From Mismatch to Meant to Be

My crush of so many years was forced to marry me.
Each time we made love, he’d fall silent and retreat to his study, refusing to come back to the bedroom. I didn’t want us to become one of those bitter, estranged couples, trapped in a loveless marriage.
So tonight, after he left the bed, I picked up the divorce papers and went to find him.
But as I reached for the doorknob, text began to materialize in the air before my eyes.
【LMAO, the ML still thinks he’s just a substitute who got lucky. He’s terrified our girl is going to dump him any second. The poor guy’s a nervous wreck! Hahaha…】
【Don’t you dare divorce him, sweetie! He’s hopelessly in love! He literally can’t live without you!】
【Who would’ve thought this six-foot-three giant is hiding in his study crying his eyes out just because he didn't get any aftercare? LMAO!】
【If she opens that door right now, she’ll find him clutching a plushie that smells like her, trying to wipe away his tears.】
That last comment made me pause. Skeptical, but intrigued, I twisted the knob and pushed the door open.

1
The study was plunged into darkness. I didn’t hesitate; I flicked on the light.
The sight of Ethan made me freeze.
The tip of his nose was red, his eyes were glistening, and a single tear clung to his thick lashes.
Was this the same composed, rational Ethan I knew?
All this time, I thought he was holing up in his study because he was disgusted by being intimate with me.
He clearly hadn't expected me to barge in. Panic flashed across his face before he quickly masked it with his usual stoicism.
“Why are you still up?”
His tone was sharp, laced with an impatience that suggested my presence was an unwelcome intrusion. If it weren’t for the tear track still glistening on his cheek, I might have actually believed he was angry.
【Don’t get it wrong, sweetie! He’s just worried that staying up late is bad for you.】
【Oh no, here he goes again, overthinking himself into a hole. He probably thinks his performance was so bad it didn't even tire her out enough to sleep. (???)】
The comments started flooding in, getting racier by the second. The explicit words made my face burn.
I ignored his question and asked one of my own. “What are you holding?”
From the moment I’d walked in, he’d kept his hands behind his back, hiding something. I needed to see if the comments were telling the truth.
“It’s… it’s nothing.”
His eyelashes fluttered. He couldn’t look me in the eye.
I have a bit of a weakness for stuffed animals; my bed is practically overflowing with them. If he’d taken one, I honestly wouldn’t have noticed.
He didn’t move, so I took a step forward to see for myself.
To my shock, he flinched back, scrambling away from me as if I were a thief. There was no way I could see what he was hiding now.
I held out my hand, my gaze locking with his. My voice was calm but firm.
“Show me.”
Finally, his shoulders slumped in defeat. He ducked his head, refusing to meet my eyes, and hesitantly placed the object in my hand.
It was one of my plushies.
The comments were right.

2
My eyes went wide. For a moment, I was too stunned to speak.
Before I could even process it, a new wave of comments caught my attention.
【This man-child is always crying. Sweetie just has to raise her voice a tiny bit and the waterworks start. So useless!】
【Hey, don’t be so hard on him. How tough can a guy who needs aftercare really be? Hahaha…】
I instinctively glanced back at Ethan. His head was bowed so low his chin was practically touching his chest. In the suffocating silence of the room, a tiny, choked sob was painfully audible. He was trying so hard to stifle his anguish, but his shoulders still trembled uncontrollably.
Wait, I was just talking to him normally. I hadn’t even gotten mad about him taking my plushie. But his reaction, the way he was trying to cry without making a sound, made it seem like I’d just broken his heart.
The comments said he thought I was yelling at him.
Suddenly, I felt like the villain.
Flustered, I softened my voice. “Please don’t cry. I wasn’t yelling at you.”
At my words, his body went rigid. He spun around and fled into the adjoining bathroom, his voice a choked whisper as he went.
“I’m not crying! You’re seeing things!”
I stared at the closed door, the information from the comments swirling in my mind.
So, Ethan had it all wrong.
My ex-boyfriend was the substitute. Ethan was the one I’d wanted all along.

