He Made Our Wedding a Divorce

Seven years into our relationship, Ethan Reed turned our wedding into a divorce ceremony for the third time, making a complete fool of me.

This time, I didn't yell or make a scene. My heart had simply died.

Around me, his friends roared with laughter while I stood frozen in the center, my face expressionless.

"Haley, why aren't you laughing? Don't tell me you're actually mad?"

I said nothing. Gradually, their laughter faded as they exchanged awkward glances. The silence became eerily oppressive.

Only then did Ethan press his lips together and step forward to ruffle my hair.

"What's wrong? Haley, are you really angry?"

I looked at him, suddenly remembering the conversation I'd overheard last night between him and his friends.

"Ethan, aren't you worried that pulling this stunt will make the Rose of the South actually leave you?"

Ethan had answered dismissively, "I promised Vivian I'd mess with Haley three times. After this one's over, I'll give Haley a real wedding to make up for it. She's been with me all these years, after all."

Now, I stared at him quietly and forced my lips into a smile.

"A divorce ceremony, right? Let's continue then."

"Continue?"

Ethan's casual expression froze, his smile flattening.

"Haley Grant, are you serious?"

My gaze moved past him to land on the large banner that read "Let's Get Divorced."

Seven years.

Countless moments I'd spent yearning for us to get married, to spend our lives together.

But in the end, what I'd been waiting for wasn't "Let's get married," but this absurd prank.

The first time I learned Ethan might propose to me, joy and excitement kept me awake all night.

When I arrived at the venue in my carefully prepared dress and the curtain was pulled back, my heart shattered along with my hopes.

That was the first time I'd ever lost my temper with Ethan like that.

He spent a long time trying to calm me down.

He promised he'd never pull that kind of joke again.

But only three months later, the same thing happened again. That was the second time.

The third time is now.

My chest felt tight and suffocating. The whole thing seemed pointless. I answered him.

"Yes, I'm serious. Let's finish the ceremony as you wished."

Ethan's expression darkened completely.

He stared at me without speaking.

Three seconds later, he suddenly smiled, though his eyes were empty, yet somehow filled with inexplicable anger.

"Fine. Then let's continue."

The crowd that had been mocking me and enjoying the spectacle fell completely silent, standing awkwardly in place.

"Did he really screw this up? That shouldn't happen. Nothing went wrong the first two times, right?"

Another girl sneered.

"How's that possible? Everyone knows Haley Grant worships the ground Ethan walks on."

"She was all over him when her family still had money. Now that they've fallen, there's no way she'll let go."

I looked up at her sharply, my gaze piercing.

She immediately fell silent, closing her mouth awkwardly.

At that moment, a woman in a red dress stepped forward.

"Haley, don't be angry. I apologize, I..."

"What are you apologizing for!"

Ethan's angry voice cut her off as he moved to shield her behind him.

I turned to look.

It was Vivian Song.

Ethan stood between her and me, his voice low and confrontational.

"What are you standing around for? Let's go through with the ceremony."

The guy in charge came up on stage with his script, so embarrassed his scalp was tingling.

"Miss Grant, do you willingly separate from Mr. Reed, whether he is rich or poor, with no regrets?"

An absurd location, absurd words.

And absurd vows that made my chest ache uncontrollably.

Ethan stared at me quietly, his thin lips pressed tight, his whole body radiating irritation.

"I do," I said.

The moment the words left my mouth, there was a loud bang.

Ethan hurled the microphone to the ground, his face dark as he glared at me. "Haley Grant, you've gone too far."

I felt drained.

An overwhelming bitterness washed over me.

"What's wrong? Isn't this what you all arranged? How am I going too far by just going along with it?"

He was momentarily speechless.

He took several deep breaths, then kicked over a flower arrangement at his feet.

He stormed off, pulling Vivian Song along with him.

The venue fell deathly silent.

The background music happened to switch to: "Happy Breakup, I wish you happiness, you'll find someone better."

Ethan's friend quickly turned it off, coughing awkwardly.

