Lost Three Loved Ones For Him

At the wedding, the bouquet I tossed was snatched by Chloe, Liam's childhood friend.

She raised an eyebrow at Liam.

Liam, I'm giving you one chance. Choose me, and leave with me!

The groomsmen cheered, pushing Liam towards Chloe.

Chloe just confessed! Come on, tell us, who are you going to marry?

Liam, what are you shy about? You two were sleeping in the same bed at the bachelor party last night.

Liam laughed and lightly kicked a groomsman. "Cut it out, guys. My fiance is right here."

Chloe shrugged.

"I'm just kidding. If I really wanted you, no one else would stand a chance at being your wife."

Liam then turned to me, lightly tapped my nose, and said casually:

"Stella, they're just joking. Let's continue the wedding."

I brushed his hand away and took the microphone from the MC.

"Anyone else want to steal this man? Step forward. I'm out."

The rowdy groomsmen instantly froze. Guests began to whisper.

Liam grabbed my wrist, his face falling.

"Chloe was just kidding. Are you really that upset?"

"Please don't make a scene. This is the dream wedding you've been looking forward to."

"Grandma Helen is still waiting to see our wedding video."

Last night, Grandma Helen had a rare moment of clarity. She tremblingly held our hands together.

He knelt by Grandma Helen's hospital bed, promising to cherish me forever.

Yet, he turned around and spent the night messing around with Chloe at the bachelor party.

My eyes burned red, and I questioned him loudly.

"Sleeping in the same bed was a joke too?"

My voice echoed through the venue. Gossipy glances darted between Liam and Chloe.

A flicker of embarrassment and annoyance crossed Liam's face. He snatched the microphone from my hand and warned in a low voice:

"Shut up. Are you trying to ruin this wedding?"

Chloe took the microphone, her tone playful.

"Forget sleeping in the same bed, we bathed naked together when we were three. Isn't it a bit late for the bride to get jealous now?"

She lightly brushed over the inappropriate comment.

I, on the other hand, was made out to be the unreasonable one.

Mrs. Miller, Liam's mother, chuckled and put her arm around Chloe's shoulder. She cast a contemptuous glance at me.

"Actually, Chloe is the daughter-in-law I always wanted. She's a suitable match from a good family and carries herself with grace. Unlike some people, who throw tantrums regardless of the occasion and have no upbringing..."

"Mom!" Liam sharply cut her off. "Don't say such things."

He nervously studied my expression, his eyes filled with guilt.

My face went pale, a sour ache spreading in my chest.

Ten years ago, my parents were celebrating their wedding anniversary by the ocean when they encountered Liam, who was being swept away by a rip current. They tragically lost their lives trying to save him.

If they were still alive, there's no way they would let me be treated like this.

Chloe crossed her arms and pursed her lips at me.

"Are you actually crying? Tsk, if I really wanted Liam, you wouldn't have stood a chance."

"Fine, fine, it's all my fault. I'll leave, alright?"

Liam's expression changed. He rushed after her, grabbed her by the waist, and frowned at me, his voice laced with reproach.

"Chloe flew all the way from abroad specifically for our wedding. If you don't appreciate it, fine. But what does it mean to drive her away like this?"

Meeting Chloe's defiant smile, I suddenly felt utterly disheartened.

I took off the wedding ring from my ring finger and threw it.

"She doesn't have to leave. I will. You want to crash the wedding? Here's the wedding ring."

Liam clutched the ring tightly, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Stella, you're so generous! Believe me, if you dare to leave today, this wedding can have a new bride in an instant!"

"Let her go!"

"I'll wait for her to come crying back to me."

I gathered my skirt and ran out of the banquet hall without looking back.

Liam's angry roar was left far behind me.

I hailed a taxi. The driver looked at me several times in the rearview mirror, then cautiously spoke.

"Miss, where to?"

I sat in the back, the anger churning in my chest now replaced by a vast emptiness.

Where could I go?

Soon after my parents passed away, Grandma Helen, distraught and confused, was in a car accident. The other party demanded exorbitant compensation, forcing me to sell off our property.

That day, it was pouring rain, and I couldn't find a taxi. It was Liam, on his motorcycle, who sped me to the hospital.

He took off his helmet with one hand, revealing a rebellious grin.

"Just use it, no password needed."

Before I could react, he shoved the card into my hand and turned to leave.

By the time I'd handled everything and wanted to repay him, but couldn't reach him, he suddenly reappeared.

He affectionately wrapped an arm around my shoulder and winked at a girl who was confessing her feelings to him.

"Can't do that, I already have a girlfriend. My girlfriend gets jealous, you know."

In the sunlight, his blond hair gleamed, and just like that, he forcefully entered my world.

For three years, I chased him to repay the debt, becoming known to everyone as his clingy girlfriend.

When he got injured racing in the suburbs, I was the first one there.

When he broke his leg skiing, I brought him meals from the cafeteria every day.

