The 99th Cancelled Wedding: My Groom is No Longer You

The day before my wedding, Arthur Sterling accompanied me to the bridal boutique for my final dress fitting.

I had just stepped out of the dressing room.

I saw Arthur frantically taking off his suit jacket, turning around, and preparing to leave.

Lily had an accident. Evelyn can't handle it alone, I need to rush to the hospital. Let's cancel tomorrow's wedding for now.

In the past, I would have blocked the door. I would have demanded to know who was more important: me, or Evelyn Hayes and her daughter.

But this time, looking at his retreating back, I didn't say a word to stop him.

This was the ninety-ninth time he had canceled our wedding for Evelyn and her daughter.

Half an hour later, Evelyn posted a new update on her Instagram.

[You are my only pillar of support in this world.]

In the live photo, Arthur had his arm wrapped protectively around Evelyn, while little Lily called them "Daddy and Mommy."

They looked exactly like a perfect family of three.

My parents sighed helplessly when they heard the news.

"Chloe, is the wedding canceled again tomorrow? But we've already mailed out all the invitations..."

I shook my head, my face completely calm.

"The wedding will proceed exactly as planned. My groom just won't be him."

...

Hearing my words, my mom quickly pulled a spare wedding invitation from her purse. My dad's eyes immediately fell on the line where the groom's name was written.

I watched the tension visibly leave both of their bodies.

"If you're marrying him, your mother and I can finally rest easy."

"Chloe, I told you a long time ago that Arthur Sterling wasn't worthy of a lifelong commitment. I'm so glad you've finally woken up."

I had spent years banging my head against a brick wall, refusing to turn back.

But this time, I chose to finally let myself go.

After I finalized the dress, Arthur happened to call.

"I remember you've always wanted to try that viral Italian bistro downtown. I paid a concierge broker triple the price to secure a lunch reservation for us today."

I originally wanted to refuse.

But thinking about the six years we had spent together, I figured we owed it to ourselves to end things with some dignity.

I arrived at the entrance of the bistro.

Arthur reached out to take my purse, his other hand habitually reaching out to wrap around my waist.

I dodged his touch and walked straight into the restaurant.

Looking at his hand frozen in the air, his brow furrowed, a trace of impatience bleeding into his tone.

"Chloe, stop throwing a tantrum."

"Lily had a sudden medical flare-up, and I'm the only person Evelyn can rely on."

"You know this. Before David died, I promised him I would take good care of his wife and daughter."

I didn't reply. I sat down and began looking through the menu.

He sat down next to me, tugging at his tie in frustration.

"A man is only as good as his word. You wouldn't want to marry a man who breaks his promises, would you?"

I pulled out my phone to scan the QR code for the menu.

He waited a moment. Seeing that I was still giving him the silent treatment, he let out a heavy sigh.

"Alright, stop being mad. I promise the wedding won't be canceled next time. I told you I'd give you the most perfect wedding, and I won't break that promise."

But his promises were only valid when it came to Evelyn and her daughter.

I was the one who always had to step aside.

Just then, a waiter walked over.

"Excuse me, Miss. Your table has already ordered a four-person family meal. If you order more, it might be too much food. Would you like me to cancel the extra items?"

Before I could react, a familiar female voice rang out from behind me.

"The line for the restroom was so long. Sorry to keep you waiting, Chloe."

Evelyn Hayes walked toward us, holding little Lily's hand.

She sat on the other side of Arthur, while Lily squeezed right into the space between Arthur and me.

I froze for a second.

Arthur opened his mouth to speak, but Evelyn beat him to it.

"It's all Arthur's fault. I just casually mentioned I was craving this bistro, and I didn't expect him to take it to heart and pay triple to a scalper just to get a table."

"Chloe, you don't need to cancel your order. Eat whatever you like."

Watching her act like she owned the place, I couldn't help but let out a cynical laugh.

In the past, I thought Arthur was just oblivious to Evelyn's manipulative tactics and hidden motives.

Now, I realized he had been enjoying the ego trip of two women fighting over him all along.

I looked up at the waiter.

"Cancel my order..."

"Ahhh! It hurts! Daddy, Auntie Chloe pinched my arm! It's swelling up!"

Lily suddenly held up her supposedly red, swollen arm and began crying hysterically.

"Chloe! If you're unhappy with me, take it out on me! Why would you bully a child? She's innocent!"

