The Wedding I Never Attended

I had been dating Ethan for five years.

The day before our wedding, I discovered over ten thousand photos of the same girl saved in his cloud storage.

There were photos of her sleeping, smiling... even intimate photos.

And thousands of flight tickets to the same foreign city.

Without a word, I packed my bags and left on our wedding day.

The bride had successfully escaped the wedding, but he lost his mind.

I stared at the countless photos and flight ticket screenshots on the screen, my pupils trembling, my heart pounding as if it would burst from my chest.

"You're really getting married? Not waiting for Luna to come back? I thought you'd wait for her forever."

His friend's slip-up when he heard we were getting married echoed in my ears.

That was the first time I learned Ethan's first love's name.

Too bad I only understood what his friend meant now.

The cloud storage was updated every month. Our photos together from five years didn't add up to a single upload batch.

Every time we went on a date and I wanted to take photos to remember it, he always had excuses to refuse.

He said we were together every day, there would be plenty of opportunities later, no need to take photos.

Only now did I understand it wasn't that there was no need, just that I wasn't necessary to him.

Staring at the different timestamps on the photo watermarks, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through our chat history from those corresponding times.

I discovered that Ethan had either said he was on a business trip or had to go out of town for training.

What disappeared from home along with him was his camera.

The increasingly smooth lies in our records made my heart tremble.

I abruptly shut down his computer, rushed into the bedroom to pack my bags and leave.

But the moment I opened the closet, a familiar feeling washed over me, nearly suffocating me.

Every piece of clothing inside had appeared on Luna in those photos.

And these clothes were all gifts Ethan had given me.

I slammed the cabinet door shut and crouched on the floor, helpless.

Tears blurred my vision as I shakily sent a message to my boss.

I told him I wanted to apply for the position at the overseas branch.

After listening, he was silent for a long time before replying, "Young people being cautious is good. Marriage shouldn't be impulsive. I'll submit your information, and you should rest well while waiting for the results."

His tone held satisfaction and reflection, but notably no surprise.

It seemed that Ethan and I not making it to the end was already an expected outcome in everyone's eyes.

I hung up the phone and opened the ticket booking app, preparing to buy a flight abroad for the next day, when I heard the sound of the door closing outside.

Bracing my hands on my knees, I stood up and walked to the living room.

The love I once had in my eyes when looking at him was gone.

As usual, he gently kissed my forehead when he got home.

But today he had a cake in his hands.

"Got off work early today, specially brought this for you. Try it. I have a classmate reunion in a bit, need to head out."

I glanced at the chocolate mousse stuck to the outer box.

Mockery flashed in my eyes.

"No thanks, I don't have an appetite, and... I'm allergic to chocolate."

His expression went blank for a moment before he remembered this was something I told him every year.

But he never remembered it.

Seeing my expression indifferent with no sign of anger, he reached out and gently ruffled my hair.

"Sorry, work's been too busy lately. I'll buy you a new one after the wedding ends tomorrow."

Before I knew the truth, I believed whatever he explained.

But after seeing the photos, I finally understood why he loved chocolate.

Because Luna liked it.

"Work's been too busy" was his go-to excuse.

The last update to the cloud storage was three days ago.

I looked at his emotionless eyes and slowly nodded, not exposing his lie.

I wanted to leave us both with some final dignity.

Seeing that I didn't argue with him like before, he smiled and pulled out a necklace from his pocket, presenting it before my eyes.

The diamond-studded moon pendant made my eyes sting.

I accepted it expressionlessly and turned to walk into the bedroom.

I tossed the necklace into the nightstand drawer.

Then I removed the ring engraved with a moon pattern and placed it inside as well.

Besides the necklace with the moon pendant, there were bracelets, bangles, earrings...

I used to not understand why he liked moon patterns. Now that I knew Luna's name...

I couldn't help but connect everything.

Closing the drawer, his somewhat excited and expectant voice came from the living room: "Wear the jewelry I gave you at the wedding, okay? A whole set with moon patterns, it'll definitely look beautiful..."

