My Wedding Day Betrayal

On my wedding day, my fianc was taken away for raping a female student.

I chased after him in my wedding dress, wanting to clear his name.

Only to learn that he had turned himself in voluntarily.

He said to me apologetically:

Lily's family found out she was raped and forced her to marry the rapist. I couldn't bear to see her end up like that, so I came forward to take the blame.

"Lily's family said if I agree to marry her, they'll drop the charges. Just handle the school's inquiries and the public opinion for me."

"Lily and I agreed it's a fake marriage for three years. After three years, I'll make it up to you with a proper wedding. Will you wait for me?"

I calmly turned and left.

Casually removed my veil and placed it on a stray dog by the roadside.

Ethan Miller, what makes you think I'll wait for you?

Ethan told me to return to the wedding venue immediately to appease the school leaders and calm the rumors.

But I only did two things.

First, I notified his school that I was withdrawing my investment in his project and closing his laboratory.

Second, I left the wedding venue directly and went back to our apartment.

I wiped away my tears and cleaned out every trace of Ethan from the house, one item at a time.

The matching couple's mugs we made together in our pottery class, the matching pajamas we wore every night...

And the wedding photos we'd just received yesterday, carefully framed...

I threw everything into the bathroom, lit them with a lighter, and watched them burn beyond recognition.

Watching the flames rise, I called the wedding hotel.

"I'm not getting married. Ask the groom's side to settle the balance. Please send my things stored at the hotel to my house."

But the hotel manager's surprised voice came through the phone.

"But the groom just said the wedding is still on, just postponed by one day? He also said we got the photos and bride's name wrong, and asked us to change the bride's name to Lily Smith."

A sharp pain pierced my heart.

That wedding was something I'd spent ten years planning, piece by piece.

Whether the flowers or the decorations, everything was handmade by me over six months.

Ethan clearly knew this was our dream wedding.

Yet he wanted to give it to his female student?

I took a deep breath, suppressing the pain in my heart, and said:

"Whatever. Just send my things back. Especially the bracelet in the safe."

The manager sounded even more surprised:

"But the groom already took the bracelet from the safe. He said he wanted to give it to the bride as a wedding gift."

My head exploded with a thunderous sound.

I immediately hung up and frantically called Ethan.

Every call I made was rejected by him. Finally, on the eighteenth attempt, he answered.

With a hint of helpless irritation, he said:

"Didn't I already say not to contact me recently? I need to accompany Lily and play out this fake marriage properly. I was just chatting with Lily's parents and almost slipped up."

My throat tightened as I hurriedly asked:

"Ethan, did you take my bracelet?!"

He paused, then laughed:

"Yes. Lily's mother said their custom requires a bracelet among the wedding jewelry. I thought your bracelet was heavy enough and beautiful, so I took it to give to her as a wedding gift."

But my heart still felt like it was being torn apart in pain.

"Ethan Miller!!"

My voice became shrill, breaking:

"That was my mother's keepsake! How dare you give it to your mistress!"

"Give it back! Right now! Send it back to me! Or I'll call the police! I'll have you both get married in prison!"

I was trembling all over with rage, my words sharp as thorns.

Ethan was startled by me, then became angry himself:

"What are you saying! I told you it's just acting! I'm only borrowing it! I'm not keeping it from you!"

"I was planning to buy you several similar ones tomorrow as an apology gift. I didn't expect you..."

Rage surged through me. I didn't want to hear his voice for another second.

I hung up and immediately left, took a cab, and gave the driver Lily's address.

I also brought Ethan's luggage with me.

On the way, my phone kept dinging. Text messages from Ethan came through.

"I got a bit anxious just now and spoke harshly. Emma, I apologize."

"How about thisI'll return the bracelet tomorrow, but you need to come to the wedding as Lily's bridesmaid."

"After all, we were about to get married, but suddenly I'm getting a marriage license with Lily. This doesn't look good for the young lady's reputation."