Evelyn's eyes went red. She looked at Arthur, her gaze overflowing with grievance and helplessness.

"Arthur, thank you for taking care of us all these years, but we shouldn't see each other anymore. If she has the nerve to abuse a child right in front of you, I don't even dare to imagine what she'll do in the future..."

Saying this, she grabbed Lily's hand, acting like she was about to flee.

Lily gripped the hem of Arthur's shirt, refusing to let go.

"I don't want to leave Daddy! I want Daddy and Mommy to be together forever! Auntie Chloe is a bad person, she's trying to steal my Daddy!"

The commotion at our table instantly attracted the attention of everyone in the restaurant.

A few influencers who were live-streaming their meals immediately rushed over, pointing their phone cameras right at my face.

"Oh my god, chat! I came to review a restaurant and ended up catching a homewrecker picking a fight with the real family! Screenshot this mistress's face so she doesn't steal your husbands!"

"That poor kid! The mistress actually dared to abuse the child right in front of the parents! Imagine if she became a stepmother!"

The waiter, who had been polite to me just moments ago, turned his expression to ice.

"Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Our establishment doesn't welcome people like you."

As the situation spiraled out of control, I looked at Arthur, hoping he would stand up and clear my name.

But he just shot me a cold, disgusted glare.

"Chloe, Lily is just a child. How could you be so cruel?"

"Arthur, I didn't pinch her."

I pointed a finger at the security camera mounted on the ceiling.

"If you don't believe me, go ask the manager to pull the footage right now."

The moment those words left my mouth, Lily suddenly rolled her eyes back and "fainted" on the floor.

"Arthur! Lily fainted! We need to get her to the hospital!"

Evelyn screamed at the top of her lungs.

Arthur scooped Lily up into his arms and sprinted toward the door. Just as he crossed the glass threshold, he paused and looked back at me.

I was currently surrounded by livestreamers and "righteous" customers.

Every kind of vile insult was being hurled at me.

Just as I thought Arthur's conscience might have finally kicked in, he suddenly spoke.

"Chloe, I never knew you were this malicious. Don't come looking for me until you realize what you did wrong."

With that, he left without looking back.

Leaving me entirely alone to face the abuse of the influencers and bystanders.

Finally, a sympathetic customer called the police, and only then was I escorted safely out of the restaurant.

Sticky pasta sauce dripped from my hair. My white sundress was stained with food and smelled awful.

No Uber driver would pick me up, so I had to walk three miles back to the house.

When I pushed open the front door, Arthur was sitting on the living room sofa, smoking a cigarette.

Even though he tried to suppress his expression, I still caught the flash of utter disgust in his eyes.

"You're back?"

I looked at him calmly.

"Arthur, we're done. Let's end this here."

His hand, holding the cigarette, paused. He stood up and walked toward me.

"Is this because of what happened at lunch?"

He stared at my face, took a deep drag of his cigarette, and blew a cloud of smoke into the air.

"Chloe, I thought you would be mature enough to understand the situation. If I had defended you in that restaurant, the internet mob would have turned their crosshairs on Evelyn and Lily."

"Besides, this only happened because you were insanely jealous and hurt Lily. You have no one to blame but yourself for ending up like this."

"Lily has already forgiven you, and Evelyn said she won't hold a grudge. We're dropping the subject."

He reached out, wanting to pat my head.

But the moment his hand neared the dried sauce in my hair, he quickly pulled it back.

"Go clean yourself up first."

"Arthur."

Looking at him turning his back to me, I took a deep breath.

"Tomorrow is my wedding day."

His footsteps halted. He whipped around, looking like a man whose patience was completely depleted.

"You know perfectly well that every time Lily has a flare-up, someone needs to monitor her for a full week. How am I supposed to have time to marry you tomorrow?"

"Chloe, can you please grow up and act like an adult?"

I stared at him, my face completely devoid of emotion.

"I am informing you. I am not asking for your permission."

His face darkened like a storm cloud.

"Can you stop being so unreasonable?! I told you, I don't have time tomorrow."

"If you want to host a wedding with no groom, go right ahead! You and your parents will be the only ones humiliated!"

I clenched my fists and met his gaze head-on.

"My wedding doesn't need you."

He suddenly burst out laughing.

"Chloe, besides me, who else would actually marry you?"

Right as the words left his mouth, a massive crash echoed from the nursery down the hall.

My heart seized. I sprinted to the nursery and pushed the door open.

