Regretful Fiancé, Second Chances Denied

Id just gotten off work and was heading for the subway when I ran into an old university classmate.
She asked me when I was finally going to forgive Luke Pei.
Luke and I were childhood sweethearts. We were supposed to get married five years ago. But at our engagement party, the night before we were to register our marriage, he called it all off. In front of everyone.
He said he was tired of being a substitute for my one true love, and wished the two of us a long and happy life together. Then he grabbed his graduate school mentor and walked out.
I was baffled, desperate to explain that I didn't have a "one true love," but the humiliation shattered me. In the end, I was the one who left Kingsbridge.
"Luke still has feelings for you," she said, as if letting me in on a great secret. "He says if you hadn't used him as a stand-in for that other guy, you two would have been married years ago."
"All you have to do is admit you were wrong, and he's willing to give you another chance."
Another chance?
I laughed.
My son is three years old. What past is there to continue?

1
Renee's jaw dropped, her mouth forming a perfect 'O'.
She stared at me as if I'd just announced I was from Mars.
"M-married?" she stammered. "Your kid's already in preschool?"
I just nodded, not wanting to waste my breath. I turned to leave, but she grabbed my arm, her grip surprisingly strong.
"No way! Amy, you're lying, aren't you?"
Her voice was so loud that people waiting for the train started to stare.
"Everyone in Kingsbridge knew how much you loved Luke! You gave up a guaranteed spot at a top-tier university for him. You would never marry someone else!"
I frowned. Hearing her dredge up those old stories felt like a bad joke.
It was true, I had loved Luke. Loved him enough to give up everything.
But that was a lifetime ago.
"Why would I lie to you?" I asked, my voice flat.
My indifference seemed to fuel her fire. "Well, who's your husband, then? What does he do? Is he as rich as Luke? Is his family as powerful?"
The questions came out like machine-gun fire, each one dripping with condescension, as if she was certain I'd married some pathetic loser I was ashamed of.
I ignored her, trying to wrench my arm free, but she held on tighter.
"Amy, are you just doing this to spite him?" she pressed. "I know what happened back then was unfair to you. But it's been five years. You should be over it by now."
"Do you have any idea what Luke's life has been like?" she continued, a note of pride in her voice. "He took over the Pei Corporation and tripled its market value. He's the most brilliant rising star in the business world! And he's been completely devoted to you. Besides Cecilia, his work partner, he hasn't been seen with another woman. Everyone says he's a tragic hero, wasting five years of his life on a woman who didn't appreciate him."
The man she described sounded like a saint, a powerful, tragic figure from a romance novel.
All I felt was disgust.
It reminded me of a phone call I'd received just before I left Kingsbridge. It was from Luke's mother. Her voice, as always, was gentle and polite, but held an unmistakable, dismissive chill.
"Amy, dear, I know you've been wronged," she'd begun with a soft sigh. "Luke has been spoiled his whole life. He's just too impulsive."
She soothed me first, then pivoted. "But then again, it's normal for young couples to have their little disagreements. Luke's career is just taking off, and he's under a lot of pressure. What he needs is a partner who can support and guide him, someone who can be an asset."
I had held the phone, silent. I understood perfectly.
"That girl Cecilia," she'd continued, "I've met her a few times. So poised and mature. She's brilliant academically, has so much in common with Luke, and she'd be a great help to his career."
Her voice was light, but every word landed like a stone in my heart.
"You, on the other hand... your lively spirit is charming, but for a man in Luke's position, his future wife needs to be proper. She needs to know her place."
Proper.
So all my passion, my energy, was just "improper" in her eyes. I grew up with their family. She had watched me grow, treated me like a daughter. But when it mattered most, twenty years of affection meant less than a business connection. To families like theirs, a strategic match would always be more important than a childhood sweetheart.
I hadn't said a word. I just hung up and blocked every single one of them.
"Amy, are you even listening?" Renee's voice snapped me back to the present. "Luke has been so good to you. Are you really happy married to some nobody? Don't you regret it?"
Regret?
I looked at her like she was an idiot.
"I'm very happy," I said, enunciating each word. "And I don't need anyone's concern."
With that, I finally yanked my arm free and walked away, leaving her standing there with her mouth still hanging open.

