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!"

Rosie finally looked at me. She did not think her mom was being too harsh. Instead, she pulled at my shirt and said with a little frown, "It's a happy day, don't make mom mad. Go on, start cleaning."

However, I stayed put. The room was tense until Jeffrey, pretending to be all helpful, said, "Mom, calm down. It is normal to be a bit lazy. I will clean up. I've always been the hardworking one."

He had not even lifted a finger when Rosie, feeling bad for him, cut in, "Don't worry about it. You are our guest. Just sit and relax."

She finished speaking and looked at me, her eyes full of disappointment. "Jeffrey is so smart and hardworking. Why can't you be like him? When did you get so lazy?"

For seven years, I did everything around the house, taking care of every little thing for them. However, the one time I did not clean, I suddenly became the lazy person they all talked about.

Jeffrey just had to say he would do something, and Rosie would call him hardworking.

It was clear who was loved and who was not.

I did not want to argue too much, but that was the first time I did not do what they asked, and they were really upset.

Rosie just stood there, pouting, while Larisse said something mean. "Just what I'd expect from someone who wasn't raised right."

I could not take it anymore and kicked a stool over.

Little five-year-old Sean started crying really loud.

That was it. The pretend peace was totally gone.

Rosie hugged Sean and tried to calm him down, but she was also mad at me. "Have you lost your mind? Are you saying my mom isn't telling the truth? Would someone with good manners throw things around?"

I could not stand looking at them anymore. I grabbed my bags and headed for the door.

Rosie was shocked and asked, "Where are you going so late?"

I did not even look back. "Rosie, we're done."

Rosie stopped me, surprised, and said, "You can't be serious, Malcolm. You're breaking up with me over this little thing?"

Little thing?

I chuckled calmly at her. "While we were together, you had Jeffrey's baby. Is that a minor detail as well?"

Rosie chuckled back. "When your heart is tainted, you see filth everywhere. Sean is my cousin and Jeffrey's child.

"My cousin passed away young, and after she had Sean, she also left us.

"I was just caring for the child. What's wrong with that?"

Jeffrey couldn't hide his shock as he interjected. "Malcolm, you just don't understand. If I had a wife as compassionate and loving as yours, I'd bring the child and his whole family home to care for them. Not like you, only thinking about yourself."

They teamed up against me once more, hurling accusations until I felt utterly diminished.

Yet, if the child is her cousin's, why sneak around to care for him and even have the child call her 'mom'?

It shattered the dream of the wedding I had envisioned, humiliating me in front of everyone.

As I glanced up, both mother and daughter wore identical looks of disdain.

At that moment, the truth ceased to hold any significance.

I did not even want to answer back, but Rosie kept on pushing. "Why can't you be more like Jeffrey? He is so thoughtful. He even felt bad for you and told me we should have another wedding for you."

Jeffrey's kindness was just for show. If he was really a good guy, he would not have asked for something as crazy as taking over the wedding, instead of pretending to make it up to me later.

Jeffrey stood up, acting like he was trying to calm things down.

"I might as well die with the kid's mom. Our lives don't matter. Just don't let our trouble mess up your marriage."