My parents were fully supportive of my decision.

After having a thorough discussion, I saw them off at the airport. And when I returned home, Andrew still hadn't come back.

My stomach cramps had worsened, and I opened the medical kit, only to find the painkillers were long gone.

I closed my eyes in exhaustion. I used to always keep my medicine stocked myself, but after Andrew and I got together, he started taking care of that.

He would ready all sorts of medications, bring me water, and gently coax me to take my pills. When the medicine made me drowsy, he'd gently massage my stomach.

When the pain got too much to bear, I thought about calling Andrew and reached for my phone. But in the end, I hesitated.

Remembering all those times he'd left me for Selena, I let out a quiet laugh and decided to visit the hospital on my own.

When I went to the emergency room, one of my colleagues on duty, Lucy Hart, saw me and frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be getting married today? Why are you here at this hour? Why hasn't Andrew come with you?"

I responded with a faint smile. "He's busy."

Lucy couldn't hold back from lashing out. "I don't care how busy he is, he should be here with his wife. You're in so much pain you can barely stand straight. How could he not care?"

On my way to pick up the medication, I happened to walk past Selena's hospital room and noticed Andrew sitting by the side of her bed.

The stark contrast highlighted my miserable loneliness.

Selena seemed to be having a nightmare. She grabbed Andrew's hand and murmured, "Don't leave me. Please don't leave me."

Andrew gently stroked her hair and comforted her. "Don't be scared. I'm right here."

My eyes welled up with tears, and my chest tightened. But I turned and walked away without a word.

After returning home and resting for a day, I started packing all my belongings.

Though I'd lived in this home for seven years, everything I had ended up fitting into a single suitcase.

Perhaps noticing I was too quiet and hadn't sent a single text for two days, Andrew finally sensed something amiss.

He suddenly called and asked in a cautious, probing voice, "Why didn't you come to work today?"

"My stomach was acting up."

"Take care of yourself, okay? Selena hasn't been able to eat anything since the allergic reaction. I'll make her some food and come home to keep you company."

Just before he hung up, I heard Selena's voice in the background. "Andrew, I'm really craving some mushroom soup. There should be ingredients in the fridge. Could you make it for me?"

Just like that, I knew Selena was discharged, and Andrew was taking care of her at her place.

As an orphan, Selena had no one to care for her. Well, I had no one taking care of me, either.

I didn't sleep a wink that night. My stomach stopped hurting, but my heart started throbbing with agony.

…

The next day, I handed in my resignation to my supervisor.

He looked at me with regret and asked, "Why are you resigning? Did you talk to Andrew about this? You gave up being a surgeon for him. Are you going to be a housewife too?"

Andrew and I joined the hospital at the same time. Our surgical skills were on par, but surgery was demanding. After we decided to get married, I requested to switch to an administrative role so I could have more time managing the household.

But now, I no longer wanted to marry Andrew.

I smiled and shook my head. "I don't have to discuss my resignation with Andrew."

Just then, the office door swung open. Andrew appeared and stared at me like I might vanish at any second.

"Ivy, why are you resigning?" he asked. "Why didn't you talk to me about it?"

Andrew dragged me out of my supervisor's office and grumbled, "Ivy, are you throwing a tantrum again? When will you finally learn to be a little more understanding?

"I didn't want to cancel the wedding two days ago. But Selena was there as a guest to celebrate with us, so how could I not take care of her when she suddenly had an allergic reaction and passed out?"

I calmly replied, "I'm not mad. It's only right that you took care of her."

Once again, Andrew was stunned. He stared at me and mumbled, "Why are you suddenly this understanding? If you're mad, why are you resigning?"

"Because I found a job I'm really excited about."

I'd studied medicine for years to help those in need, so I was thrilled to join Doctors without Borders.

But his expression darkened. "You can't resign yet. Selena just had an allergic reaction at our wedding, and we had to call it off. If you quit your job now, she might think you're upset with her. She's an orphan, so she's naturally more sensitive."

His words were a bucket of cold water dumped over my excitement. Just to spare Selena's feelings, I had to give up the career I truly loved.

Perhaps the disappointment on my face was too obvious because Andrew softened his tone and continued, "Just hang in there a little longer, okay? Once we finish the wedding, I'll support you no matter what you want to do."

Even now, he still wanted to go through with the wedding, but I was too tired to hold out any longer.

When I said nothing, Andrew took my silence as agreement. After all, I'd never said no to anything he asked for in our relationship.

"Alright. Don't be upset. Shall we go on a date tonight?" he asked, reaching for my hand. We once promised that no matter how badly we fought, we'd always go on our dates with a smile.

"Sure," I said. I hoped this relationship could at least end on a beautiful note.

But Selena appeared again and cut in. "Andrew, help me. The old man in bed 8 keeps staring at me like a creep. Could you come and do his check-up for me instead?"

I shot her a cold look.

Selena was a nurse, and if she had a problem at work, she should report it to the head nurse. This was clearly another stunt just to win Andrew's sympathy.

If it were in the past, I might have called her out on it. But now, I didn't care anymore.

Andrew hesitated and glanced at me, as if asking for my permission. He never used to ask for my opinion before.

I sensibly replied, "Selena is an orphan, so people take advantage of her easily. As her senior, it's only right for you to help."