"If you come as a bridesmaid tomorrow, everyone will naturally not think Lily destroyed our relationship. If anyone asks about us tomorrow, cover for me... just say... you cheated and fell in love with someone else, that you wanted to break up with me for a long time. Anyway, don't implicate Lily..."

Reading his messages, I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity.

But as I laughed, tears had already soaked the hem of my coat.

The driver saw this and silently handed me a tissue.

I thanked him softly, opened the car door, grabbed the suitcase, and rushed upstairs.

I pounded on Lily's door.

The door shook with earth-shattering sounds.

Hurried footsteps came from inside, and soon the door opened.

"Who is it! At this late hour!"

Ethan stood there wearing a pink apron, with flour still on his forehead.

My eyes instantly reddened.

I had loved Ethan for ten years.

I'd witnessed his journey from a poor student to a respected professor.

The deepest scar in his heart

was from when he worked part-time in a restaurant kitchen during college.

Rich kids at school, jealous of him, pinned him to the ground and poured leftovers over his head.

"A useless cook dares to steal someone else's woman."

Since then, he hated cooking with a passion.

Even when I was engaged to him and brought him home to meet my gravely ill mother,

I only asked him to help bring dishes from the kitchen, and he left with a cold face, slamming the door.

Leaving my sick mother heartbroken for me,

yet even then, I forced a smile to defend him.

From then on, I was even more careful to protect him.

I, who never knew how to cook, burned my hands countless times learning to cook for him.

I never expected that his scar had already been healed by another woman.

The moment Ethan saw me, he froze, then instinctively tugged at his apron guiltily.

"Emma, why are you here..."

Lily appeared behind him, her small face looking at me nervously:

"Miss Carter, why are you here?"

She stood in front of Ethan with tears in her eyes:

"Miss Carter, if you want to vent, just beat me to death. Professor Miller only did this to help me..."

Ethan looked at her with heartache, then yelled at me angrily:

"Emma, how can you be so heartless? Lily was being forced by her family to marry the thug who assaulted her. I'm just helping her avoid that fate. Can't you show some understanding?"

"No!"

My voice trembled with fury:

"If she's pitiful, that's a problem between her parents and the person who hurt her! She can refuse! She can call the police and have those people arrested! Why should I sacrifice my marriage and happiness!"

"Unless..."

My voice was already choking:

"Actually, she was never assaulted at all! You two were fooling around and..."

Before I could finish, my face was struck hard by a slap.

Ethan raised his hand, his face full of anger:

"I won't let you talk about her like that! I already said it! Lily and I are in a fake marriage! Why must you think so maliciously of others?"

Our argument drew neighbors from upstairs and downstairs to watch.

Someone asked Lily and Ethan:

"Lily, who is this? What's her relationship with your husband?"

Lily stammered:

"She's his... ex..."

Seeing her hurt expression full of implications,

the neighbor understood immediately, looking at me with disgust and even pushing me:

"They're about to get married, and you're still clinging to her husbandthat makes you the mistress! You look decent enough, but have some shame!"

"Exactly! Take her picture! Post it online!"

I laughed bitterly and threw the suitcase at their feet:

"Ethan Miller, tell them who the real mistress is!"

The suitcase popped open, but Lily screamed and crouched down.

Ethan looked at the fingernail-sized red swelling on her leg.

His expression changed instantly:

"Emma Carter! Are you done yet! I already got a marriage license with Lily! Who are you calling the mistress!"

I looked at him in disbelief and smiled bitterly:

"Ethan Miller, this is what you call a fake marriage? Getting a marriage license is fake too?"

Knowing he'd misspoken, Ethan guiltily changed the subject:

"Over a broken bracelet, you came here to hit people!"

"Emma Carter, this is the first time I've realized how selfish and cold-blooded you are!"

My eyes widened as I watched Ethan storm back into the room in rage.