2
When I left Kingsbridge, I cut ties with my old life completely. New city, new number, new address. They all assumed I was frozen in time, waiting for my prince to come back and rescue me.
They had no idea.
I had already turned the page.
And Luke Pei was just a typo I had long since erased.
The train arrived. I got off and walked toward the preschool near my home. Through the fence, I saw my son laughing as he went down the slide with his friends. A tall figure walked over and scooped him up.
It was my husband, David.
He saw me and smiled, walking toward me with our son in his arms. "Home early today?"
He took my bag and laced his fingers through mine.
"Missed you guys," I said, smiling as I pinched our son's chubby cheek. He snuggled against me, murmuring "Mommy!" in his sweet, milky voice.
That single moment of warmth was enough to ward off all the cold in the world.
Regret? What was there to regret?
Luke and I had grown up next door to each other. He was two years older and had always protected me. If anyone so much as looked at me wrong, he'd be the first to throw a punch. Everyone said I was the apple of his eye. I thought we'd go from school uniforms to a wedding dress.
Until Cecilia showed up.
She was his graduate school mentor, a woman of gentle, intellectual grace. She started appearing by his side constantly, always under the guise of academic discussion. The library, research projects, academic forums.
At first, I didn't think much of it. Luke was always surrounded by brilliant women, but he only ever had eyes for me. I trusted him.
The first seed of doubt was planted at a party. We were playing Truth or Dare, and Cecilia lost. Her dare was to reveal a secret about someone in the room. Her eyes scanned the group before landing on me with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, Amy, but I have to tell your secret," she said, her tone deceptively innocent. "The other day, I accidentally saw Amy's phone wallpaper. It's a photo of her with another guy! He's really handsome. I wonder who he is?"
Every head in the room swiveled toward me. A few glanced nervously at Luke. The smile on his face vanished.
"That's my cousin," I explained quickly. "He passed away a couple of years ago. That's the only picture I have of us."
"Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry," Cecilia stammered, looking mortified. "I had no idea. I really didn't mean anything by it."
Everyone rushed to smooth things over, but the damage was done. Later that night, Luke brought it up again.
"Your cousin? How come I've never heard you mention him?"
"He was always sick, living abroad for treatment. Of course you never met him." I handed him my phone. In the photo, a pale young man was propped up in a hospital bed, his smile gentle. I stood beside him, grinning like an idiot. "See? We even look a little alike."
Luke studied the photo for a long time before handing it back. "Yeah, you do."
He pretended to believe me, but I could feel that a seed of doubt had been planted.
After that, Cecilia was always "accidentally" bringing me up in front of Luke.
"Luke, Amy has such a great personality, so many friends. I wish my social circle was that big."
"Luke, I saw Amy at the movies with a guy yesterday. She's so popular."
"Luke, isn't Amy graduating soon? She loves to have fun so much. I wonder if she can handle a nine-to-five job."
She never said a bad word about me. Every sentence was a compliment, but each one carried a hidden barb, implying I was flighty, promiscuous, and not serious enough.
Luke became suspicious and possessive. We had our first real fight over it. He insisted I accompany him to a formal academic dinner. I ran into a senior colleague from my internship and chatted with him for a few minutes about work. Luke's face went cold. He turned and walked out, leaving me there alone.
I chased him down in the parking garage. "Luke, what the hell is your problem?"
"My problem?" he sneered. "Did you ever stop to think how I felt, watching you laugh it up with another man right in front of me?"
"He's my colleague! We were talking about work!"
"Does talking about work require you to smile like that?" he roared.
Looking at his face, twisted by jealousy, he seemed like a stranger. I felt exhausted. "You're being completely irrational."
"Irrational?" He grabbed my wrist. "Are you tired of me being so controlling? Am I not as gentle and understanding as your dead cousin?"
He brought up my cousin again.
I was shaking with anger. "You're a bastard, Luke!"
I ripped my hand away and ran off, crying. We didn't speak for a long time after that. I thought our relationship was cracking. I didn't realize it was about to shatter.