"Um... Haley, this is our fault. Don't be angry. Ethan didn't know about this either."

I ignored him.

Whether he knew or not didn't matter to me anymore.

I mumbled an acknowledgment and walked down the red carpet off the stage.

When I walked out of the hotel, the sky was gray and overcast, rain pouring down.

A black Maybach pulled up in front of me. The window rolled down to reveal Vivian Song's apologetic face.

"Haley, get in. We'll give you a ride."

My gaze moved past her to the man beside her who hadn't even looked up. I replied flatly.

"No need."

I heard the man snort coldly and give a curt order.

"Let's go."

The water splashed up by the car instantly soaked the hem of my dress.

I laughed bitterly and pulled out my phone to make a call.

"Attorney Chen, the trust fund my father leftthe condition for me to inherit it is to go to America to find Grandfather and never return, correct?"

"Yes, Miss Grant. Once you land in America, you can apply for the inheritance."

Watching the taillights fade into the distance, I murmured.

"Alright. I accept."

I returned home soaking wet to find the lights blazing inside.

Ethan and Vivian Song were just standing there, looking at me.

As if I were the one who didn't belong.

"It's too late. Vivian's staying at our place tonight. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

He studied me carefully, his body in a defensive posture.

After all, the old Haley Grant, the Rose of the South, would have definitely rushed over and slapped her.

But now...

I only paused for a second before agreeing casually, "Fine. She can stay as long as she wants."

Before Ethan could furrow his brow, I changed my shoes on my own and headed to the master bathroom to shower.

My stomach ached with a dull, sinking pain.

When the hot water cascaded down, it was warm, gradually washing away the coldness in my chest.

This kind of thing had happened before.

The day Vivian Song returned to the country, Ethan had already brought her home.

I stood in the living room, staring at the man at the door holding a drunk woman, my mind going blank.

"You brought another woman home?" I laughed in disbelief. "Don't you think you should avoid this kind of thing?"

He didn't even pause.

He carried her to the master bedroom and laid her on the bed. My pupils trembled.

He turned around on his own and went to the bathroom to wet a hot towel, gently wiping her face.

While doing all this, he warned me.

"Watch your words."

"Vivian is my childhood friend. She's going through family troubles right now and feeling down. Stop giving her dirty looks."

I stood in the doorway watching him bustle around, unable to describe what I was feeling.

Ethan had severe OCD.

He absolutely wouldn't allow me to come home drunk, reeking of alcohol.

Once when I lost control, he had the driver take me to a hotel to book a room. The point was, I wasn't allowed home.

But Vivian Song could break all his rules.

My thoughts snapped back as someone knocked on the bathroom door.

"Haley, let's talk after you shower." The man's magnetic voice sounded by my ear.

I knew this was already him lowering his pride.

Still, I didn't answer.

When I came out after showering, he was waiting by the door with a hairdryer in hand.

"Sit down. I'll dry it for you."

I happened to be tired. Why refuse when someone was offering to help?

"Let's just move past what happened today," his slender fingers threaded through my hair, but they felt cold, icy, "and we'll make things work."

"Mm, make things work."

Make my own life work.

Hearing that, he breathed a sigh of relief, his tense expression gradually relaxing.

"Good girl."

In the mirror, I observed those downcast eyes.

Ethan had beautiful eyes. When he wasn't smiling, they were sharp; when he smiled, they curved into crescents.

When we first met, I ran into some local thugs at a bar who insisted I go into a private room with them.

Back then, before my family's downfall, I lived like no one in the South dared to cross me, so I hadn't brought bodyguards.

That middle-aged man, emboldened by alcohol, grabbed me by the hair and slapped me hard.

"I'm doing you a favor by sleeping with you!"

Just as the door was about to close, Ethan appeared.

He kicked the man away, then looked down at me with mockery.

"You're usually so arrogant. How are you so pathetic now?"

But I wasn't angry at all. Instead, I fell for him right then.

I chased after him for years.

The hairdryer stopped, pulling me from my memories.