"Just stay home obediently, I'm heading out to the reunion now. Last time before the wedding, might come back a bit late, don't wait up."

I didn't respond, hiding in the bedroom like a snail.

Silently thinking to myself that we would never have a wedding.

As the sound of the closing door echoed, I walked out and threw the cake in the trash.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the cabinet nearby. Inside lay all the labels I'd torn off from cake boxes over five years.

Like a silent mockery of my one-woman show.

What I treasured so much I couldn't bear to throw away the wrapping was garbage another person could discard without a thought.

I opened the cabinet and threw everything inside away.

Then I started packing for going abroad.

Besides clothes and jewelry, all I could take were simple daily necessities.

While rummaging through boxes and cabinets, I discovered quite a few more things.

Over these five years, the gifts I'd given Ethan were all randomly stuffed in various corners of the house.

Many had even expired, their packaging never opened.

No wonder when I asked him about them, he was always evasive, saying he couldn't bear to use them.

Thinking about it now, he probably just left them too carelessly and couldn't find them.

His daily necessities all came from the same foreign source.

The country where Luna lived.

I threw them into the trash one by one, along with my love for him and my past humble self.

The moment I zipped up my suitcase, Ethan's friend called me.

"Sophia, Ethan's had too much to drink. Can you come pick him up? I'll send you the address."

Through the receiver, Ethan's hoarse voice called out "Luna."

With pleading, with devotion, with the joy of regaining something lost.

But no trace of drunkenness.

My breath hitched, my heart stopped instantly.

The other person quickly covered the phone and hung up.

I placed the suitcase by the wall, hesitated for two seconds, but still called a cab according to the address Ethan's friend sent.

One last time. Since I'd decided to leave, I didn't want to leave with regrets.

When I reached the private room door, the teasing and laughter inside filtered through the gap to my ears.

"How come Luna came back today? Could it be she heard some news about our Ethan? Tonight we definitely won't let you come for nothing!"

Through the glass, I clearly saw an unrestrained and wild expression on Ethan's face I'd never seen before.

His expectant gaze was firmly locked on another woman's face.

And that woman's face I had just seen it countless times on his computer.

The diamond-studded necklace around her neck was identical to the one Ethan had just given me.

Except hers was brighter, more eye-catching.

I took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the private room.

The commotion inside came to an abrupt halt.

Ethan seemed not to have expected me to come, his eyes full of confusion, his brows furrowed.

His friend was the first to stand up and introduce me.

"This is our college classmate Luna. She went abroad five years ago and just came back today, catching our reunion. What a coincidence, right?"

His ambiguous gaze swept back and forth between Ethan and Luna.

Calling me here was clearly deliberate.

If it were before, I might have lost control on the spot and confronted them.

Knowing Ethan had her in his heart, why did they let her appear when we were about to get married? Why didn't they stop them from meeting?

But now I just smiled faintly.

When his friend began introducing me and mentioned the words "fiance," Ethan coughed non-stop, covering his mouth.

Luna beside him handed him tissues with perfect understanding.

Naturally reaching out to wipe the corner of his mouth.

After a while, his face completely red, he spoke: "Just a friend I'm pretty close with."

My eyelashes trembled slightly as everyone watched like spectators.

I nodded along with his words.

My palm hurt from my nails digging in. I forced myself not to let tears spill out.

He didn't want to reveal my identity I was used to it.

After all, even our wedding was just a group message.

No photos together, no bride's name.

I always made excuses for his behavior, unwilling to gamble one last time with five years of feelings.

But time after time, I remained the loser.

I forced a smile and greeted Luna.

"You're even prettier in person than in photos. The necklace... is very beautiful too."

After that sentence, the private room fell completely silent.

Perhaps afraid I'd make things difficult for her, Ethan quickly grabbed a drink and placed it in front of me.

Looking at the black chocolate cocktail on the table, my smile froze on my face.

I spoke word by word: "I can't drink anything with chocolate..."

