Chapter1

“Miss, are you here for a marriage license?”

I sat in the waiting area of the City Hall, my eyes glued to my phone, oblivious to the joyous couples around me. Everyone else seemed to be radiating happiness, except me. I felt like a stray dog, abandoned and invisible.

“Hello? We’re about to close…” the clerk repeated, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I quickly closed the Instagram app, but it was too late. Tears welled up, spilling down my cheeks.

The clerk paused, noticing my distress. “I’m sure your fiancé was just held up…” she offered kindly.

The memory of the picture – Liam kissing Sarah passionately – flashed in my mind. I choked back a bitter laugh. “Yeah, held up. Getting a marriage license with someone else.”

I fled the building, unable to bear their sympathetic gazes. Just this morning, just three months ago, just yesterday even, Liam was ecstatic, giddy with excitement about our wedding today. He promised me forever, swore that spending his life with me would be his greatest joy.

And now this…how could someone change so drastically, so quickly?

Tears streamed down my face as I scrolled through Instagram again, praying I had somehow misread the caption. But there it was, clear as day: “Over the moon, heading to forever.” And a picture of their beaming faces, holding up their newly stamped marriage license.

It felt like someone was squeezing my heart, slowly crushing it. Seven years of love, reduced to nothing but a faded memory, insignificant compared to the shiny new thing.

Seven years of memories, of Liam’s love and promises, flooded my mind. His everyday acts of love: making breakfast, squeezing my toothpaste, brewing ginger tea when I had cramps. Everyone envied me, saying I’d won the boyfriend lottery. Even yesterday, he held me close, whispering, “Babe, tomorrow we tie the knot. You’ll finally be Mrs. Walker, all mine.”

He kissed me then, so tenderly, so full of conviction. I felt like I was melting into his love. Seven years of love, blossoming into forever. I was complete.

What a fool I had been. It was all a mirage, a cruel illusion, leaving me standing alone, the punchline of a cosmic joke.

As the sun began to set, I wiped my tears and tried to compose myself. I had to see Liam. This couldn't be true. He wouldn't just marry someone else.

I hailed a cab, my heart pounding as I reached our apartment. The door was slightly ajar, and I could hear Liam’s voice along with his best friend, Mark.

“So, Sarah and I went to the courthouse today…”

My stomach dropped. The last shred of hope I clung to, the naive belief that it was all a bad dream, evaporated into thin air.

“Sarah? Dude, what the hell? I thought you and Ava were crazy in love! What's with the sudden marriage to Sarah?” Mark’s voice boomed.

Liam sighed, his voice laced with a strange sense of resignation. “Sarah told me she has…well, she’s not doing well. She doesn’t have much time left. She broke down, begged me to marry her. Said she wanted to experience a lifetime of happiness in the time she has left.”

“She pleaded with me. I couldn't say no. You know how much…”

“I’ve loved her for years.”

Those words pierced through me like a dagger, stealing my breath away. You’ve loved her for years? What about our seven years, Liam?

Chapter2

Tears blurred my vision. My whole body trembled with the sheer coldness of betrayal.

“Liam, you’re out of your mind!” Mark’s angry voice cut through the silence. Then, in a low growl, “Dude, have a heart! You want to give Sarah her dying wish? Fine. At least be discreet about it! Why announce it to the world, humiliate Ava like this?”

“Don't you have a single shred of decency left in you?”

I waited, my breath caught in my throat, hoping for a flicker of remorse. Instead, I was met with Liam’s self-righteous indignation. “If I'm giving Sarah the gift of marriage, I’m going to do it right. She deserves that. I've loved her for so long, I won't have her feel like an afterthought, not even for a second.”

The words crashed over me like a tidal wave. Liam had loved Sarah since childhood.

Why did you even bother with me then?

“What about Ava, then? Did you even consider her feelings for a second? She's probably at City Hall right now, waiting to marry you!” Mark’s voice was tight with suppressed fury.

I held my breath, listening intently.

Liam’s voice, when he spoke, was firm, resolute. “I’ve treated her like a princess for seven years. She loves me. She promised to be with me, no matter what.”

“Besides, she's an orphan. Where else would she go?”

The callousness in his voice shattered me.

I don't know how I left.

I stumbled down the street, passing by a bridal boutique with its display of beautiful gowns. Liam’s words echoed in my mind: “I’ve loved Sarah for twenty years.”

