Met My Ex at a Friend’s Wedding

Five years after breaking up with Matthew, we ran into each other at a friend's wedding.

Our eyes met for a second before we both looked away at the same time, pretending we were strangers.

After the ceremony ended, my half-drunk friend pointed at Matthew and whispered to me,

After you two broke up, every girlfriend he's found has looked a bit like you. We all know they were substitutes for you.

"But this Natasha by his side nownot only has she stayed with him longer than anyone else, she doesn't look like you at all. He must really be serious about her this time."

I knew my friend was trying to ask if I had any regrets, but I just smiled awkwardly.

The truth was, whether Matthew was serious or not had nothing to do with me anymore.

This time, I came back to get married.

As we walked out of the banquet hall, my friends started making a fuss about going somewhere else to drink the night away.

Before I could refuse, someone pushed Matthew over to my side.

"Matthew, Prince came all this way back here. With your history together, you have to show her a good time tonight, right?"

As they spoke, my friend's eyebrows bounced up and down suggestively.

Matthew didn't say anything. He just naturally took my suitcase from my hand.

I glanced at my watch. Since I still had time before my scheduled meeting, I nodded and agreed to get in the car.

I sat in the passenger seat while Matthew and Natasha sat in the back.

The car had barely started moving when a sweet, cloying voice drifted up from the back seat. "Matthew, you haven't even introduced me to her yet."

"At first I thought you two didn't know each other. I almost made a fool of myself."

Though she was talking to Matthew, I could see from the rearview mirror that her eyes were fixed on me, full of naked provocation and disgust.

Matthew's gaze lingered on me for a moment. Before he could speak, I took the initiative to explain:

"Hello, my name is Prince. Matthew and I are classmates."

"Prince?" Natasha suddenly covered her mouth and laughed. "What do you mean classmates? Everyone knows you're Matthew's ex-girlfriend."

"Don't worry though, I'm not that petty. I won't get jealous over something like this."

After saying this, she wrapped her arm around Matthew's and kissed his cheek forcefully, as if marking her territory.

Throughout the drive, Natasha kept chattering nonstop. Matthew, who had always been cold and quiet, patiently responded to every single thing she said.

"We're not going to have to drink more later, are we? I have the worst tolerance. If I get drunk, will you take me home, Matthew?"

"I won't let you get drunk. I'll take you home."

"The wedding today almost made me cry. I'm so jealous the bride got to marry for love. When we have our wedding, I want roses filling the sky and colorful balloons everywhere."

"Okay. You can decide everything about the wedding."

I rolled the car window all the way down, letting the wind scatter the intimate atmosphere inside the car.

When we finally arrived at our destination, I got out of the car and saw Matthew smoothly lift Natasha out in his arms.

When our eyes met, his hands stiffened for a moment.

Natasha nestled in his embrace and smiled shyly. "I'm not used to wearing heels. Matthew worries I'll twist my ankle, so he always carries me when I get out of the car."

I nodded and smiled politely. "Matthew treats you really well."

When we got to the private room, a friend immediately handed me a drink. "You're late. As punishment, you have to drink three glasses."

I had just taken the glass when Matthew already downed the other two in one gulp.

"Natasha can't hold her liquor. I'll drink hers for her."

Several people started making a fuss, but most of the attention stayed fixed on me.

I calmly drank what was in my glass. As I was about to grab another one, Natasha rushed over and blocked me.

"Don't bully Prince like this. She's single right now. If she gets drunk, which one of you is going to take her home? Is she supposed to stay at your place?"

I glanced at her and took back the glass she'd blocked.

"Thanks for your concern, but I'm not single."

My response made Natasha's expression turn ugly instantly.

The room suddenly fell silent. All the eyes that had been on me shifted to Matthew.

Through the dim lighting, I could clearly see his hand tighten around the empty glass, as if just a bit more pressure would shatter it.

After a few seconds, he finally raised an eyebrow and spoke. "Then why didn't your boyfriend come today?"

"He'll be here at midnight."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned strange. My friend immediately tried to lighten the mood by raising the cards in their hand. "Today's gathering is supposed to be drink till we drop! Come on, let's play games!"

Natasha tugged at Matthew's sleeve, pouting as she whined, "But I can't handle alcohol at all. Isn't making everyone drink till they drop just bullying me?"

