Never My First Choice

I used to believe that after fifteen years of growing up together, he would be my only destiny.

Until I saw him put his student's name where mine should have been on our marriage papers.

Scholarships, favoritism, trust. He gave them all to someone else.

He even let me be falsely accused, my future destroyed.

That's when I realized I was never his first choice.

So I turned around, went abroad, and reclaimed my dreams.

Later, when I stood at the peak of success, he came to me, saying he regretted everything.

But my new husband pulled me close.

"You didn't choose her back then. Now it's not your turn anymore."

Iris Hart POV

After winning six consecutive international awards, the name "Sebastian Kane" became legendary in academic circles.

At only twenty-five, he wasn't just Stanford University's youngest professor. He'd also claimed the highest honor in academia.

The day his fame skyrocketed, he posted a photo of us holding our marriage license application, captioned "Soulmates finally united."

Before I could even share it, I scrolled down and saw a comment that made my heart stop.

"Sebastian's getting married, but the county clerk sent ME the notice. Now that's love!"

The replies flooded in.

"Maybe YOU'RE his true love?"

"Sebastian's handwritten over thirty thousand experimental data points, accurate to eight decimal places without a single error. Yet on the most important form of his life, the one where you list an emergency contact for marriage, he put YOUR name."

"You two should just go get married already!"

I looked closer at the username.

The poster was none other than Sebastian's intern, River Lawson.

Afterward, Sebastian explained it was just an accident. I believed him.

But not long after, he turned around and gave the only full-ride graduate scholarship to River.

Then he pulled me aside to apologize. "I'm sorry, Iris. River grew up in poverty. If this application fails, she'll never have another chance to get ahead in life."

He gripped my hand tightly, his eyes full of guilt.

"But I'm also thinking about us. Even if you never achieve anything, you're still the one I love."

The next day, River-the supposedly excellent student Sebastian praised-secretly reported me to the school for academic fraud, got my graduation status revoked, and had me ordered to withdraw.

When they want to pin something on you, they'll always find a reason.

During the long investigation period, my heart grew colder and colder.

I'd worked every single moment to keep up with Sebastian's pace.

But in the end, the full scholarship was gone, my dream of studying abroad shattered, and even basic graduation became uncertain. Gradually, I understood-I was no longer Sebastian's first priority.

If that was the case, then I chose to let them have each other.

In my moment of deepest despair, my advisor threw me a lifeline.

"I can fund your study in France, on the condition that you join my research team. But... are you really ready to leave everything behind and go abroad?"

"I'm willing."

In the dead silence of night, I heard my own resolute answer.

My father, Marcus, and mother, Elena, had always been open-minded-they would support my decision without hesitation. I had nothing to worry about. As for Sebastian... perhaps our fate ended here.

I still remembered meeting Sebastian when I was six years old.

He'd been quiet and withdrawn since childhood, guarded around everyone-except me. He was willing to open up to me, even if just a little.

Sebastian's father, Richard, and mother, Caroline, were always busy with work, often leaving him at my house.

The two of us grew closer over time.

In middle school, he waited downstairs for me every day before and after school.

In high school, he carefully organized study notes just for me.

In college, he kept up the habit of having breakfast with me every morning.

Everyone said we were made for each other. I believed it too.

At least, I believed it until River appeared.

At first, Sebastian kept his distance from this clingy intern.

But then one day, River single-handedly solved a math problem left behind by an old professor.

Though I couldn't see much reaction from him, I noticed he gradually stopped pushing her away when she followed him around.

We'd fought about this intern several times. He always said he just recognized talent and couldn't bear to see a genius buried. Whether it was really about recognizing talent or something else, I didn't want to guess anymore.

The truth behind it all was probably something only he knew.

The engagement photos were already taken, and the marriage registration was still just scheduled-everything could still be undone.

"I'll have the application process completed within a month." The person on the other end of the call was satisfied with the answer and hung up in good spirits.

I didn't sleep all night. Early the next morning, Sebastian knocked on my door.

"There are a lot of wedding details we haven't finalized. Richard and Caroline invited Marcus and Elena to dinner together, and they asked me to pick you up."

I instinctively tried to decline. "Actually, I can't today..."

"Marcus and Elena are already there."

He cut me off, gently taking my hand as he always did, his usually expressionless face now wearing a tender smile.

I'd once been captivated by that smile for so long. Unfortunately, it no longer belonged to me alone.

Inside the Kane house, Caroline warmly welcomed me and sat me down, casually calling out, "The pizza and roast in the oven are almost ready-Sebastian, go check on them!"

Sebastian headed straight into the kitchen. His phone suddenly started ringing nonstop. I glanced at it and caught sight of the glaring name "River Lawson" on the screen.