Just as the money was almost repaid, Grandma Helen went missing.

That night, the city up north experienced its heaviest snowfall in a decade, with snow piled above the knees. Security cameras showed Grandma Helen had left the house wearing only a thin sweater.

The police checked hundreds of cameras but found no trace of her.

I was frantic.

It was Liam who mobilized thousands of people for a city-wide search.

Time ticked by. As I fell in the snow for the ninth time, he reached out his hand to me.

"Grandma Helen has been found. I've had her taken to the hospital. She's okay."

I collapsed into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

He awkwardly wiped my tears, pretending to sound relaxed.

"It's no big deal for a girlfriend to hug me."

For the first time, I didn't object to that title.

"Miss, are you alright?"

The driver handed me a few tissues.

Only then did I realize I was drenched in tears.

"Just keep driving forward for now."

The car started, and the scenery on both sides rapidly blurred past.

Last night, Liam confessed to me by Grandma Helen's hospital bed.

"Actually, the person your parents saved by the ocean ten years ago was me."

"My family offered a twenty-million-dollar thank-you payment, but your Grandma Helen refused. She said life cannot be measured by money, and your parents acted heroically."

"Stella, fate pushed me towards you. I will carry your parents' love and cherish you for a lifetime."

But less than a day later, everything had changed.

My heart felt constricted by a vice, a pain that tightened with every beat.

My phone kept ringing.

It was a video Ethan, the best man, had posted in the SnapChat group.

The screen showed Chloe, in a gold gown, arm in arm with Liam. They were both smiling and toasting the guests.

"Someone ditched, so Chloe had to step in temporarily."

"Who wouldn't say they're a perfect match? Why don't you two just get married and make someone else furious?"

I pressed the power button, and my cold face was reflected in the phone screen.

"Driver, to Parkside Villas."

There was something I had to find out.

After getting out of the car, I headed straight for the gaming room.

Liam had a box hidden in there.

One time, I caught him carefully putting photos into it. I insisted on seeing them, but he just smiled and hugged me.

"It'll be a surprise for our wedding."

So I had always been looking forward to it, imagining what might be inside.

A four-digit combination lock.

I tried Liam's birthday, our anniversary, my birthday.

None of them worked.

With trembling fingers, I entered Chloe's birthday.

The lock clicked open.

Inside were three thick photo albums, ten sports car keys, and a dark green velvet box.

I opened the albums to find photos of Chloe from childhood to adulthood.

On the back of a picture showing the young woman, helmet in hand, standing triumphantly on a podium, Liam had written:

*Love of my life, may you sparkle.*

The date was July 5, 2016.

The day my parents died.

"So you finally saw it."

Liam's hoarse voice came from behind me. "I did like Chloe, but that was all in the past."

"That day, I wanted to confess to her, but she openly hugged everyone and said we were all just friends."

"I never got to give her the necklace, and I never sent her the sports cars I bought her every year after that..."

"So," I interrupted him, choked up. "That day, you failed to confess, got drunk on the beach, and were swept away by the waves."

"And my parents lost their lives because of that!"

I was trembling, crying uncontrollably, all because of this absurd, ridiculous reason.

I had lost my parents, and then he had deceived me for eight years!

"It wasn't a coincidence at all, was it? You transferred schools because of guilt, you deliberately appeared in front of me, you intentionally made me owe you $200,000, making me chase you for three years!"

"Liam, was it fun playing me for a fool?"

"No, Stella, it's not like that..."

Liam's eyes were panicked. He reached out to wipe my tears, but sensing my resistance, he withdrew his hand, trembling.

He pulled out a lighter and flicked it on.

"Chloe and I are innocent; nothing happened between us. If you're so bothered, then I'll--"

The lighter was tossed into the box. Flames gradually engulfed the thick photo albums.

"If you still mind, I'll never contact her again, okay?"

He took out his phone, opened SnapChat, and blocked and deleted Chloe right in front of me.

But the next second, Chloe's call came in.

Liam hesitated for two seconds, then answered.

"Just this one last time, I'll make a clean break with her."

Three minutes later, Liam returned, fuming.

"Did you upload the video of Chloe snatching the bouquet? Now everyone online is calling her a manipulative tomboy. How dare you cyberbully her!"

"Don't you know she has a very important World Challenge Race tomorrow? She can't have any scandals!"

Hearing such a clumsy accusation, I only found it laughable.

"Are the netizens wrong? She snatched the bride's bouquet and proposed to the groom..."

"I told you it was a joke! How could you ruin her career over such a small thing?"

"Stella, I never thought you'd be this kind of person."

Liam looked at me with disappointment. "I had someone use AI face swap to switch your faces. Now, issue an apology statement, say you slandered Chloe out of jealousy, just to calm public opinion."

At the peak of my anger, I surprisingly calmed down.

"No, this has nothing to do with me."

"Stella!"

Liam suddenly hugged me, snatching my phone from my pocket.

