His 100th Proposal Was My Last Goodbye

Ethan Vance, my boyfriend of ten years, was asking me to register our marriage at City Hall for the 100th time.

He sent me a text, his tone unusually solemn:

Put on your wedding dress and come to City Hall right now. I'm serious this time. I won't lie to you again.

For the past ninety-nine times, he had used fake proposals to trick me into rushing to City Hall, only to place bets with his childhood best friend, Chloe Miller, laughing at my desperate reactions.

But this time, he promised me over and over that this would be his last prank. He even swore that on our 100th time, he would finally keep his word.

I believed him.

Until I pushed open the doors of the hall, and erupted into a wave of mocking laughter.

Ethan curled his lips into a smirk:

"You actually came? I bet Chloe you wouldn't show up this time. I bet against you, and she bet on you."

"The stakes were: if I won, wed get married today. Since I lost, I guess well have to wait until next time."

He shrugged. "So, I lost the bet. Guess well get married next time."

Looking at Ethans casual, mocking face, my heart sank to the bottom of the ocean.

So, in his eyes, our marriage was nothing more than a joke to gamble on with his friends.

He didnt even remember that today was our ten-year anniversary.

I took off the promise ring I had worn for ten years and dropped it into his palm.

"Ethan, I waited for your 100th proposal."

"But I don't want to marry you anymore."

Even the clerk at the desk threw me a sympathetic look.

But Ethan got angry.

"What is that supposed to mean? It was just a joke."

"Do you really have to pull a face like that?"

"Everyone is watching. Don't embarrass me."

I said nothing.

Chloe, his little green-tea best friend, let out a soft giggle.

"Ethan, is your girlfriend actually mad?"

"Shes such a party pooper."

"Maybe she just doesnt love you anymore."

Ethan's face instantly darkened.

"No way."

"For the 37th proposal, I joked that Id marry her if she jumped off a 100-meter high dive. She has severe vertigo, but she still jumped."

"For the 55th proposal, I lied and said my family went bankrupt. She ate nothing but expired bread for six months just to save money for me. She starved herself until her stomach bled and ended up in the ICU."

"As long as I say the word 'marriage,' shed die for me. If thats not love, what is?"

A wave of sheer absurdity washed over me.

So, he knew. He knew all along.

He knew exactly how much damage he had caused me.

Yet, every single time, he chose to place another bet with Chloe.

Over and over again, he treated my pain as his personal entertainment.

I swallowed the bitterness in my throat.

With one last shred of hope, I looked at Ethan.

"So, this time, did you ever actually intend to marry me?"

Ethan leaned in, kissed my cheek, and smiled:

"Babe, its just a game. Dont take it so seriously."

"Next time. I promise itll be real next time."

I looked into his eyes, my gaze steady.

"There won't be a next time, Ethan."

"Are you going to marry me today, or not?"

Before Ethan could speak, Chloe chimed in coldly:

"Ethan, your girlfriend is being ridiculous."

"Shes pushing so hard for marriage. Is she after your family's money or something?"

Ethans grip on my hand slowly loosened.

His expression hardened.

"Yeah, my parents haven't even accepted you yet."

"Stop being so sensitive."

"Cant you be more like Chloe? Just relax a little."

But Ethan.

I couldnt wait any longer.

For ten years, I hadn't gone home once. I had cut ties with my parents.

All because of your promise: "Ill marry you on the 100th time."

I flew into your fire like a moth, over and over.

I lost a baby. I ended up in the ICU five times.

I became a running joke in everyone's eyes.

I let out a long sigh, feeling ten years older.

"But I'm tired."

Ethan violently let go of my hand.

"Fine! Dont marry me then!"

With that, he took out the ring, dropped to one knee in front of Chloe.

"Chloe, marry me."

Even as he said it, his eyes were locked on me, trying to provoke me.

Chloe began to cry tears of joy, throwing herself into his arms.

Ethan shot me a defiant smirk.

"See? You didn't want it, but plenty of girls do."

The ring I had waited ten years for was handed to someone else just like that.

I watched them sign the marriage papers right there in City Hall.

My chest tightened, but surprisingly, it didn't hurt anymore.

Just pure, hollow absurdity.

I smiled bitterly.

Ethan had no idea.

I had a ten-year agreement with my parents.

And tonight was the final deadline.

Looking at the marriage certificate in their hands, I forced a tight smile. "Congratulations. I hope you're happy."