3
We were in a cold war for a week. He didn't call. I didn't either. Usually, he'd be the first to apologize after a few days. Not this time.
I was fuming, but with the engagement party just days away, I figured he'd have to come around eventually.
The night before the party, I got a text from Cecilia. It was a photo.
Luke was drunk, passed out on her shoulder. Her head was tilted slightly toward his, a victorious smirk on her face.
The caption read: He's going through a lot. You should try to be more understanding.
My heart twisted, but I told myself he was just drunk, and she was just taking care of him.
On the day of the party, I dressed up, planning to surprise him and make up. I found him in the dressing room. He was wearing a suit that matched my dress, looking impossibly handsome. But when he saw me, his eyes darted away.
"Luke," I said, stepping forward to take his hand. "Let's not fight anymore, okay?"
He yanked his hand away as if he'd been shocked. The force of it sent me staggering.
I stared at him in disbelief.
The guests were arriving. The MC was on stage. We took our places. The spotlight hit us. I forced a smile, trying to keep up appearances. Luke didn't even bother. He stared straight ahead, his face a mask of ice.
When the MC asked us to exchange rings, the final blow came.
He pulled his hand away from mine again.
In front of our families and all our friends, his eyes were glacial. "Is it fun?" he asked, his voice low and venomous. "Using me as a stand-in?"
The room erupted in whispers.
My mind went blank. "Luke, what are you talking about?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about." He sneered and pulled a letter from his pocket. It was on scented, pink stationery.
"What is that?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"It's a love letter you wrote to your 'one true love'!" he snarled. "Cecilia found it in my study!"
He unfolded it and began to read it aloud. The sappy, romantic words, spoken in his cold, angry voice, were like a thousand tiny cuts.
"I didn't!" I cried, panicking. "I never wrote that!"
"No?" he laughed cruelly. "The handwriting might be forged, but the perfume on this paper is the exact same one you always wear! How long are you going to keep up this act, Amy?"
I was reeling from the sudden, public humiliation. I saw the shock on my parents' faces, the fury on his, the mixture of pity and contempt from the guests. I was a joke.
When he finished, he crumpled the letter and threw it in my face. Then he took out the engagement ring, the one meant for my finger, and threw it to the ground.
"I wish you and your one true love a long and happy life together."
He spat out the words, then turned to Cecilia, who was pretending to comfort him, a triumphant gleam in her eyes. He took her arm, and together, they walked out, leaving me alone in the spotlight.
In that moment, my world caved in.
The disastrous engagement party made me the laughingstock of Kingsbridge. I was the two-timing slut who had tried to land a rich heir while keeping a lover on the side. The rumors were vicious and relentless. The Pei family said nothing, letting the gossip fester. I became the gold-digger who got what she deserved.
I was done. Done with Luke, done with his family. I didn't offer a single word of explanation. I knew he wouldn't believe me anyway.
I deleted my contacts, deactivated my social media, and bought a one-way ticket out of the city I had called home for twenty years. There was nothing left for me there.
Renee must have told Luke about my new life. Suddenly, my phone was blowing up with calls and texts from unknown numbers. I ignored them all, blocking them as they came in.
A few days later, he found me. As I was leaving work, he was there, blocking my path.
He looked different. The boyish charm was gone, replaced by a sharp, mature intensity, but his eyes were bloodshot and filled with a dark, restless energy.
He stared at me, his voice raw. "Why didn't you answer my calls?"

