At the wedding, just as I was about to exchange rings with my fiancée, her conniving boyfriend intentionally pushed his son toward her.

Right in front of everyone, the boy looked up with teary eyes and asked, "Mom, why are you marrying this man? Don't you want me and Dad anymore?"

My fiancée, who never lied, smiled, took the child's hand, and said, "I was only pretending with this man earlier. Now I am going to marry your father."

The banquet hall buzzed with whispers. Everyone expected me to get jealous and blow up.

Instead, I said the child came first and calmly handed the ring to the boyfriend sitting below the stage.

Seeing how cooperative I was, my fiancée grinned and promised she would give me a healthy baby boy someday as a thank you.

However, she seemed to have forgotten that we had not officially tied the knot yet.

Truth be told, I had no intention of ever doing so.

Right after I said "yes" and stepped down from the stage, the room filled with surprised whispers. I turned to see a big screen shining with a picture of a family of three.

The kid looked a lot like my fiancée, Rosie Lewis.

The photos changed one after another, showing the kid's birth, his first birthday, and even his first day of kindergarten. Rosie was there for all of it, smiling big in every picture and marking the date and time.

I was just finding out now.

All those times she said she had to work late or go on business trips, she was actually with them, her son and his dad.

My girlfriend had a secret life and another family.

When their wedding photo showed up on the screen, everyone cheered again, all happy faces.

No one found it absurd because they were all Rosie's friends.

When we talked about the wedding, she said she wanted a wedding attended only by close friends, no family.

I used to think she was sparing me embarrassment because I did not have any family.

"Kiss the bride and groom!"

However, when I heard people teasing us to kiss, I realized she was just making a big moment for her first love and their son.

I used to think our simple wedding was not good enough for her, after being with me for seven years.

Then, Rosie glanced at me with bashful eyes and instead of kissing me, she simply held my hand.

The crowd let out a disappointed sigh.

I was about to leave when the lights dimmed and a spotlight hit the door.

There was Rosie's mom, in a wheelchair, showing up at the wedding.

Seeing her kind face made my eyes tear up.

My parents died when I was young, and Rosie's mom, Larisse Henderson, felt sorry for me. She always went out of her way to look after me.

Whenever I dated Rosie, she would invite me over for dinner, wanting me to enjoy her mother's cooking.

However, then, Larisse got really sick and could not move half her body. She had to live in a wheelchair forever.

So, I quit my job to take care of her for five years. I came to love her just like she was my own mom.

As I was lost in thought, I was suddenly shoved from behind and crashed into a table. My arm turned all purple and blue.

Rosie's beloved Jeffrey Carter stood in front of me, acting like he could not speak.

"Malcolm, I just bumped you by accident. You don't have to pretend to fall and make it look worse than it is," he said.

Rosie, who was about to help me, froze and looked at me with disappointment.

Then, Larisse wheeled over to us.

I was about to ask for help when Jeffrey called out "Mom" and wheeled past me to push Larisse's chair.

Larisse, who used to say I was the only son-in-law for the Lewis family, was then smiling and chatting with Jeffrey.

It turned out everyone knew Jeffrey was the real groom at the wedding, except for me.

I rubbed my sore arm and stood up to leave. Larisse called out to me. "If you're leaving, take off the suit. It's tailor-made to match Rosie's wedding dress."

Looking into her cold, unfamiliar eyes, my heart dropped.

Of course.

I was always just an outsider.

She was Rosie's mom. She would always take her side.

All around me, eyes were watching, making me feel super awkward.

I wriggled out of the suit that was way too small and handed it to Jeffrey. He pretended to dust it off and put it on. It fit him like a glove.

That made me laugh.

So that's why the suit felt so tight: it was not made for me!

Jeffrey eyed my pants and teased. "Malcolm, the jacket and pants don't really match. You don't mind giving me the pants too, do you?"

He was just trying to make me look silly in front of everyone.

When I saw people pulling out their phones, I just turned and walked away.

However, then, there was Larisse in her wheelchair, blocking me with a frosty look.

"Take them off. Rosie bought that outfit, and you can't just take it," she said firmly.

Rosie did not say anything to her mom or Jeffrey. She just stood there, looking upset and like she wanted to say something.

I just smiled calmly and nodded. "I'll go change in the dressing room."