Andrew gave me several glances as he left, almost as if he couldn't believe how much I'd changed.

Selena reached for my hand. "You're such a good person, Ivy. Thank you for letting me borrow your fiance like that."

I tried to ignore her, but she refused to let go. "Oh, wow! Our necklaces look like a matching set!"

I glanced at the necklace around her neck and instantly felt a sharp jolt of pain. Her necklace was shaped like a key, while mine was a lock.

Back when I set everything aside and followed Andrew to this unfamiliar city, he had these couple necklaces custom-made.

He made me promise that only he would have the key to my heart and vowed to wear the necklace forever, just like how he'd love me forever.

But now, that same necklace was on another woman. Nothing could get more ironic than that.

I took mine off and handed it to Selena. "Well, mine's yours now. Looks like they do belong together."

…

Andrew came to pick me up for our date after work. At a glance, he noticed I wasn't wearing my necklace and grabbed my hand in a panic.

"Where's your necklace?" he asked. "We promised never to take it off for the rest of our lives."

I looked at his neck. He wasn't wearing his either, so how could he expect me to do that?

He smiled a little guiltily. "I'm sorry. I lost mine."

I smiled. "What a coincidence. I lost mine too."

"I'll get you a new one then," he said, looking relieved.

To my surprise, Andrew's idea of a date was a ride on the Ferris wheel.

I'd always loved Ferris wheels. I used to imagine the two of us overlooking the city we lived in and sharing a kiss at the highest point.

But since he was afraid of heights, I mentioned it once and never forced it again.

I never thought that he'd finally choose to fulfill one of my old wishes now that I was ready to walk away.

"Thank you, Andrew," I said and truly meant it.

But moments later, Selena appeared with a tub of popcorn. "What a coincidence! Are you two out on a date? That's so nice, unlike me. I can only hang out by myself."

She pouted sadly and shot Andrew a pitiful look.

He couldn't stand her looking that way and suggested, "Well, you could join us."

My smile froze while Selena shot me a smug look. "Oh, so sorry to crash your date."

Andrew looked over at me and seemed a bit unsure. "Ivy, if you're uncomfortable, you can just say so."

I found it ironic that Andrew had suddenly learned to ask for my opinion over the last two days, but my heart had gone numb.

So, I magnanimously said, "It's fine. I don't mind. The more the merrier."

How could I possibly say no? If I did, I'd be labeled as bullying an orphan again.

…

In the Ferris wheel cabin, Andrew and Selena chatted and laughed together. They went from talking about patients from their department to the latest celebrity gossip and even debated how to make the best mushroom soup.

I couldn't help but sneer. They looked more like a couple than Andrew and I ever did.

"Speaking of mushroom soup, the one you made for me at my house was the best I'd ever had, Andrew. I'm so jealous of Ivy, she gets to have it for the rest of her life," Selena blurted.

Andrew looked flustered and quickly glanced at me, as if trying to explain before I overthought. But I didn't bother to spare them a glance.

Through the Ferris wheel, I took in the city I'd lived in for the past seven years.

Selena scooted over to me and whispered, "Isn't the view gorgeous? I love Ferris wheels. When my dog died, I was so depressed that I wanted to take my life, so Andrew brought me here to cheer me up."

I tried not to listen, look, or care. But Selena's constant jabs were needles to my heart that made it throb so hard.

I thought Andrew had overcome his fear and taken on the Ferris wheel just to make me happy. It turned out that he'd done it for someone else.

As Selena spoke, she couldn't help teasing Andrew. "You should've seen him last time we got on a Ferris wheel. His legs shook so badly, and he practically collapsed on me. I'd never seen him look like that."

I lowered my eyes and murmured to myself, "Well, what a coincidence because I never did too."

Noticing my silence, Andrew grew nervous. "Are you okay? Is your stomach hurting again? Or are you scared?"

I shook my head. "I'm just enjoying the view."

He believed my random reply and went back to chatting and laughing with Selena.

After the ride, Selena, who was fine just moments ago, suddenly leaned into Andrew's arms. "Andrew, I feel a little dizzy."

He looked at me and tried to explain, "Selena's really afraid of heights. The last time we rode on a Ferris wheel, we were trying to overcome our fear together."

"You don't have to explain. Just take her home," I said.

"Wait here. I'll come back for you after sending her home."

I watched him drive off before turning and walking away. I'd waited for him too many times, and this time, I'd no longer do the same.

On my way to the airport, Andrew kept flooding my phone with messages.

"Ivy, shall we have our wedding under the Ferris wheel? You said we'd kiss at the top and exchange rings with Heaven as our witness."

His voice messages came one after another, trying to break through the locked door to my heart.

"You planned 66 weddings for us, so let me plan this one. Let me make you the happiest bride in the world."

I didn't reply. Now that I'd been disappointed too many times, I'd lost all my trust in him.

Just before my flight took off, Andrew sent one final message. "Selena's fear of heights is worse than I thought. I need to stay with her a little longer. Could you ride a cab home?"

Again and again, he'd never choose me. It was a good thing he'd hurt me so many times that I could finally remain calm and let go.

I sent him one last reply. "I understand. Take good care of Selena. Feel free to bring her home if necessary. Let's break up and cancel the 67th wedding."

For once, I was the one who called it off.

From now on, Andrew and I would never have to see each other again.