Ethan scoffed.

"I don't want to wait another second."

"Were having the wedding tomorrow."

"Let's go, Chloe. I'm taking you to get your wedding dress!"

He looked me up and down, his eyes filled with contempt.

As Chloe walked past me, she paused and whispered, "Some people just don't look like brides, even in a wedding dress."

"Ten years of waiting, and you're still just an outsider."

She reached up to adjust her hair.

The diamond earrings she wore caught the light, sparkling brilliantly.

I recognized them instantly.

They were heirlooms from Ethan's grandmother.

Ethan once told me those earrings would only be given to his future wife.

Yet in our ten years together, I had never once been invited to a Vance family gathering.

When I used to complain to him about it, he would just brush me off.

"Is meeting them really that important?"

"You're marrying me, not my family."

Later, I asked him, "Why does Chloe get to go on family vacations with you every year?"

He laughed.

"She grew up with us."

"My mom treats her like a daughter."

"If I actually liked her, would I even be with you?"

"Stop overthinking."

That afternoon, Ethan booked the most exclusive bridal boutique in the city.

He ordered her a custom-designed gown adorned with a hundred diamonds, each worth millions.

Chloe spitefully sent me a Snapchat video to brag.

Champagne towers, a live string quartet, a sea of roses.

Ethan knelt on one knee, gently putting the wedding shoes on her feet.

As I watched, my eyes still burned.

Not out of jealousy.

But out of pity for myself.

Pity for how pathetic and small I had been for the last ten years.

Ethan always told me that true love shouldn't be measured by money.

So, during our ten years, I lived frugally, never asking him for a dime.

The most expensive thing he ever gave me was a cheap $5 dollar-store glass bracelet.

One winter, I caught severe pneumonia. I couldn't afford the medical bills and called Ethan to borrow $300.

He didn't pick up once.

Hours later, he replied with a text:

"Babe, don't use things like this to test me."

"I hate women who use money to prove love."

"Once we're married, everything I have will be yours anyway."

He thought I was faking an illness to get cash out of him, so he turned off his phone and ignored me.

That night, I coughed up blood. To this day, my lungs have never fully recovered.

I blocked Chloe on Snapchat.

Then, I called my parents.

"Dad, Mom... I lost."

"Book my flight for tomorrow night. I'm coming home."

Suddenly, a pair of warm hands wrapped around my waist from behind.

Ethan's dark, suffocating gaze locked onto me.

"Which home are you going to?"

My heart skipped a beat.

I quickly broke free from his embrace.

"My parents cut me off years ago. What other home would I have?"

Ethan let out a soft laugh and pulled me back into his arms.

He rubbed his face against the back of my neck affectionately.

"Babe, you blocked Chloe because youre jealous, right?"

"I knew you still cared about me."

"Be good. Just apologize to her, and on our 101st time, I'll divorce Chloe and marry you for real, okay?"

"Why should I apologize?"

I pushed his arms away.

"You guys are the ones playing games, youre the ones who disrespected me, so why am I the one who has to apologize?"

Ethan frowned, looking at me as if I were a spoiled child.

His voice went cold.

"I told you, Chloe is just a friend. It was a harmless joke."

"Plus, we had a deal."

"Once you passed my 100 tests, wed get married."

"We were only one test away. Do you have to be this dramatic?"

Even now, he still didn't understand why I was angry.

I ripped the ridiculous veil off my head.

I tore off the cheap wedding dress that had cost me a whole year's savings, the one they had laughed at.

But I didn't let my tears fall.

"You wanted to play a game, so you used me as your toy."

"Ethan, what am I to you?"

"You said you weren't ready, that you lacked security, so you made me go through 100 tests."

"I had to walk 100 steps to get to you."

"But Chloe didn't have to do a single thing for you to run to her."

Ethan smiled, brushing a stray hair from my face.

"So you really are just jealous."

"If you hadn't embarrassed me in front of my friends, we wouldn't be here."

"Are you scared now?"

"Don't worry, I won't throw you away. Just say you're sorry..."

I pushed him back, my voice firm.

"What I mean is,"

"We are done. It's over."

"Have a nice wedding, Ethan."

Ethan grit his teeth, his face twisting in anger.

"Fine. Fine! If you want to play tough, don't come crawling back crying to me."

"Tomorrow is my wedding. As my generous ex, you better show up."