3
Back in college, I had a very brief, very ill-advised relationship.
It was only because the guy looked a little like Ethan. It was a stupid, impulsive decision, and I realized quickly that using someone as a stand-in was a horrible thing to do. I broke it off. He moved abroad shortly after, and I pushed the whole ugly affair out of my mind.
If it weren't for the comments, I would have completely forgotten that ex-boyfriend even existed.
Click.
The bathroom door finally opened. Ethan had been in there for almost ten minutes. Now, aside from slightly reddened eyes and dampness in his bangs, he looked composed again.
“Did you need something?” he asked, his voice carefully neutral.
His question snapped me back to the reason I’d come to the study in the first place.
【Hahaha, if she says yes, he’s going to start crying all over again.】
【If he cried that hard just from her raising her voice, he’s going to have a full-blown meltdown when he finds out she’s about to ask for a divorce.】
A jolt of guilt went through me. I discreetly tucked the divorce papers behind my back.
I had assumed Ethan was miserable because our families had railroaded him into this marriage. But the comments painted a different picture: ever since our wedding, he’d been living in a constant state of fear, terrified that I would abandon him. He wasn't eating, wasn't sleeping. It wasn't unhappiness making him look so worn down; it was a nervous breakdown.
And I’d misunderstood it all as resentment towards me. The guilt intensified.
“I can’t sleep when you’re not there,” I said softly.
A flicker of pure joy lit up his eyes, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards into a smile. But just as quickly, some dark thought extinguished the light, and his expression fell.
I cut through his spiraling thoughts, emphasizing each word.
“Ethan. I can only sleep when you’re beside me.”

4
Perhaps it was the release of a good cry, or perhaps my words finally gave him a sense of security. Whatever the reason, Ethan slept more soundly that night than I’d ever seen him. He was so deeply asleep that he didn’t even stir when I gently traced the lines of his face, lost in thought.
The comments said this was the first peaceful night’s sleep he’d had since we got married.
Looking at his sleeping form, my heart felt heavy with a mix of emotions.
I’d been in love with Ethan since my freshman year of high school. He was a campus legend—handsome, brilliant, a model student who was always kind to stray animals. Plenty of girls had crushes on him. I wasn’t a shy person by nature; in fact, I thrived on the debate team, always ready for an argument. But around him, I became a different person—cautious, tongue-tied, my courage always failing me.
I even chose a university up north just to be near him. But even on the same campus, I never dared to make a move, terrified that one wrong word would mean losing the chance to even speak to him at all.
Then, a few months ago, a twist of fate. Our mothers met, hit it off instantly, and decided they were destined to be family. They couldn't be sisters, but they could be in-laws. And so, they set us up.
I was shocked that someone like Ethan was still single, being pressured by his family to go on blind dates. When we met for dinner, he didn't even seem to remember my name. He kept his head down the whole time, barely saying a word.
But I knew this might be my only chance.
Summoning all my courage, I carried the conversation, desperately searching for topics. Finally, I feigned a casual tone and said, “You know, we seem pretty compatible in a lot of ways. Maybe we should… give it a try?”
The moment the words left my mouth, his brow furrowed, his expression turning grave. He looked utterly opposed to the idea. My heart sank. I braced myself for rejection.
But then, Ethan looked up, and in a soft voice, he said, “Okay.”
After the wedding, though, he was a different person. He was withdrawn and sullen during the day, and at night, he would disappear into his study after we were intimate. It screamed dissatisfaction. You can’t blame me for misinterpreting it.
I had to fix this. We needed to have a real conversation, and soon.

5
When I woke up the next morning, Ethan had already made breakfast, finished his own plate, and was at the door putting on his shoes to leave for work. His schedule started earlier than mine.
Normally, I would just walk out of the bedroom and sit down at the table, and we would eat in silence.
But today, I broke the routine. I walked straight to the entryway.
Ethan’s hand froze on the doorknob. He looked up, flustered and confused. “Is the breakfast not to your liking? I can run down and buy something else.”
I quickly reached out and took his arm. “No, that’s not it.”
【Is she going to ask for a divorce now?? Please no!】
【Sweetie, you’re making a huge mistake! A guy who’s a king in the boardroom and a chef in the kitchen is a rare find!】
I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling a little shy.
“It’s just… usually, before a husband leaves for work, he gives his wife a goodbye kiss.”
Hearing this, Ethan became even more flustered than I was. His gaze darted away as he stammered, “Oh. Oh, right. Okay. S-so, I’m just gonna…?”
“Mhm.”
The word was barely out of my mouth before I felt a slight whoosh of air, followed by a feather-light touch on my forehead. It was over in a second.
“I’m heading to work,” he said, his words rushed as he turned back to the door.
“Wait.”
I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. My earlier shyness had vanished, replaced by a playful urge to tease him. I looked him straight in the eye, watching his reaction.
“Not so fast. The wife hasn’t given the husband his goodbye kiss yet.”
And with that, I stood on my toes and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.
Ethan’s entire face, neck, and even the tips of his ears flushed a deep crimson. As he finally stumbled out the door, he was so flustered he was practically tripping over his own feet.
【Starting the day with sugar! I’m gonna get a cavity!】
【Our girl knows exactly what she’s doing! YES!】
【LMAO, he’s leaning against the door outside, catching his breath! That’s kinda hot!】