He came out with the bracelet I treasured so dearly and smashed it to the ground.

"You want your bracelet, don't you! Take your junk and get out!"

"No!" I screamed and lunged forward to catch it, but I was too late.

I watched helplessly as the bracelet shattered on the floor.

I looked up sharply, glaring at Ethan with hatred.

This was the first time he'd seen anything other than love in my eyes.

Even in his anger, there was a moment of panic.

But the next second, Lily cried out:

"Professor Miller, my leg hurts so much. Could it be fractured?"

Ethan immediately snapped back, picked her up, and rushed downstairs past me.

"Don't be afraid. I'll take you to the hospital."

He left so forcefully and hastily that he knocked me aside as I crouched on the ground.

I tumbled down the steep stairs and crashed heavily onto the floor.

Amid everyone's screams and my weak cries,

Ethan left without looking back.

Before my eyes closed,

all I saw was Lily leaning on Ethan's shoulder, giving me a triumphant smile.

In that moment, the sound of my heart breaking was as clear as shattering jade.

...

Once, Ethan used to protect me the way he now protected Lily.

When I was being followed and harassed by those rich kids, terrified,

he rushed out to stand in front of me, boldly telling them to get lost.

He grabbed my wrist and broke through their encirclement.

Later, I learned he was targeted and made things difficult by those spoiled brats because of this.

I found him with red eyes to apologize. He just smiled and patted my head, saying:

"It's okay. I just can't stand to see you cry."

The man who once panicked just seeing my red eyes

could now ignore my pain for another girl's tears.

When did Lily start coming between us?

Perhaps it was from the day she became Ethan's graduate student.

When he talked about this girl, he said she reminded him of his younger self.

But his eyes were full of affection.

Or perhaps it was when she called Ethan in tears, saying male students at school were blocking her way to confess their feelings.

Ethan, usually calm and rational, actually got into a fight with the male student like a hothead.

When I went to bail him out, looking at his swollen lip, I felt bitterness for the first time.

He explained to me:

"Emma, when I heard about her situation, I thought of how you were bullied before, and I lost my head..."

But...

When I was in such a predicament before, he only led me away...

...

When I woke up, I was already in the hospital.

The doctor told me worriedly that fortunately I was brought in time.

I'd hit the back of my head, causing cerebral hemorrhaging. I'd almost not woken up.

I thanked him softly, got my wounds treated, and left the hospital.

As soon as I reached the entrance to my building, several sleazy men followed me.

"You're that bitch from online, right?"

"You look decent, but you're so vicious inside. You even hired thugs to bully a female student. Since you like finding men so much, today we brothers will let you experience it too!"

They laughed menacingly and rushed at me, tearing at my clothes.

I screamed desperately, kept backing away,

but they still tore my clothes and pinched bruises all over my body.

It wasn't until the building's security guard arrived and called the police that they scattered.

I knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

The security guard looked down at me with contempt in his eyes:

"You deserved it. Who told you to be so malicious and bully an innocent young lady?"

I looked up sharply, my voice trembling.

"What did you say?"

The security guard sneered and left.

My head buzzed and exploded.

I quickly pulled out my phone to check.

Sure enough, I saw a clarification post from Ethan.

"Sorry for wasting public resources. Regarding my assault on a female student, it was a misunderstanding. My ex, Emma Carter, hired thugs to assault my student out of jealousy, causing her to be forced to marry that beast!"

"I felt sorry for her and came forward to take responsibility to protect her. But I didn't expect her to have such a bad attitude. Not only did she not repent, but she got worse, so I decided to expose everything."

"I will also take responsibility and marry my student, taking care of her for life!"

Lily commented below:

"With you here, I'm not afraid of anything."

Blood rushed to my brain. I felt like I'd been struck hard.

Below this post were all blessings and horrifying curses.

My photos were photoshopped into various obscene images, and some said they'd dox my address to teach me a lesson.

My phone was filled with vile, abusive messages.