headed to the cemetery.

I made my way effortlessly to a particular tombstone. Here lay my lover, Dave.

I placed the flowers in front of his grave. He still smiled, as always, his dimples faintly visible at the corners of his mouth.

I stroked his photo. Unknowingly, it had already been five years since he left me.

"Dave, look at this white dress you gave me. It's still beautiful, even after five years."

I lifted the hem of the dress and showed it to him.

He continued to silently watch me, without words or praise.

I stopped, and the excitement that had raised the corners of my mouth slowly faded.

"It's been five years, and you haven't appeared in my dreams even once. You were always like this, too responsible. I bet you think now that I'm getting married, you should stay away, huh?"

Saying this, I felt my eyes heat up, tears threatening to fall.

"Just wait a little longer. I'll be joining you soon. Don't get annoyed with me when that time comes!"

My phone rang from my pocket. The moment I answered, Andy Jones' voice came through.

"The old man isn't going to make it. Hurry to the hospital."

"Wait until he dies. I'm busy right now."

"If you don't come, I promise your little lover's grave will disappear without a trace by tomorrow."

I bit down hard on my lower lip, letting the blood drip onto the white dress.

After hanging up, Andy sent the hospital's address to my phone.

I smirked and finally gave in.

Following the directions, I found the VIP ward.

I pushed open the door, only to find Andy inside.

I walked past him to the old man's bedside. He slowly opened his eyes, his voice hoarse, his lips trembling.

"Jessica!"

Andy stood up and offered me his seat. I glared at him but didn't sit.

The old man shakily reached for my hand, wanting to hold it.

"Let's not pretend. Tell me, why did you call me here?"

Impatient, I took a step back to avoid his affectionate gesture.

"It's been so long, and you still can't forgive me, can you?"

His words made me laugh. "Forgiveness? When I knelt and begged you not to push Dave to the brink, what did you do? You spread the video of him being bullied in high school online! You called him filthy and said he wasn't worthy of the Jones family!"

My eyes burned as I stared at the man lying in the bed, but Andy stopped me before I could continue.

I turned and left the room, sitting on a bench outside the ward.

Andy sighed and sat next to me.

"How are things with Mark?"

"You already know, don't you? Want to see me make a fool of myself?"

Andy stiffened, then reached out to pat my head.

"Jessica, no matter what, I'm your brother. If you're ever wronged, tell me."

I swatted his hand away and nodded perfunctorily.

I had never considered introducing Mark to my family. After all, besides my mother who died early, I had no relatives left.

Now, I'm nothing but an orphan.