Twenty years… But he swore he'd never marry anyone but me. Seven years ago, he stood beneath my dorm window, begging me to be his girlfriend. He took me on adventures, whispered sweet nothings at every scenic spot we visited. Did he think of Sarah when he confessed his love for me, when he slipped the promise ring on my finger, swearing his undying love?

Every loving memory morphed into a sharp blade, twisting inside me. And the person wielding the knife… was the love of my life.

Humiliation and despair washed over me. I broke down, sobbing uncontrollably on the sidewalk. People started to stare.

The sky opened up, unleashing a torrential downpour. Passersby scurried for cover, but I no longer had a haven, a place to call home.

My phone rang, jarring me out of my misery. Liam.

I instinctively reached to answer, then stopped, scolding myself for my weakness. He called again. And again.

Finally, I pulled out the SIM card, switched off the phone, and tossed it into my purse. I didn't want to hear any more of his lies, his justifications.

I don't know how long I stood there, numb and defeated. Suddenly, I felt a pair of arms wrap around me.

“Why are you standing in the rain like this? You’ll catch a cold!” a concerned voice said.

I looked up to see Liam’s worried face. He pulled me closer, shielding me with his umbrella. “Come on, Ava, let’s go home.”

Home?

Chapter3

I wanted nothing more than to rewind time, to pretend none of this had ever happened. Instead, I pushed him away and threw the umbrella at his feet.

“How dare you show your face here? Just leave me alone!” I screamed, my voice raw with pain.

Tears streamed down my face, uncontrollable and hot. My body trembled, but the rain couldn't compare to the icy coldness that had settled in my heart.

It was the first time I’d ever raised my voice, let alone my hand, at him.

He flinched, his hand reaching out to me then withdrawing. His eyes were red-rimmed, his face a picture of confusion and hurt.

Seeing him like that fueled my anger. I slapped him again, hard, tears flowing freely now.

He grabbed my wrists, pulling me into a tight embrace.

“Ava, please don't be angry. I'm so sorry, so sorry…” he murmured, his voice thick with unshed tears.

The umbrella lay forgotten on the ground. The wind whipped our hair together as the rain soaked us to the bone.

For the first time, I felt him tremble against me.

His apology, laced with genuine pain, softened the hard knot in my chest.

Back at the apartment, I went straight to the guest room, too exhausted to fight, to think. I collapsed onto the bed and drifted off to a restless sleep.

In my dreams, I saw the boy I fell in love with. He was wearing his favorite white shirt, gazing at me with love and sincerity. “Ava, trust me,” he whispered. “When I'm more established, I’ll give you the world. I promise, you’ll be the happiest girl alive.”

He blushed, looking away shyly. His reddening ears were the most innocent confession of love.

Maybe I loved him too much, clung to those empty promises for seven long years.

But the scene shifted, and his face turned cold, his eyes devoid of any warmth. He held Sarah’s hand, looking at me with chilling indifference. “Please don't bother us. We've decided to be together. I don't love you anymore, Ava.”

The next morning, I woke up to a gentle knock on the door. We stood on opposite sides of the door, speaking in hushed tones. It was our way of making up after a fight. A way we always found our way back to each other.

The scent of cigarettes wafted through the space between the door and the frame. Liam rarely smoked, only when he was incredibly stressed.

“Ava, I know I messed up. I hurt you. But please, try to understand…” His voice was hoarse, thick with emotion but also stubborn.

“Sarah and I… we go way back. Kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, even high school. We were always deskmates. We share a bond…”

“Even though we drifted apart for a while, she's always held a special place in my heart. I can't bear the thought of her having any regrets.”

“Ava… she has… she was diagnosed a few months back. It’s not good. She doesn't have much time…”

A choked sob came from his side of the door. The sound of his fist hitting the wall, once, twice, followed. Like he was trying to punch away his guilt and pain.

After a while, his voice, calmer now, resumed. “All she wants is to experience life to the fullest, to be a bride, just once. How could I deny her that?”

“Ava, you're kind, you have the biggest heart. I know you want to help her fulfill her dying wish, right?”

“I know it hurts, but I know you understand. You always have.”

“Once she’s… gone… I’ll devote myself to you. We’ll get married, have kids, I’ll work hard, fulfill all my promises to you.”