6
Love really does turn you into an idiot. I spent the entire day in a daze, and at least three different colleagues asked me what I was smiling about.
I kept seeing the word “aftercare” pop up in the comments. That was the reason he was hiding in his study, crying.
I couldn’t let that happen again.
A quick search online confirmed it. People who need aftercare often struggle with insecurity. The intimacy can trigger anxiety, making them fear they didn’t perform well enough and leaving them desperate for reassurance.
I blushed as I summarized my findings into one simple strategy: praise him.
We were intimate almost every night, except when I had my period. So I spent the rest of the day in a state of nervous anticipation, mentally rehearsing a script of compliments.
【And… we’re blacked out again!】
【Why does it always go dark at the good parts?! (sobbing)】
The comments were a chorus of complaints. Thank god they couldn’t see me right now, or I’d die of embarrassment.
When we were finished, Ethan buried his face in the crook of my neck, lingering there for a long moment.
Tentatively, I ran my fingers through his hair, then gently rubbed his earlobe.
“You were… really good tonight.”
It was my first time comforting someone like this, and I had no idea what I was doing. My voice was uncertain.
But I felt his body tense, his breath catching in his chest. A strange sense of satisfaction washed over me.
“I love it when you hold me,” I murmured. “It makes me feel so safe. Can you hold me tighter?”
He didn’t answer, but his arms tightened around me.
“I want to see you now, okay?”
He slowly lifted his head. His eyes were shining, bright and adoring, like a puppy seeing its owner after a long time away.
Practice makes perfect.
My shyness completely evaporated. I leaned in, kissed the corner of his mouth, and whispered with a smile, “I love you so much.”
His eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly buried his head against me again, too embarrassed to look at me.
After a long moment, a muffled voice vibrated against my ear.
“Me too.”

7
【What’s going on? Why was it blacked out all night? We didn’t even get the study scene!】
【I know why! It’s because he didn't go to the study to cry! Our girl must have… (smirks)】
【No wonder he’s acting so weird today. He keeps sneaking glances at her and smiling to himself.】
【A well-cared-for man is a different breed. He’s practically a delicate flower.】
A delicate flower? Looking at him now, it kind of fit.
His cheeks were flushed, and he was bustling around the house in a pink apron. It was the weekend, and for the past two days, I had transformed into a praise-spewing machine.
“Everything you cook is amazing! A five-star restaurant should be trying to hire you!”
“You mop the floor better than a robot! The robots are going to be out of a job at this rate!”
“The clothes you wash by hand smell even better than when they come out of the machine…”
I was starting to run out of material, but Ethan was just getting more and more energized. He polished a single water glass eight times, then casually placed it in my line of sight, waiting.
Just waiting for my praise.
I was finally starting to understand why all the teachers and parents adored him.
On Monday morning, when I got up, Ethan was already dressed and ready for work, looking at me with an expectant expression.
I pretended not to notice. I said my goodbyes and waited for him to leave. Over the weekend, I’d noticed something about Ethan: he was incredibly good at taking care of others, but terrible at expressing his own needs. He bottled everything up. He wanted praise, but he’d wait for me to offer it. If I didn’t, he’d just quietly walk away and be sad by himself.
Sure enough, when the goodbye kiss he was hoping for didn’t come, his whole posture slumped. But he still wouldn’t ask for it.
“What’s wrong? Did you forget something?” I asked, my voice gentle, trying to coax it out of him.
He just shook his head, forcing a weak smile. “Goodbye.”
I sighed softly. I had no doubt that the second that door closed, tears would start streaming down his face. The image of him trying to wipe his eyes on the way to work made my heart melt.
I grabbed his arm just as he was stepping out the door.
Just as I’d suspected. He wasn't even gone yet, and his eyes were already glistening with unshed tears.
I looked directly into his watery eyes and asked, “Do you want a kiss? If you don’t say anything, I’ll assume you don’t.”
As I made a show of letting go, he quickly grabbed my hand back, his head bobbing in a series of frantic nods.
“Yes!”

