After My Captain Husband Committed Suicide for His Childhood Sweetheart, I Turned the Tables

The day Julian Rhodes and I got engaged, his one that got away jumped into a lake.

Her eyes red-rimmed, she stared at the person livestreaming her, her voice desolate. "Go ahead and marry her. I'll go on ahead to prepare our home for the next life."

Facing the sudden swarm of reporters, my fiancé squeezed my hand tightly.

"The person I love most is my wife."

I went up on my tiptoes, linked my arm tightly in his, and smiled sweetly.

But one week later, the ever-dignified and self-possessed Captain Rhodes killed himself by taking pills.

1

The day Julian Rhodes and I got engaged, the famous dancer Stella Lyra leaped off a bridge and plunged into a lake.

The bridge was bustling with people, and some busybody, chasing clout, even started a livestream.

The livestream quickly filled with people from the same city:

"Don't shake the camera… Isn't that the Black Swan who was on a national tour just a few months ago? I just saw her perform last month…"

With light steps, Stella Lyra climbed onto the railing, perched precariously like a butterfly, a heart-stopping sight for all who watched.

But she turned back to the camera and flashed a brilliant smile. In her white dress, she looked like the very picture of everyone's first love.

It was a stark contrast to her on-stage persona as the Black Swan, making the sight all the more heart-wrenching.

She smiled at the camera, but her eyes glistened with wronged tears. "Let her marry you in this life. Forgive me, Julian Rhodes. I'll go to the other side and wait for you."

"I… I'll go prepare our home for the next life."

The words had barely left her lips when this girl, so pure and so hopelessly in love, leaped from the great bridge.

A brilliant star, plummeting to the bottom of the lake.

She left the crowd on the bridge in a state of terror. They had thought it was just a stunt for attention, never imagining the Black Swan would actually jump.

The incident quickly blew up online. Some sympathized with Stella Lyra, determined to unearth the identity of the man who had wronged her. Others, in a classic case of 'too little, too late,' suddenly became her career fans, lavishing praise on Stella Lyra's dancing talent.

Pure love has become a rarity, so men pitied a girl like Stella Lyra, and women despised the Julian Rhodes she spoke of.

Finally, they arrived.

The reporters swarmed in, barging right into my engagement party.

Their questions were sharp and direct:

"Mr. Rhodes, you've seen the video of Miss Stella Lyra jumping from the bridge, haven't you?" The question was rhetorical, laced with obvious hostility.

"Was your relationship with Miss Stella Lyra romantic, or were you her sugar daddy? Why did you pay for her expenses while she was studying abroad?" The accusation was clear, leaving no room for defense.

Camera flashes strobed relentlessly, and a forest of lenses locked onto Julian Rhodes's face.

They were trying to read something on the young captain's face.

But Julian Rhodes just quirked the corner of his lip. "I saw it."

The reporters' eyes lit up, waiting for his next words.

Unfortunately, Julian Rhodes never played by the book. He just squeezed my hand, as if holding something back, and avoided the subject entirely.

The reporter grew impatient. It had been a while since a story this hot had landed in his lap, and his entire monthly bonus depended on it. He shoved the microphone forward and pressed, "What's your take on Miss Stella Lyra taking her own life for love?"

I squeezed Julian Rhodes's hand in return. His face was pale, and by the set of his jaw, he clearly had no intention of speaking.

So, I stepped in front of the cameras and declared firmly, "We don't know any Stella Lyra."

"Today is my engagement party. Julian Rhodes and I have known each other for over ten years and been together for three."

"So please, refrain from any baseless speculation."

'Everyone said I was just Julian Rhodes's fangirl, that I'd been in love with him for ten years.'

'He was about to be mine. Who the hell was Stella Lyra to interfere?'

'I would not allow such ridiculous rumors to take root.'

Finished, I looked back at Julian Rhodes.

Julian Rhodes frowned, his gaze falling on the back of his hand, where my nails had dug in and drawn blood.

His eyes were placid, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "Yes. I'm getting married."

"And the person I love most... is my wife."

After he spoke, he knelt firmly before me, right in front of all the cameras.

He slid a diamond ring slowly onto my finger and kissed the back of my hand. His stern face softened, the familiar tenderness returning to his eyes.

"Aurora," he said. "Your wish has been granted."

At that moment, I thought Snow White was finally getting her happily ever after.

But one week later, the ever-dignified and self-possessed Captain Rhodes killed himself with pills in our marital home.