Matthew patiently stroked her hair and gently reassured her, "Don't worry. I'll drink yours for you."

"I can't bear to let you drink that much."

Her eyes darted around, and then she focused her attention on me. "Prince, I saw you drink so much earlier without even blushing. Your tolerance must be really good."

"How about you drink for me?"

Someone frowned and reminded Matthew, "Aren't you going to say something? This is too much."

"She's always been the one managing me." Matthew said flatly, then pushed a glass toward me. "Your tolerance really is good. How about you and I each take half for Natasha?"

I stood there, suddenly feeling my fingers tremble.

When Matthew and I first got together, he wasn't Matthew the gentleman yet. We were squeezed into a tiny rental apartment, praying the rain would stay light so the roof wouldn't leak.

That kind of life lasted two years before we finally used all our savings to start a business.

At business dinners, people would often target me deliberately.

"Just one look at Miss Prince and I can tell you hold your liquor well. Why don't you down this glass first?"

Every time, before I could even pick up the glass, Matthew would grab it first. "Prince, since we're the perfect couple, how about we split it in half?"

But every time, he would secretly switch out my drink and end up completely wasted himself, even getting a perforated ulcer that bled.

"Prince, I won't let you get drunk, and I'll definitely give you a good life. You'll never have to touch alcohol again."

I glanced coolly at the current Matthew and took two steps back. "Matthew, Natasha is your girlfriend, not mine."

"Don't tell me after all these years, you still can't protect your own girlfriend?"

The situation became awkward after my retort.

Natasha sniffled beside him, tears threatening to fall as she looked aggrieved.

"Prince, I know you're still bitter that Matthew dumped you back then, but you don't need to target us like this."

Everyone gasped.

My friend glared at Natasha and tried to smooth things over. "What dumped or whatever? Isn't there a popular saying online nowthat everyone had their own difficulties back then?"

I laughed lightly. "There weren't really any difficulties. I just had one or two close friends when I was young, that's all.

Why keep bringing up the past? If you're petty enough to care about it, Miss Natasha, maybe you should go home with Matthew and settle accounts slowly?"

Natasha might not know this, but I was famous for holding grudges.

If you don't provoke me, I can pretend you don't exist. But if you make me unhappy, I'll make sure you're unhappy too.

Even if it's just a war of words.

Natasha bit her lip. Tears fell at will, but when she noticed Matthew standing beside her with cold eyes, saying nothing, she stubbornly wiped them away.

"Then I won't drink. Let's just play Truth or Dare, and I'll be the referee."

The farce finally ended, and no one wanted to stir up more conflict.

Natasha grabbed the wine bottle nearby. "Whoever I spin to has to answer a truth question!"

The bottle spun several times before stopping in front of me.

A flash of smugness and calculation crossed Natasha's eyes. "Prince, did you really come back just to attend a wedding, or is it for something else?"

I could feel Matthew's gaze fixed on me. I picked up the glass on the table and took a casual sip.

"To get married."

Everyone's eyes darted back and forth between Matthew and me. Natasha shook Matthew's arm.

"Oh my, if Prince is getting married, does that mean she can't be our bridesmaid?"

"It's fine." Matthew's answer was perfunctory, and his eyes remained fixed on me.

I put down my glass and replied to a message on my phone before saying leisurely, "Even if I weren't getting married, I'd have no interest in being a bridesmaid."

Natasha had embarrassed herself again. She pouted and started spinning the bottle on the table again.

"Since we said we'd drink till we drop, whoever it lands on this time has to finish this whole bottle!"

Natasha pointed at the bottle.

"How should we count this? Why don't you two split it in half?" my friend teased, then whispered in my ear, "Actually, I think you and Matthew still have a chance. You came back for him, didn't you?"

I'd been up for a whole day without rest, and now my head was starting to throb. I rubbed my temples. "No, I really came back to get married."

My friend clicked their tongue, clearly not believing me.

I didn't want to explain further. Just as I was about to pick up the glass and split the drinks with Matthew, Natasha stopped my hand.

"Prince, it's not that I'm targeting you, but I really don't like my boyfriend sharing a drink with another woman. Let's do another round."

She emphasized the words "my boyfriend" especially hard, as if deliberately trying to remind or warn me of something.

"What's the big deal? We're pouring it out into separate glasses anyway. It's not like we're drinking from the same one."