At the dinner table, both sets of parents were chatting happily when the shrill phone ringtone cut through the harmonious atmosphere again.

Sebastian answered the call, his expression instantly changing. "I'm sorry, Marcus, Elena. Something urgent came up at school. I need to go."

My instincts told me it wasn't that simple. After making an excuse to leave the table, I secretly followed him.

Then I watched Sebastian enter the back warehouse of a convenience store. River was wearing a dirty work uniform.

The moment she saw him, she rushed over eagerly but accidentally tripped on something.

She fell straight into his arms, and their lips happened to touch. He didn't pull away. They both froze in that moment, their eyes locked for what felt like forever.

Iris Hart POV

My face went pale as I stared at the scene, frozen. My heart suddenly felt like it had cracked open, cold wind pouring into the fissure, chilling me until I couldn't stop trembling.

River quickly jumped up, her face flushed as she lowered her head, a sly smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "You... how did you get here? Didn't you say you had something really important today?"

Sebastian ruffled her hair, his voice helpless yet indulgent. "It's nothing major. You said you were hurt-let me see how bad it is."

River deliberately hid her right hand behind her back. "It's nothing, nothing-just a small cut."

Sebastian caught sight of the wound on her finger and pulled a Band-Aid from his bag, crouching down to carefully apply it for her.

I couldn't help but think of the past. I used to get bumps and scrapes all the time as a kid. At some point, Sebastian had made it a habit to always carry Band-Aids in his pocket. He'd once told me they were exclusively mine.

But now... I felt dazed and instinctively stepped back, accidentally kicking something.

They both looked over at once. I turned and ran.

"Iris!"

He caught up to me, breathless, and we both stopped at the same time. I didn't turn around, just listened to him scramble to explain. "It's not what you think. That was just an accident."

"I know." I took a deep breath, staring hard at the ground.

He seemed flustered. "Iris, I didn't mean to lie to you. I was just afraid you'd be upset if you found out."

I turned around, my expression calm.

"I just happened to pass by. I'm not upset. Where you go is your freedom."

River had also caught up, looking at me cautiously. Sebastian seemed afraid I'd scold her and quickly stepped in front of her. "Now that we've cleared up the misunderstanding, let me take you home."

I didn't want to keep arguing, so I nodded.

"River, you should head home early too." He turned back to tell her.

She smiled bitterly and shook her head. "Sebastian, you two go ahead. I still have goods to move. If I'm not done by ten tonight, my supervisor will dock my pay."

Sebastian's brow furrowed in displeasure. "You're new part-time staff-why are they making you do all this?!"

"I can only blame myself for being poor." She wiped away tears and started heading back to the warehouse, but Sebastian grabbed her wrist.

"I'll help you move them." He said to me, "Iris, go home and rest early. Don't wait up for me."

Watching him walk away side by side with River without a second thought, I just stood there, looking more and more alone.

Most of the streetlights in the old district were broken. The road was dark and cold. I walked alone, shivering. Suddenly, I heard a low growl. A large dog was baring its teeth at me, staring me down. Fear made my legs weak. I turned and ran.

A sharp pain shot through my calf, and blood started running down. A kind stranger helped drive the vicious dog away. By the time I dragged my injured leg to the district hospital, dawn was nearly breaking.

After getting the rabies vaccine, I turned my phone back on. Missed calls and messages started popping up one after another. I silently turned off the screen and closed my eyes.

"Iris! Iris!"

A familiar voice rang out. I thought I was dreaming. When I opened my eyes, it really was Sebastian's anxious face.

Iris Hart POV

"I saw your phone location and rushed over. How did you get hurt?"

I didn't even lift my head, my tone light and casual. "Couldn't get a cab in the old district. Got bitten by a stray dog on the road."

Hearing this, his eyes immediately reddened, full of heartache and guilt. "I should've thought of that. I'm so sorry."

"I'm fine." My tone remained calm.

A few days later, after I'd fully recovered, Sebastian showed up uninvited, carrying something.

He handed me an elegant gift bag with a hint of flattery. "I was wrong the other day. Maybe looking at a plant will cheer you up."

I opened it to find a pot of mint. A sharp pain suddenly pierced through my chest. He'd always had an exceptional memory-how could he forget I was allergic to mint?

Seeing my silence, he assumed I was still angry. He pulled out two tickets. "The zoo you wanted to visit-I managed to get tickets. Let's go right now, okay?"

Without waiting for me to refuse, he grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door.

When we got to the zoo entrance and I saw River getting out of the car, I turned to leave. He gripped my hand tightly. "I asked a friend to get the tickets and they happened to have two extras. I just didn't want them to go to waste."