Jeffrey smirked. "Come on, Malcolm. It's no big deal for a guy to take off his pants in front of everyone. You wear way less at the beach. What are you, shy?"

I clenched my fists and began to stride toward Jeffrey.

Rosie noticed my growing anger and placed herself in front of Jeffrey, holding my hand. "He's just joking. Don't let it get to you."

The other young men around us started snickering and teasing. "Seriously? Can't take a joke? No wonder Rosie's marrying someone else. Mr. Jones is just no fun."

The wedding had turned into a total mess, and Larisse was glaring at me with so much anger.

"Enough already! Do you really have to ruin Rosie's wedding before you'll stop?"

I saw Rosie's sad eyes begging me, and I could not help but laugh.

It was supposed to be my special day, and then I was the one causing trouble?

Talking with those people who just do not get it is a waste of time. I did not want to argue, so I just walked away.

"Mom, I'm going to get my clothes with Malcolm," Rosie said quickly, then she ran to catch up with me.

She burst into the dressing room at the wrong time, but she spoke gently for once:

"I'm sorry, my mom is old and can be pretty stubborn. Please don't be mad at her.

"Getting married to Jeffrey today was all her idea. She's sick and gets upset easily, so I went along with it to keep the peace."

She called it an act, but the happiness in her eyes seemed real, and her love for the kid was definitely true.

Before, I would have been so jealous and made a big scene, asking her if she really loved me.

However, I did not feel a thing and just said, "Okay, got it."

Rosie was ready for a fight, but she stopped short and looked at me, surprised.

She thought I had finally grown up and smiled as she hugged me tight.

"I know today was tough for you. Let's try for our own baby when we get home."

I did not respond, but she thought she had made things right and left with her clothes.

The old me would have been calmed down by a hug and a promise, no matter how upset I was.

She thought promising to have a baby would make up for the bad day I had.

However, she seemed to forget, we were not even officially married.

Now, I did not even want to think about marriage, much less having kids.

I returned home alone.

The house was cluttered with boxes of kids' stuff that Rosie had ordered.

At first, I was on cloud nine, thinking Rosie might be pregnant and planning to surprise me. I was so thrilled I could not even sleep!

However, it turned out, those things were for a child she had, who did not live with us.

Disheartened, I retreated to my room.

I sifted through the memories of our seven years together.

I used to cherish every small gift from her, even a hairband or a mug.

Yet now, none of it held any value for me.

I gathered all those tokens, along with my feelings for her, and tossed them away.

When I returned from disposing of the items, the house was glowing with light.

A sweet five-year-old was joyfully calling out "grandma," and Larisse was beaming with laughter, her eyes sparkling as she showered the child with gifts, one after another.

That was Jeffrey's son, Sean Carter. He was the reason for a big fuss at a wedding, and then, they were all having a great time together.

I opened the door at the wrong time, and the happy mood just stopped.

Jeffrey looked at me but was talking to Larisse.

"Mom, you're too easy on him.

"He just stays at home, using Rosie's money, and doesn't even clean.

"What's the point of keeping him around? We might as well hire a housekeeper."

Larisse appeared upset and let out a chilly huff. "My daughter worked too hard for you to just live off her."

I met her gaze.

I used to earn more than Rosie. When she fell ill, seeing her so despondent in the hospital broke my heart. She held my hand and pleaded, "If Rosie quits her job, she might struggle to find another good one."

"You're different, you have a solid education and skills. Society will welcome you back," Larisse stated, her eyes serious. Rosie stood nearby, tears streaming down her face, torn about what to do. Not wanting to add to her troubles, I made the choice to leave my job and care for her ailing mother at home.

That turned into five long years.

They both knew I had been using my own saved-up money all that time.

Just two days ago, my bank account was empty, and for the first time, I asked Rosie for some cash. It was only once, just $75 for groceries, but Larisse made it sound like I was just blowing through her daughter's money.

I glanced at Rosie again. She was quiet, looking down, as if she agreed with her mom.

It was so ridiculous. I had spent five years caring for someone who could not even move, and Rosie had a baby without telling me. Then, she and her mom acted like I owed them, like I should just keep working hard for them without a word.

Larisse got really mad when I did not start cleaning up right away. She snapped at me, "What's wrong with you? Get moving!"