Looking at him again, I realized with surprise that those eyes no longer stirred anything in my heart.

"What's wrong?" Ethan frowned and inexplicably looked away, a heavy feeling settling in his chest.

"Nothing."

He was about to say something when the door was pushed open.

Vivian Song walked in as naturally as if she belonged there, tugging at the man's sleeve.

"Ethan, can you stay with me?"

"You know now that I'm back in England, you're all I have. I'm a little scared."

Ethan glanced at me, hesitating. "Maybe I shouldn't. I..."

"Go ahead."

He looked at me sharply. Time seemed to freeze for an instant.

Then he took a deep breath, as if deliberately trying to upset me.

"Fine, then I'll go stay with her!"

I turned around calmly and got into bed on my own.

That night, Ethan didn't come home.

And I passed out in my sleep, blood pooling beneath me.

When I woke up again, everything was blindingly white.

Ethan sat beside me, hands pressed against his forehead, lost in thought.

"What happened to me?"

His whole body shuddered. He looked up, his eyes tinged with red.

"The baby's gone. Haley Grant, you were pregnant. Didn't you know?"

My expression froze.

I could also hear the accusation in his tone.

Just then, the doctor pushed the door open. I asked him, "Why did I miscarry?"

He glanced at the medical report.

"Habitual miscarriage. Your uterine wall is already very thin, and combined with getting caught in the rain, catching a cold, and developing a fever, miscarriage was inevitable."

Ethan shot to his feet, his eyes trembling.

"Habitual miscarriage?"

His eyes, filled with a gathering storm, fixed on me. "Haley Grant! Don't you need to explain this to me?!"

The doctor, sensing trouble, quickly distanced himself from the brewing conflict.

I looked down, my fingers brushing over my stomach.

My chest felt like it was being sliced with a small knife, sharp and painful.

When I looked up, my gaze held a trace of hatred.

"Explain what? The first babyyou personally had it aborted. The second one was drugged away by your mother."

"Did you think you hid it so well?"

"Now, what right do you have to demand an explanation from me?!"

His hands clenched into fists.

The hospital room fell deathly silent, filled only with the man's ragged breathing.

"You... when did you find out?"

"I knew from the very beginning."

When I miscarried the first time, we'd just gotten together. That day, I drank a glass of milk and felt dizzy and faint.

Perhaps the dosage wasn't enough, because my consciousness didn't fade immediately.

I heard the conversation between him and his mother.

"Ethan, we can't keep this baby. We need to devour the remaining shares of the Grant family. We can't have this kind of complication now."

The man was silent for two seconds, his voice hoarse.

"Alright, I understand." He asked, "Will this abortion pill affect her body badly?"

"Not much," his mother said suspiciously. "Ethan, Vivian's coming back soon. What are you planning to do? Mom knows you can't let her go."

For a long time, he didn't answer. He didn't deny it either.

I kept my eyes tightly shut.

I wanted to cry, to confront him, but I couldn't do either.

When I woke up, perhaps out of guilt, Ethan stayed by my side constantly.

"We'll have more children in the future," he promised.

But I kept losing one child after another.

My thoughts returned to the present.

After I finished speaking, Ethan suddenly looked lost.

"Haley, I..."

His explanation was interrupted by someone pushing the door open.

"Haley, I heard you had a miscarriage. I came to see you."

I collected my emotions and looked up.

"Get out."

Vivian Song's expression stiffened. She hadn't expected me to be so blunt, leaving her unable to save face.

She hesitated in the doorway, neither entering nor leaving.

"Haley."

The man's displeased voice carried a warning, as if his earlier guilt had been just an illusion.

I suddenly felt powerless, my spine sagging.

"I need to rest. Please leave."

I looked at the man with his brows knitted tight. "Is this attitude satisfactory?"

Ethan opened his mouth, wanting to say something but unable to get the words out.

Finally, he could only forcefully ignore the unease in his heart.

He stepped forward and hugged me.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault. Haley, when you're discharged, I'll officially hold a real wedding for you, okay?"