The stuffed animals that had been perfectly arranged in the display cabinet were scattered all over the floor. The tiny baby clothes my mother had hand-stitched were cut to shreds. And sitting on the custom crib my father had built with his own hands, was Lily.

A shattered porcelain urn and gray ash were scattered around Evelyn's feet.

Evelyn blinked her tear-filled eyes, her face a perfect portrait of helplessness and fear.

"I accidentally knocked this jar over."

Arthur rushed in, shoving me out of the doorway, and grabbed Evelyn's hands.

"Evelyn, are you hurt? Did you get cut?"

Evelyn's gaze drifted over Arthur's shoulder, shooting me a provocative, victorious smirk.

I knew it. She did it on purpose.

But I still couldn't control myself. I lunged forward and slapped her hard across the face.

Evelyn clutched her red, swollen cheek, her voice trembling.

"I'm so sorry... I just saw there was dust on the jar, and I wanted to help wipe it clean. I never thought I'd drop it... I really didn't mean to..."

Arthur grabbed my arm violently, trying to force me to bow my head to Evelyn.

"Chloe! You've gone too far! Apologize right now!"

"Arthur, that was our baby!"

Two years ago, Arthur and I were expecting a child.

The jar Evelyn shattered was my baby's urn.

Receiving a covert signal from Evelyn, Lily suddenly covered her ears and ran out of the room screaming.

"Lily!"

Evelyn immediately chased after her.

Arthur's face was livid.

"Look what you've done! Since when do the dead matter more than the living?! Did you really have to hit her?!"

I stared directly into his eyes, absolute disbelief crashing over me.

"Arthur, you know exactly what this nursery means to me! That was your child! How could you..."

"Chloe!"

He cut me off sharply.

"If you hadn't bullied Lily at lunch today, would I have had to bring her here to calm her down?! I'm doing all of this to atone for your sins!"

Just then, Evelyn's loud sobs echoed from the living room.

Arthur panicked instantly. He forcefully shoved my arm away and sprinted out of the room.

Caught off guard, I was thrown to the floor.

My forehead slammed against the hardwood, and my vision instantly went black.

Suddenly, a memory from two years ago flooded my mind. It was a night with torrential rain.

One frantic phone call from Evelyn was all it took for Arthur to abandon me, leaving me five-months pregnant and stranded on the side of a flooded highway.

A drunk driver lost control and crashed his truck directly into me.

That night, Arthur knelt beside my hospital bed, violently slapping his own face, begging for my forgiveness.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong! I never thought an accident would happen."

"I just didn't want to let David down... I never wanted to hurt you."

"Chloe, I failed you and our baby. Let's just get married, and we can try again. Our baby will come back to us."

That time, I forgave him.

But now, he was telling me our dead child didn't matter as much as Evelyn and her daughter.

"Chloe."

Arthur's face suddenly magnified in front of my blurry vision.

Just as I blinked, trying to figure out if this was a nightmare or reality, Lily's voice chimed in.

"See? I told you Auntie Chloe was just faking it."

Seeing that my eyes were open and clear, Arthur immediately stood up and shielded Lily behind his legs.

It was as if he was terrified I would attack her again.

Before I could even sit up, Evelyn rushed forward and dropped to her knees in front of me.

"Breaking the urn was my fault! If you want to hit someone or curse someone, do it to me! Lily is innocent! She's just a child, please don't hurt her!"

Arthur aggressively hauled Evelyn up from the floor, his face dark with rage.

"Chloe, stop pushing it!"

"First you assaulted her, and now you're forcing her to her knees?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"You're the one in the wrong here! Apologize right now!"

"I was wrong."

A cynical, exhausted smile crept onto my lips.

I was blind. I was stupid. I chose the worst possible man, and I made my parents worry about me for years.

"I'm sorry."

I was tired. I didn't want to play this toxic game with them anymore.

Arthur was visibly stunned. In all our arguments involving Evelyn, I had never once backed down.

My sudden, flat apology made a bizarre wave of panic rise in his chest. His voice actually softened a fraction.

"I'm not genuinely angry with you. Just don't be so impulsive and resort to violence next time."

A flash of bitterness crossed Evelyn's eyes. She tugged pitifully at Arthur's shirt.

"Arthur, since this room holds ashes, we shouldn't stay here. I'm terrified Lily will have nightmares sleeping under this roof."

"Lily and I will just go back to our own apartment... I'm just so scared she'll have another episode..."