They forced me into a seat, making me a spectator to their twisted wedding ceremony.
Though I had already made up my mind to end everything with Elliot, the sting of humiliation still made tears well up in my eyes.
I overheard one of his friends whispering to him, "Elliot, isn’t this a bit much for Leah?"
Elliot’s response was cold, dismissive. "It’s fine. Leah loves me. I’ll explain it to her later."
Of course, he knew how deep my love ran.
That’s why he had no qualms about repeatedly shattering me.
But what he failed to realize was that my love for him had dried up and faded into nothing.
On stage, they exchanged rings and shared a kiss, a scene that felt like acid to my soul.
I stared at them, numb, only realizing too late when my tears had fallen and mingled with the bitter taste in my mouth.
Tessa had always been Elliot’s unreachable "white moonlight," the one he’d worshipped from afar.
He’d chased her for years, but she’d always kept him at arm’s length.
It wasn’t until she left for abroad that he finally allowed himself to accept my love.
I had thought he was over her. But now, it was clear he had only used me to numb his pain.
When Tessa returned and discovered Elliot was engaged to me, she fell into a deep depression.
Elliot, too, drowned his sorrow in alcohol, his voice laced with bitterness as he muttered to his friends, "Fate is playing a cruel joke."
From that moment on, he was convinced I owed Tessa.
He also believed I owed him, though I was still his fiancée.
I became nothing more than an unwelcome third wheel in our own relationship.
Elliot never officially ended things with me and so I kept humbling myself, loving him cautiously, waiting for a future that seemed more distant with each passing day.
Even as he spent entire nights at Tessa’s place, never returning home, I swallowed my pain, my heart heavy with silence.
Back then, I thought loving someone meant enduring everything, no matter the cost.
But with time, I came to understand that loving someone who didn’t love you back wasn’t just painful; it was degrading.
I sat there, lost in thought, my mind a whirlwind.
When I finally snapped back to reality, I saw that Elliot had already carried Tessa into the wedding car.
The staff had begun clearing things away, their eyes filled with pity as they glanced at me.
Suddenly, the weight of everything pressed down on me and I felt utterly drained.
Loving Elliot had drained me for far too long.
It was time to let go, to finally break free.
I hailed a cab, made my way home and began packing up the remnants of a life I no longer wanted.
I called a moving company and watched as they took away everything that had once belonged to us.
Before I left, I placed a note on the dining table, my words brief yet heavy. "Elliot, let’s part ways and move on. Goodbye."
Then, I added a red envelope, its weight more symbolic than anything. "Wishing you and Tessa a lifetime of happiness together."
As I finished, I checked my phone. Tessa had just posted an update.
There she was, lying in bed with Elliot, their fingers intertwined, the diamond ring that once adorned my hand now sparkling on hers.
Tessa proudly captioned her post: [Wedding rehearsal, perfectly completed.]
A flood of people, blissfully unaware of the truth, liked and congratulated her.
I tapped the "like" button without a second thought.
But no sooner had I set my phone down than Elliot called.
"Leah, do you really have to be this pathetic?" he snapped.
"Tessa's condition has just improved and you’re deliberately provoking her?"
I sighed, unable to hide my frustration. "It was just a like. Does that really count as provoking her?"
Elliot's voice was thick with irritation. "From now on, stay invisible when Tessa’s around."
"If you dare mess with her again, we’re done."
I replied, "Okay."
Without hesitation, I hung up, grabbed my bag and booked a flight.
A museum had been inviting me to consult on an art project for months.
But I had turned it down each time because of Elliot.
Now, it was time to stop letting him control my life and start living for myself.