I'd just told him before going out, and he'd forgotten it immediately.

Embarrassment flashed in Ethan's eyes.

Just as he was about to change my drink, Luna reached out and took the glass from in front of me.

"Give it to me. I'm not picky."

A flash of urgency crossed Ethan's face: "There's lemon juice in it. Don't you dislike that flavor?"

In an instant, something seemed to explode in my heart.

The fragments pierced my chest, even breathing hurt and trembled.

So he didn't forget he just didn't bother wasting time on me.

Luna giggled and playfully tapped his nose. "I drink it often abroad. Got used to it. It's fine."

She placed the glass in front of herself and went to the restroom.

Only then did Ethan sit beside me, explaining in a low voice: "I'm sorry, I really forgot just now. I'll definitely pay attention next time. Everyone's here, one drink won't hurt, right? Worst case, I'll go out and buy you allergy medicine later."

"Don't overthink it. She's just a friend I haven't seen in a long time. She doesn't know we're getting married. Explaining would be too complicated so I just"

Before he could finish, I simply nodded.

He never knew that for our wedding day, to be in good condition, I'd been off sugar for a long time.

As for allergens that would make me break out in hives all over, I stayed far away.

The tears accumulated in my eyes spilled out from the momentum.

He thought I didn't know his first love, thought he'd hidden it well.

Then I'd go along with his wishes. Pretending to be oblivious was what I was best at anyway.

"Yeah, I know. No need to explain."

He visibly relaxed.

After the earlier awkwardness, his friend spoke first, trying to ease the atmosphere.

He suggested playing a game.

When Luna entered the room, the bottle mouth seemed to have GPS, stopping right in front of Ethan.

His friends around him were all jeering, wanting him to show his phone gallery.

Their spectating gazes swept back and forth between the three of us.

Ethan looked troubled. The person next to him spoke up, sounding rather bored: "Don't you guys know Ethan's getting married soon? His gallery must be full of his wife. What's there to see? Social media would be more exciting!"

Another person joked: "Why didn't you say that earlier? Next round, next round."

Ethan's face flushed from the teasing. His probing gaze quickly swept across Luna's face.

Then he took out his phone, preparing to unlock it.

Perhaps the lighting in the room was too dim his face recognition failed several times.

Just as his phone was about to lock, he could only helplessly input the numeric password under everyone's gaze.

After entering six digits, Luna's eyes flickered.

Teasing laughter came from the side: "That looks a bit familiar. Whose birthday is that? Luna's?"

Ethan cleared his throat lightly. "Don't know. Got used to using it, forgot to change it."

His friend was impatient and snatched his phone away.

The next second, Ethan's gallery was displayed before everyone.

Disappointment flashed across everyone's faces in unison.

No photos of me, no work materials, no gossip they wanted.

Only countless moons.

Five years. Nineteen hundred photos.

Ethan and Luna's gazes met. The air filled with their unique understanding and romance.

His friends and I seemed isolated in a separate space from them.

My heart gradually sank to the bottom. I could almost hear my own heavy heartbeat in my ears.

Soon, his friend spoke disappointedly: "What's wrong with you? Why'd you take so many photos of the moon? Want to be a photographer?"

"Isn't this hobby way classier than gaming? I really appreciate it."

Luna's face lit up with a sweet smile, her eyes so tender they could melt.

As if among all these people in the room, only she understood Ethan.

The first round passed just like that.

But in the second round, Ethan lost again.

This time the condition was to choose an opposite-sex person present and kiss them.

The one who made this request was still Ethan's friend who kept trying to set them up.

There were only two women in the room Luna and me.

The noisy jeering rose and fell.

Ethan gritted his teeth and glared at him for a long while.

Finally speaking slowly: "I'm drunk. I'm leaving."

After saying that, he tilted his head back and downed a bottle of alcohol, getting up to leave the room.

Seeing no show to watch, his friends also left one after another.

The three of us walked outside together to hail cabs.

A car suddenly sped past from the side.

Ethan's first instinct was to pull Luna into his arms.