Using the excuse of accompanying me to the zoo, his eyes never left River. After a few exhibits, they were practically glued together. Watching them, they looked like a couple madly in love, while I was just an outsider.

At the bird show area, the host was introducing albatrosses. "Once they choose the right mate, they stay together for life! Now let's pick some audience members to participate!"

The spotlight landed on River. She looked at Sebastian hesitantly. "Sebastian, I'm too scared to go up alone. Can you come with me?"

He glanced at me briefly, then took her hand and went onstage. The host assumed they were a couple and had them complete challenges: staring into each other's eyes for ten seconds, eating cookies, and the final task-a kiss.

Amid the cheering crowd, Sebastian pressed his hand against her head and kissed her.

My nails dug deep into my palms. My heart felt like it was being sliced with a knife. The air tasted unbearably bitter.

When the crowd dispersed, he stopped me. "With so many people watching, if I'd just left her there, people would've talked about her."

I didn't say anything more and headed to the next exhibit. He nervously followed, trying to apologize.

Suddenly, screams erupted nearby. An escaped brown bear was charging toward the crowd, swinging its massive paws.

I was pushed back by the surging crowd and suddenly lost my footing. River and I both fell into the artificial lake at the same time!

Sebastian reached out his hand and swam toward me with all his might.

"Sebastian!"

A shout made him freeze mid-motion. He instinctively changed direction and swam toward River instead.

The icy lake water swallowed me. I struggled desperately, staring hard at his retreating back as I gradually lost consciousness.

My body felt heavy as lead. When I opened my eyes, I saw him with red-rimmed eyes, gripping my hand. "I'm sorry. It's my fault for not taking better care of you."

I thought he was going to explain why he'd abandoned me to save her, but he carefully avoided the subject, not saying a word about it.

His phone vibrated frantically.

"Excuse me, do you still have fever medicine in stock?" It was River's weak voice on the other end.

"River?"

"I'm sorry, Sebastian. I called the wrong number trying to buy medicine." She hung up in panic.

Sebastian, usually so composed, immediately panicked. He glanced at me a few times before standing up. "River's home alone. I'm afraid she..."

"Go ahead." My face was pale, but my expression remained calm.

Watching him leave without hesitation, I was consumed by grief. He used to feel heartbroken for half a day just seeing me frown. Now he could abandon me without a second thought, even when I was seriously injured.

Iris Hart POV

On the day I was discharged from the hospital, I unexpectedly received an invitation from my advisor. An opportunity to attend an academic summit. I became part of the setup crew for the venue.

As soon as I walked in, I saw River all dressed up, along with Sebastian.

"Iris?" When he saw me, his smile stiffened. He quickly lowered his voice. "When did you get discharged? Why didn't you tell me so I could pick you up?"

I pushed his hand away. "It's fine. Go do what you need to do."

A shriek came from nearby. River screamed and stood up. Her arms were covered in red welts. "I think I'm having an allergic reaction."

I turned to look. Sebastian, ignoring everyone's stares, scooped River up in his arms and rushed out.

The venue fell silent. People whispered to each other, some even casting pitying glances my way. My cheeks burned with shame as I quickly left.

I'd barely gotten home when Sebastian showed up at my door. He glared at me, his face full of anger. "With so many people at the venue, how is it that she was the only one who had an allergic reaction to that chair?!"

"What are you implying?" My brow furrowed.

"You're one of the people in charge of setup. This has to be connected to you!"

My heart trembled. I couldn't believe it. "You're accusing me?!"

Fifteen years together, and he was actually accusing me over something completely fabricated.

River, who'd been hiding behind him, stepped forward timidly. "Just forget it. I'm sure Iris didn't mean it."

"River, you're too kind. That's why you think everyone else is kind too!" His anger intensified.

I laughed coldly. So in his eyes, I was malicious?

He grabbed my wrist tightly and dragged me all the way to the venue to confront me. When he finally let go, my wrist was already covered in bruises.

"The summit still has one more day! I want you to replace every single chair tonight with something River isn't allergic to."

"I refuse." I stared at him, enunciating each word.

He nodded as if driven to the edge. "If you don't replace them, believe me, I'll throw this ring away right now."

The moment I saw him hold up the ring, my expression changed. That was the ring my grandmother had left me as a wedding blessing. And he was using it to threaten me!

My heart turned to ash.

Under their watchful eyes, I pathetically hauled out a thousand chairs and replaced them with a new batch from storage. After I finished arranging them, he finally let me go.

"I have one more condition. Give me back the ring," he said.

"No problem. It's just a ring. But if there's a next time, we're calling off the marriage license."

I clutched the ring, my palm aching.

There won't be a next time. We've already canceled it.

Sebastian, I will never love you again.

I'll be leaving soon.