I struggled to get it back, but he picked me up, carried me over his shoulder, and locked me in the storage room.

Through the door, his voice was muffled.

"I've cleared your phone's photo album for now, so you don't accidentally post old pictures and cause misunderstandings."

"Just cool down for the night. Tomorrow, Maria will let you out. After I accompany Chloe to her race, I'll come back and we'll get married."

The light in the storage room was broken, and there were no windows.

I waited until dawn. When Maria opened the door, she was startled by my red-rimmed eyes.

"Ma'am, are you alright?"

I shook my head, my voice dry.

"Maria, where's my phone?"

Maria pointed to the table. "Mr. Miller asked me to make you breakfast last night before he rushed to catch his flight. He said you shouldn't look at your phone for a few days..."

Seeing my phone tossed on the sofa, I walked directly past the coffee table to get it.

As soon as I turned it on, the screen was filled with missed calls and messages.

I clicked on a link my college roommate sent. The top trending topic was Liam's post of a marriage certificate and a childhood photo.

"Childhood sweethearts, wishes fulfilled. @RacerChloe."

The comments section was full of blessings.

"The heir to a family fortune and the most beautiful racer's perfect love story, and they're childhood sweethearts! We're shipping them like crazy!"

"Good luck winning the championship and making everyone proud!"

The second trending topic was a female teacher admitting to AI face-swapping out of jealousy.

In the video, my face and Chloe's had been swapped. It showed *me* snatching the bouquet and proposing to Liam.

"How shameless! This person was still face-swapping to slander the bride yesterday, almost getting her disqualified by the organizers!"

"I'm going to puke! Does someone like this even deserve to be a teacher? Which school is this? Don't corrupt the students!"

My mind buzzed.

I felt dizzy and almost lost my footing.

A call came from the Dean's office.

"Ms. Stella, you've interfered in another's relationship and caused a negative public impact. The school has decided to terminate your employment."

"I didn't..."

The call was cut off.

I was about to call back to explain when Liam's call came in.

"How could you use my verified social media account to twist the truth? Do you know I was fired from school?"

"Isn't that perfect?"

Liam's hoarse voice held a hint of laziness. "I can afford to support you. Being Mrs. Miller is much more comfortable than being Ms. Stella."

"Besides, you're 26 now. We should have a baby, shouldn't we?"

I was shaking with rage, my chest heaving violently.

It took me a long time to find my voice.

"Liam, you make me sick!"

I hung up on him immediately.

The tears I had been holding back streamed down my face.

Then, a call came from the hospital.

When I rushed to the hospital, Grandma Helen had already been wheeled into surgery.

The doctor held out a critical condition notice for me to sign.

"The patient's extreme emotional fluctuations caused a ruptured brain aneurysm and shock. A special inhibitor injection costs half a million dollars. Do you authorize its use?"

"The golden window is only three minutes. If you wish to proceed, please make the payment as soon as possible."

"Yes!"

I didn't hesitate. "Whatever it takes to save Grandma Helen, no matter the cost!"

My hands were trembling uncontrollably. After signing the consent form, I ran wildly towards the payment counter.

"Payment failed."

Online banking had large transaction limits.

I frantically rummaged through my purse, trying several times to open the metal clasp. My hand shook, and my bank card fell to the floor as I tried to pull it out.

"The password is 062746."

My voice was trembling as I handed over the card.

"Payment failed."

"Ma'am, this card has been frozen."

I froze, realizing it was the supplementary card Liam had given me.

When had he canceled that card?

Without time to think, I quickly pulled out my salary card and repeated the password.

The nurse, however, looked troubled.

"Ma'am, this card has insufficient balance."

"How is that possible!"

My head swam. My four years of post-graduation salary, over 0-000,000, were all on that card.

My phone rang. It was Liam.

"I spent too much celebrating Chloe's championship and got restricted. I just used your card to buy a handbag."

"Just consider it your gift to Chloe..."

"Liam, that's Grandma Helen's life-saving money!"

I screamed, breaking down, my heart pounding against my ribs.

Liam scoffed. "So petty. I'll repay you tenfold when I get back. Gotta go."

The nurse shook her head at me sympathetically.

"Please accept our condolences."

All the strength drained from my body instantly. I watched helplessly as Grandma Helen, covered by a white sheet, was wheeled out of the operating room.

...

"Liam, are you sure you're not coming to my victory party?"

Chloe playfully punched Liam's chest. "That's not cool."

Liam didn't dodge. He just smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"I had someone use AI face swap and posted our fake marriage certificate online just so you could compete smoothly. Isn't that enough?"

"My girl at home is still mad. I need to get back quickly and pacify her, or if my wife leaves me, I'll be lost."

"I have a flight tonight. I can still make it back for our five-year anniversary tomorrow. Perfect for us to officially get married."

But when he rushed home,

He pushed open the door, and the flowers in his hand suddenly dropped to the floor.