Chapter 1
This was another cruel joke.
Easton Carter quickly pushed the guards away, forcing a smile and saying to the guests, “Sorry, everyone. Big misunderstanding! She’s my friend. Just a little prank today.”
After the security guards left while grumbling, Easton smoothed the wrinkles on my dress as if he were concerned.
“Wanda, are you okay?”
His friends burst out laughing.
“You really nailed it, Easton! One phone call and she came running!”
“No kidding. This dress looks expensive. Didn’t you say you got her a 99-dollar dress online?”
“She really is a lovesick fool. She paid for her own wedding dress! She must be desperate to marry you!”
The spotlight in the banquet hall lit up my face. The murmuring among the guests grew louder, each word worse than the last.
I felt my heart sink lower and lower.
Easton raised his hand and pretended to scold his friends, “Wanda did me a huge favor today. Show her some respect!”
Then, he turned to me with a gentle smile. “Thank you for helping.”
For a moment, I thought maybe he finally felt a shred of guilt. But then, he rubbed his hands together and said with excitement, “Tina really appreciated what you did for her. When we get married, you’ll be our bridesmaid!”
Then, he leaned in close and whispered, “She even said she wouldn’t mind if you continued hanging around me. Not a wasted trip today, right?”
His friends laughed again.
“Easton, don’t get too close to her or she’ll think you’re into her again!”
“She came running to marry you the second you asked. How many times has she been duped now? She must really love you.”
So, they all knew I had proposed to Easton 99 times.
And each time, he never gave me a decision. He just smiled and told me not to be silly.
In the past, I would’ve run off crying.
But now, I just rubbed my sore shoulder and faced his friends with a slight smile.
“Well, since I’m already here, aren’t you guys going to give me a wedding gift?”
Tina Jones, who had been standing off to the side enjoying the show, looked shocked at my words.
“Wanda, you’re not actually treating this like your wedding, are you? Easton, this is getting out of hand. Did we go too far?”
Tina was the woman Easton loved the most.
He had made fun of me countless times for her sake, and yet she always treated him as a backup.
She had gone through boyfriend after boyfriend, and every time she broke up, she ran back to cry in Easton’s arms.
Easton gently flicked her nose and said, “Babe, don’t worry. She’s just overwhelmed because I had rejected her so many times in the past.”
Then, he glanced sideways at me, his face full of disdain. Even though it lasted just a second, my heart ached like it had been stabbed.
He thought I had been tricked.
But when he called me last night, I had actually been at the hospital visiting his grandmother, Mary. She had been in great spirits, happily sharing some pretzels with me and chatting away.
Easton’s voice had trembled with fake emotion during the call.
“Wanda, would you still marry me?”
My heart skipped a beat.
Then came the line, “Grandma… She doesn’t have much time left…”
I stared at the healthy, lively old woman in front of me. My blood slowly went cold.
If I hadn’t seen her with my own eyes, I might’ve actually believed him.
I might’ve thought he saw the electronic wedding invitation I posted online and finally realized his mistake.
I simply answered, “Okay.”
After hanging up, someone sent me a screenshot from Easton’s group chat with his friends.
He had shared my wedding invitation with them.
“Look at this! Wanda is trying to force me into marriage now!”
One of his friends replied immediately, “She didn’t even put a photo in the invitation. If she’s going to fake it, she could’ve at least done it properly.”
“Maybe she panicked because Tina went looking for Easton.”
Easton sent a smug emoji and said, “I just called and asked her to marry me tomorrow.”
Another friend said, “Bet she cried from joy. She said yes in a second, right?”
Easton replied, “You guys better show up. Just head to the address on her invitation. I got her a wedding dress that cost 99 dollars. If it weren’t for Tina, I wouldn’t have spent even that much on her.”
Another friend joked, “Hey Easton, maybe you should just keep both of them!”
Easton replied, “Gross! She’s not even good enough to stand next to Tina. If Tina hadn’t begged me, I wouldn’t let her anywhere near me again!”
I thought I was past the point of being hurt by his words.
But everything blurred in front of me, and the tears still fell.
I loved him for over ten years, but just one request from Tina was enough for him to throw me away.
Easton and I had grown up in the same compound.
Our fathers had been coworkers. During a routine inspection down in a mine shaft, a sudden collapse occurred.
His father had saved my father, but never made it out himself.
Easton was only ten then. His mother couldn’t handle the pressure of life and disappeared one day without a word.
Thus, only he and his grandmother were left.
Out of guilt, I did everything I could to be good to him. Falling in love with him seemed only natural.
But he had fallen for a pretty transfer student named Tina.
When I got in his way, he changed my college application to some school way out of town.
When Tina needed research data, he called me in the middle of the night to help.
Over the years, I kept chasing after him, giving him everything I had.
But now, 15 years had passed since the fateful accident.
I had repaid my debt. Now, it was time to let go.