"I'll make up for everything I owe you."

"Three days from now, okay? I'll prepare everything. I'll compensate you properly."

My heart felt nothing.

He didn't wait for me to nod in agreement either.

As if afraid of hearing me mock him, he pulled Vivian Song along and left.

My phone chimed.

It was a text from Attorney Chen.

"Miss Grant, due to the typhoon, the earliest flight is at noon three days from now."

"I've already booked your ticket. Someone will pick you up in America."

My fingers landed on the screen, typing as if I'd been set free.

"Alright. I'll be there on time."

That evening, Ethan brought me home.

"Drink some hot water." He sat down beside me, concern seemingly overflowing from his eyes.

If only Vivian Song weren't there.

I found it absurd.

He went to the balcony to take a call. I don't know what the person on the other end said, but he glanced at me.

That's when Vivian Song spoke up.

"Still not leaving him?"

I looked up at her. Her eyes were mocking.

"Honestly, I've never seen anyone debase themselves more than you."

"You should know he's loved me from the very beginning. Even those three times he humiliated you were just because I asked him to."

Hearing that, I found it laughable.

"And what about you? No matter who Ethan loves, at least he and I have a marriage certificate."

"What gives you the right to lord it over me?"

Vivian Song raised an eyebrow and suddenly laughed out loud.

I was confused.

But I had an ominous feeling.

She glanced at the man on the balcony with his back to us, then suddenly leaned close to my ear.

"So you still don't know."

My lips flattened. My fingers unconsciously tightened on my sleeve.

"Know what?"

She said softly, yet her words landed like a crushing blow.

"Your marriage certificate is fake. It was just something Ethan used to placate you."

"What did you say?" My voice was hoarse.

Vivian Song pulled out her phone, opened the marriage registry system, and checked her marital status.

Then she held it in front of my face with cold mockery. "Open your eyes wide and look."

My stiff gaze turned toward it.

In the spouse column, it clearly showed: Ethan Reed!

My mind went blank.

Everything was so absurd I couldn't accept it.

My eyes glazed over.

I turned around and looked at the man on the balcony, suddenly laughing bitterly.

"So it was all fake."

Soon after, he hung up and came back inside.

Seeing my expression, he frowned and reached up to touch my forehead.

"What's wrong? Still not feeling well? Why is your face so pale?"

I instinctively stepped back. His hand hung in the air.

Ethan's fingers froze.

"Rest well. The wedding is in three days."

Three days later, early in the morning, Ethan wheeled a wedding dress into the master bedroom, gently ruffling my hair.

"Take a look at the dress first. It's too heavy, so you'll put it on at the banquet hall. We'll go together."

I turned my face away, avoiding his touch.

"I'm not feeling well. You go ahead."

He hesitated for a moment but nodded. "Alright. The ceremony officially starts at noon."

Watching his retreating figure, my eyes were full of mockery.

I tore up all the photos of us in the house, scattering them everywhere.

Thinking of the gift I'd prepared for him at the wedding venue, I laughed coldly.

After venting, I removed my SIM card and left without looking back.

At the same time, at the wedding venue, Ethan's mother looked extremely displeased.

"Son, what were you thinking? Are you really holding a wedding with her and spending your life together?"

"What about Vivian?"

Ethan's heart felt inexplicably heavy, as if something was suspended high above, unable to settle.

"Yeah, it's decided. I'll make things work with Haley. As for the marriage certificate issue, I'll handle it without her knowing."

He glanced at the time and asked his assistant.

"Go check if Mrs. Reed has arrived yet."

The assistant was about to turn around when the hotel manager burst in, face pale and gasping for breath.

"Mr. Reed, something's happened..."

Ethan's heart sank, his expression instantly darkening like storm clouds. "Speak clearly!"

The manager's voice trembled with fear.

"The bridal dressing room... You'd better go see for yourself..."

Ethan's eyes shook.

His usually composed face now looked like a storm was approaching.

He rushed out and pushed the door open with trembling hands.

When he saw what was before him, his breathing stopped.