Faced with Natasha's repeated antics, my friend was finally getting impatient.

"If you're that worried about your boyfriend, why don't you just tie Matthew up and keep him locked at home?"

Natasha immediately became all innocent, her lips slightly pouting as she looked at Matthew pitifully. "I just wanted everyone to have fun."

Matthew's brow furrowed slightly, but he still went along with what Natasha said. "We'll do what you want."

The beer bottle spun again and quickly stopped firmly in front of me.

Fair and squareI didn't hesitate to pick up the glass in front of me and drain the entire pitcher.

The game continued.

I don't know if Natasha's hand had been blessed somehow, but every single round, the beer bottle stopped steadily in front of me.

The lack of rest combined with excessive drinking was already making me dizzy.

Matthew reached out and grabbed my hand as I went for another glass. The cold touch instantly brought me back to my senses.

"Let's stop here for today."

Natasha glared at me resentfully and muttered with displeasure, "But we haven't finished this round yet."

"Then how about thisfor this round, no drinking. Prince, answer another truth question instead."

I pulled my hand back and checked the time. Ten more minutes until midnight.

"Fine."

A flash of calculation quickly crossed Natasha's eyes. She pulled out her phone, opened a photo, and held it in front of me.

"Prince, in this scandal of yours, exactly how many men were involved?"

Looking at the familiar photos in front of me, my whole body began to convulse uncontrollably. That dark period of history seemed to return before my eyes.

It was when Matthew and my company was about to go public.

At a malicious banquet, while Matthew stepped out to take a call, someone drugged my drink.

When I realized something was wrong with my body, I frantically knocked my glass over. The moment the glass shards pierced my palm, my consciousness finally returned briefly.

I stumbled out of the banquet hall, trying to find Matthew, but the burning restlessness inside made me collapse in a corner after just a few steps.

With no other choice, I used glass shards to desperately cut my wrist to maintain brief moments of consciousness while crawling on my knees to the bathroom.

Only when the door was locked did my anxious heart finally settle.

When I woke up in the bathroom again, it was already the next day.

When I rushed home, I learned that Matthew had searched for me all night. But before I could tell him what happened that night, my photos were posted online.

Instantly, it caused a huge uproar.

Matthew held me tightly. "Don't be afraid. No matter what you become, I'll never abandon you."

I explained that nothing happened that night, but wave after wave of photos online nailed me firmly to the pillar of shame.

Many people even came forward claiming I'd always been promiscuous, that the only reason our company could close so many deals was because of what I did in bed.

There were also men claiming to be in the photos, pointing at my spine and saying I had seduced them.

The company caught in the scandal saw its stock plummet. Shareholders withdrew their investments one after another. Going public became an impossible dream.

During that time, I desperately tried to prove my innocence, but no one believed me.

The only person who said he would always believe meMatthewalso began to lose patience between being cursed by thousands and facing bankruptcy.

Many people said Matthew and I broke up because of this scandal, but only he and I knew the truth.

We simply let each other go.

I didn't want to drag him down anymore, and he didn't want me to continue suffering all that humiliation in America.

Five years had passed, and everything had finally begun to fade. But now Natasha had brought it all back into the open.

Matthew's expression darkened immediately. Just as he was about to reach for Natasha's phone, I raised my hand and slapped her across the face.

"I don't know how you got these slanderous and defamatory photos, but maliciously spreading false information carries a sentence of up to three years."

I used to be so upset about this that I became depressed and suicidal, but now, I wouldn't be hurt anymore. I wouldn't desperately try to prove myself innocent over something that never happened.

Natasha hadn't expected me to actually hit her. She grabbed Matthew's hand in grievance. "Matthew, it was just a game. Prince, she"

Before she could finish, I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door. "I have things to do. Continue your so-called game."

Just as I reached the door, Matthew suddenly blocked my way.

"Natasha was just playing around. Don't take it too seriously."

"You slapped her too, so we're even."

I raised an eyebrow and smiled, finding the man in front of me incredibly unfamiliar. "I always take things seriously."

As I brushed past him, Matthew grabbed my hand.

"Where are you staying now? I'll take you."

I pulled my hand away in displeasure. Just as I was about to speak, I fell into a familiar, warm embrace.

A deep voice came from behind me. "My fiance will obviously be staying with me."