On the day of my wedding, my fiancée was taken away for allegedly assaulting her male student.
I chased after her in my wedding suit, desperate to clear her name.
Only to learn she had turned herself in.
She looked at me apologetically and said:
"Eustace's family found out that he was forced into it. They think he's a disgrace and are threatening to pull him out of school and marry him off to some widow back home."
"I couldn't bear to watch him end up like that, so I stepped forward and took the blame."
"Don't worry, it's all just an act for his parents. The charges will be dropped soon. Oh, and the university inquiry, the rumors—handle all of that for me, will you?"
"Eustace and I have an agreement. A fake marriage, three years. After three years, I'll marry you. Just wait for me, okay?"
I calmly pulled the veil from her head—the one I had placed there with my own hands just moments ago, the symbol of a lifetime of devotion—
and draped it over a stray dog on the side of the road.
Sabina Delgado. What made you think I would wait?
——
Sabina ordered me to go back to the venue immediately, smooth things over with the university officials, and squash the rumors.
I did two things instead.
First, I called her university and informed them I was pulling my investment from her project and shutting down her lab.
Second, I left the wedding venue and went straight back to our apartment.
One by one, I erased every trace of Sabina Delgado from that home.
The matching mugs we'd shaped together on that pottery trip. The couple's pajamas we wore every night.
The wedding portrait we'd just picked up yesterday, freshly and lovingly framed.
I threw it all into the bathtub, flicked open a lighter, and set it ablaze until nothing was recognizable.
Watching the flames climb, I called the hotel that was hosting the reception.
"The wedding's off. Send the remaining bill to the bride. And have my belongings delivered to my home."
The hotel manager's voice came back stunned.
"But the bride just told us the wedding is still on—just pushed back a day. She also said we printed the wrong name on the photos and banners and asked us to replace the groom's name with Eustace Simmons."
A thorn drove itself deep into my chest.
That wedding was something I had spent ten years building for Sabina, piece by piece, detail by detail.
Every flower, every decoration—I had spent six months crafting them by hand.
Sabina knew full well that it was our dream wedding.
And she was handing it to her student?
I drew a long breath, forcing down the pain.
"Fine. Whatever. Just send my things back. Especially the bracelet in the safe."
The manager sounded even more bewildered.
"But the bride already took the bracelet from the safe. She said it was her dowry—a gift for the groom."
My skull rang like a bell had been struck inside it.
I hung up immediately and called Sabina. Over and over.
Every call was rejected. It wasn't until the eighteenth attempt that she finally picked up.
Her voice carried a weary, irritated edge.
"Didn't I already tell you? Don't contact me right now. I need to focus on playing the part with Eustace. I was just chatting with his parents and you nearly blew my cover."
My throat locked shut. I managed to force the words out.
"Sabina—did you take my bracelet?"
She paused for a second, then laughed.
"Oh, that. Eustace's mother said it's their family tradition—the dowry has to include a bracelet. Yours was heavy enough and pretty, so I grabbed it to present as part of the dowry to their family."
The pain tore through me as if my heart were being ripped apart.
"Sabina!!"
My voice cracked into a raw, shattered scream.