Ethan turned on his heel and slammed the door.

I sank to the floor.

The cheap glass bracelet he had given me slipped off my wrist.

*Shatter.*

It broke into a million pieces.

Glass is so fragile.

Why couldn't Ethan ever understand that?

The news of the Vance and Miller families marrying exploded all over social media.

The wedding cost eighty million dollars.

Ethans parents were thrilled.

They gifted Chloe ten million dollars in cash and a prime commercial building in downtown Manhattan.

Ethan's friends were spamming their group chat on Snapchat:

[I knew theyd end up together.]

[We finally got rid of that gold-digger. If she found out the "100 proposal tests" was actually Ethans idea to make Chloe laugh, shed lose her mind.]

[Thats nothing. Remember when Sera almost got assaulted and Ethan played the hero to win her over? That was Chloe's idea too, and Ethan agreed without a second thought.]

They seemed to have forgotten I was still in the group.

I read every single word.

Each letter felt like a dagger to my chest.

My entire body went numb with cold.

We had met at an art gallery.

Ethan claimed it was love at first sight and pursued me relentlessly.

At the time, I didn't know if he had recognized my real identity or if he was just lusting after me.

I kept rejecting him.

Until one night, I was grabbed by some thugs on the street.

Ethan appeared out of nowhere, taking a knife to the shoulder to save me.

Even as he bled, he held me and wiped my tears.

"You look prettier when you smile. Don't cry. If I die, at least nobody will bother you anymore."

For ten years, I used that single memory to forgive him a thousand times over.

But now, reality told me even that was a lie.

My heart felt like it was dissolving in acid.

I stared at the screen until a notification from Ethan popped up.

[There's still thirty minutes left. It's not too late to regret your choice.]

[Sera, if you show up at the venue and apologize to Chloe and me in front of everyone, Ill take you back.]

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

I blocked him on everything.

I packed my bags and walked out.

Chloe was waiting for me in the lobby, a smug smile on her face.

"You saw the messages?"

"Did you do that on purpose?"

"I just wanted to help you see reality," Chloe sneered. "A prince like Ethan was never going to marry a charity case like you."

"You were just his toy while I was away. Now that I'm back, its time to return whats mine."

I let out a cold laugh.

"Then congratulations."

"A trashy man for a trashy girl. You two deserve each other."

Chloes eyes narrowed, but she quickly recovered.

"All you have is your mouth, Sera. But guess what? Your miscarriage three years ago? It wasn't an accident."

My pupils dilated.

That baby was a scar I never dared to touch.

It was because of that loss that I felt guilty toward Ethan, enduring his friends' humiliations for years.

"It was Christmas. I flew back to surprise Ethan," Chloe whispered maliciously. "But he wanted to spend it with you. He even said he wanted to end the game and settle down."

"I lost my mind. I was the one who caused your car crash."

"I was terrified, but Ethan comforted me. He said his parents wouldn't have accepted the kid anyway, so it was for the best."

"He told me hed keep it a secret from you forever."

Chloes proud smirk burned into my brain.

But Ethan had told me he was looking forward to that baby.

He had said his mother was finally going to let me into the family, but because I failed to protect the child...

I had slipped into severe depression, unable to sleep for six months.

And it was all a lie?

I burst into hysterical laughter, tears streaming down my face.

So this was what it felt like to have your soul completely crushed.

Chloe mockingly handed me a tissue.

I ignored her.

As I turned to leave, I heard Ethan's voice complaining nearby.

"Why isn't she here yet?"

"I thought you said shed come crawling back once the wedding started?"

"Just wait a bit longer," Chloe replied smoothly. "If she doesn't show up, I'll just have to marry you instead."

"Stop joking. You're like a sister to me."

I didn't look back. I boarded the private jet my parents had sent for me.

At the same time, I couriered the shattered glass bracelet and a recording of Chloe's confession directly to the wedding venue.

Ethan waited and waited, but I never showed up.

As the ceremony neared, panic began to set in.

Suddenly, a figure appeared.

He gasped in relief, but when he got closer, it was a stranger.

"Are you Ethan Vance?"

"This is a wedding gift from Seraphina Belmont. She insisted you open it immediately."

"What is this?"

Ethan opened the box. The shattered glass bracelet fell to the floor, breaking into even smaller pieces.

And then, the recording began to play.

Ethan's hand shook, the color completely draining from his face.