I was knocked down by that car and fell to the ground. The spot on my palm where my nails had scratched earlier broke open.

Blood instantly seeped from the wound. I bit down hard on my jaw from the pain.

Tears of grievance squeezed from the corners of my eyes.

On the last night before leaving, I didn't want to show weakness in front of him.

Ethan's gaze fell on me, his eyes filled with apology.

He helped me up, just about to apologize, when I shook my head stubbornly: "I'm fine. Just didn't stand steady. Don't worry about me."

"Your classmate just got back. She's probably not too familiar with things here. You should take her home. I can manage on my own."

When I said this, I could feel my heart bleeding in pain.

Perhaps my understanding attitude made him feel guilty.

Ethan rarely took the initiative to hail a cab for me.

He even pretended to write down the license plate number.

After seeing me off, he got into another car with Luna.

Back home, I cleaned the wound on my palm with hydrogen peroxide myself.

Looking in the mirror at how my features contorted in pain, the tears I'd been holding back couldn't be contained anymore and gushed from my eyes.

I cried until my whole body trembled and my throat lost its voice, my body collapsing weakly on the floor.

In the early morning, when I'd finished washing up and lay in bed, Ethan finally pushed the door open.

I closed my eyes pretending to be asleep.

I heard him hesitantly speak: "Don't overthink it. Today was just my classmate coming back for a reunion, nothing else."

As he spoke, he walked to the bed and realized my eyes were tightly shut.

Relieved, he tossed his phone on the bed. Turned and went into the bathroom to wash up.

The light turned on. I slowly opened my eyes.

His phone wasn't locked.

Possessed by some impulse, I picked it up and glanced at it.

The screen was still on the interface where he was replying to Luna's messages.

The last sentence was: [Sophia is my friend. My family pressured me into marriage. This time I had her play along with me. Didn't expect you'd actually believe it and come back specially for this. What, haven't gotten over me after five years? Want to consider getting back together?]

My heart was instantly gripped by an enormous force. Even my breathing trembled.

In front of me, Ethan had always been a perfect boyfriend.

Gifts for every anniversary. Little cakes on every ordinary day. Every new fashion item that appeared in my closet right after launch.

But only I knew he was loving another person through me.

What he did during our relationship was just what he considered a boyfriend's duty. It never had anything to do with me personally.

His heart and soul only beat wildly for Luna.

Even the wedding I'd anticipated for five years was a scheme to win Luna back.

With the facts laid before me, I could no longer deceive myself.

I covered my mouth with my hand so I wouldn't cry out loud.

When I put down the phone, I accidentally returned to the home screen.

His friend's chat showed an unread message.

[Bro, that's all I can help you with. When things work out with Luna, don't forget to treat me to dinner!]

I immediately locked the screen.

Taking several deep breaths, I opened the email I'd just received on my own phone.

It was a success notification from the overseas branch.

After reading it, I directly bought a flight abroad for the next morning.

After the payment succeeded, Ethan's phone suddenly rang.

He hurriedly walked out of the bathroom. I pretended I'd just woken up.

He hung up the call and glanced at a message.

Meeting my sleepy eyes, he spoke: "My friend's light at home broke. I'm going to take a look. You sleep first. I'll be right back."

Dropping that line, he leaned down and kissed my forehead. Then turned and strode out of the room.

The door closing sound echoed. The last teardrop rolled down my cheek.

I desperately wiped my forehead with my uninjured hand.

Ethan, oh Ethan, you weren't even willing to put effort into lying to me once.

I lay in bed with my eyes open until dawn.

I got up and simply washed up, then dragged my luggage to the airport.

On the way, Ethan finally deigned to send me a message.

[Sorry about last night. By the time we fixed the light it was almost dawn. I was afraid of disturbing your sleep, so I didn't come back. Luna's going today too. Save a seat for her. She wants to watch.]

I turned off my phone.

Only at the last moment before boarding did I reply to him.

[I saved a seat, but it's the bride's seat.]

[Ethan, let's break up.]