4
His voice was hoarse, like he hadn't slept in days. I said nothing and tried to walk around him. He grabbed my arm, his grip so tight I thought the bone would snap.
"Amy, I'm talking to you!" he roared.
Pain shot up my arm. "We have nothing to do with each other anymore," I said through gritted teeth. "Let go of me."
My coldness only enraged him further. "Nothing to do with each other? Is that what you call it?" he spat. "You vanish for five years without a word, marry someone else, have a kid... what am I to you?"
"You'd rather marry some nobody who came out of nowhere than come back and give me a single explanation?" His eyes were wild, like a cornered animal's. "Amy, did you ever even love me?"
He asked me if I ever loved him.
After he had humiliated me with a forged letter in front of everyone I knew.
After he had let the world tear me apart while he did nothing.
After he had spent the last five years happily playing house with Cecilia.
He had the audacity to ask me if I loved him.
I looked at his anguished face and felt nothing but a cold, hollow irony. The girl who had stood on that stage, alone and ridiculed, was the one who should have been asking that question.
Did you ever love me, Luke?
If you did, how could you believe a stranger over twenty years of us?
"Mr. Pei, please let me go."
The formal, distant title made him flinch. "Mr. Pei?" he whispered, then his voice rose in fury. "What did you just call me? Say it again, Amy!"
His grip tightened. "You owe me an explanation!"
"There's nothing to explain." I tried to pull away, but he was too strong.
As we struggled, a small voice called out. "Mommy!"
I turned to see my son running out of the office building, a little butterfly flapping toward me. He was holding a crayon drawing of three stick figures holding hands. "Look, Mommy! It's you, Daddy, and me!"
I finally broke free from Luke's grasp and knelt to hug my son. "Leo, what are you doing out here?"
"Daddy said you were done with work, so I came to get you."
I looked up and saw David standing a few feet away, a warm smile on his face.
But Luke, the moment he saw Leo, froze as if struck by lightning. The color drained from his face. He stared at the child in my arms, his lips moving but no sound coming out.
David walked over, smoothly lifted Leo from my arms, and gently guided me behind him, shielding me. He looked at Luke, his gaze calm but firm. "Sir, can I help you with something?"
Luke seemed to snap out of his trance. His eyes moved from my son, to David, and finally back to me. They were a maelstrom of shock, pain, and utter disbelief.
"A child..." he whispered, his voice cracking. "You even have a child..."
His voice was so quiet, yet it was filled with a universe of despair.
I looked at his devastated expression and felt no satisfaction. Just a vast, empty peace.

5
Yes, I have a child.
When I was at my lowest, abandoned by him and condemned by the world, I met David. He was the one who pulled me from the mire. He was the one who gave me a home. He was the one who taught me that love isn't about possession and suspicion, but trust and protection.
What you see now, Luke, is the happiness I fought for with everything I had.
And you have no place in it.
He took a sudden step forward, as if to grab me. "Amy, tell me this isn't real!"
Before he could touch me, David's arm shot out, blocking him. David was taller, broader. He just stood there, an immovable wall between us.
"Mr. Pei, is it?" David's tone was polite, but the warning was clear. "Please do not disturb my wife and my son."
My wife. My son.
Every word was a dagger to Luke's heart. His face went another shade paler. He looked at me, his eyes pleading. "Amy, just give me five minutes. Please. Let's just talk."
If this had been five years ago, I might have caved. Now, it was just pathetic.
"There's no need, Mr. Pei. We have nothing to talk about."
I took David's arm and leaned against him. "Honey, let's go home. Leo must be hungry."
David smiled gently at me and nodded. "Okay."
He held our son, and I held his arm. The three of us turned and walked away, not giving Luke another glance. I could feel his gaze on my back, hot and painful, like it was trying to burn a hole through me.
I started talking to David, my voice loud enough for Luke to hear. "Honey, can we have sweet and sour ribs for dinner? It's Leo's favorite."
"Of course. I bought some fresh ribs this afternoon. I'll make them as soon as we get home."
"Daddy's the best!" Leo cheered from David's arms.
The sound of our happy, normal family conversation must have been like knives twisting in his gut.
I heard a soft thud behind me.
I didn't turn back.

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