8
With my deliberate encouragement, Ethan slowly started asking for things he wanted. Our relationship grew closer and closer.
Until one afternoon, I was walking across campus with a thick stack of files when I stumbled, sending papers scattering across the pavement.
A hand reached down to help me gather them, then took the rest of the stack from my arms.
I was about to thank the person when I looked up and saw a familiar face. My whole body went stiff.
Standing in front of me was my ex-boyfriend, Trent, who had been abroad for years.
“Long time no see,” he said with a smirk. “I heard you got married.”
He paused, his eyes raking over me. “I also heard… the guy looks a lot like me.”
He had changed. The Trent in front of me was wearing a perfectly tailored black suit, every trace of his student days gone. But that innate swagger, that hint of a troublemaker, was still there. He had a fresh buzz cut that was just starting to grow out, and he still wore the same silver stud in his left ear. The suit on that face just looked… wrong.
So out of place, I thought, rolling my eyes internally.
I’d met Trent at a debate tournament; we were good at arguing, even with each other. Our breakup had been messy. Yes, I had dumped him for no apparent reason after less than two weeks, but he had his faults too. He’d conveniently forgotten to mention that he’d skipped a grade and was a full two years younger than me. I nearly had an aneurysm when I found out.
Aside from a five-out-of-ten resemblance in their brow and eyes, he and Ethan were polar opposites. Ethan was the model student every teacher loved; Trent was the headache they all dreaded. What was I even thinking back then?
【Whoa! Nobody told me the second male lead was this hot!】
【Our ML is a feast for the eyes, but the SML isn’t half bad either.】
【Team SML! Pick Trent! Pick Trent!】
The comments flipped their allegiance so fast it gave me whiplash. This morning they were begging me to kiss Ethan more, and now they’d completely jumped ship.
I snatched my files back, glaring at Trent. “Who have you been listening to?”
He chuckled, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking down at me with an I-knew-it expression. “I told you back then, I never go back on my word, especially not for a woman as fickle and self-centered as you—”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it, Your Majesty. Stop.” I cut him off, not in the mood for his drama. I plastered on a fake smile, gave him a massive eye-roll, and turned to leave.
For some reason, despite my attitude, he didn’t get angry. He fell into step beside me, continuing his monologue.
“But I never imagined you’d be so obsessed with me that you’d marry my look-alike. Look, I’m a reasonable guy, more patient than you are. A substitute is just a substitute. Now that I’m back, you can— Hey, why’d you stop walking?”
I’d been trying to let his words go in one ear and out the other, but he was getting more and more ridiculous. I was about to tell him not to flatter himself when a single comment froze me in place.
【The ML is here.】

9
I didn’t have time to argue with Trent. This was the absolute worst time for Ethan to see him.
After getting my doctorate, I’d stayed on as a faculty member. I had already called Ethan and asked him to pick me up so we could go shopping for groceries. I knew the university was hosting an alumni symposium today, and Trent must have been an invited speaker. The campus is huge. I never thought my luck would be this bad.
“You remember where the faculty offices in Building C are, right? Fourth floor,” I asked, trying to sound casual.
Trent opened his mouth to say something, but I was out of patience. I shoved the entire stack of files into his arms.
“If you don’t remember, ask someone. Take these there for me. I have to go. Goodbye forever.”
I fired off the words and immediately started speed-walking towards the main gate. But as I rounded the first corner, I came face-to-face with Ethan.
My heart hammered against my ribs. Panicked, I grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the exit.
【This is so intense.】
【Aw, that’s it? I was hoping for a showdown.】
The comments clearly didn’t care about my survival. I hadn’t found the right time to tell Ethan about my past, and if Trent found out he was the substitute, he would throw a fit of epic proportions. I didn’t have the energy for that.
Thank god I’d moved fast. They had missed each other by seconds.

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