With just a week left until the wedding, Aiden shaved off all my long hair while I was sleeping.

That evening, Zaria showed up with her alluring curls, offering an apology.

"I'm so sorry, Mazie. I was joking with Aiden, telling him I shaved my head to become a nun. I never thought he'd try to comfort me by not only shaving his own head but also yours."

Aiden probably expected a big reaction from me, so he quickly moved to protect her.

"It was all my idea. Zaria had nothing to do with it, so don't blame her," he insisted. "Besides, hair grows back. We can just wear wigs for the wedding, don’t you think?"

What Aiden didn’t know was that I no longer intended to marry him. My parents had recently found me and asked me to join them overseas. I had just bought a ticket to fly to France.

---

After eight years together, I didn't want our parting to be filled with unnecessary drama, so I kept my thoughts to myself, simply watching him in silence.

"Mazie, I realize I didn't think this through..."

His voice faded as he reached for my hand, his head bowing under the weight of my silence.

Then, as if on cue, Zaria stepped forward, her lips forming a pout.

"Mazie, don’t be upset with Aiden," she pleaded. "You're about to get married soon. Why argue over something like this now? And didn’t he shave his head too?"

Looking at her feigned innocence, I found it all quite ironic.

My expression seemed to sting Zaria, her face turning pale before she adopted a wounded look.

"Mazie, do you want me to shave my head too? Is that what would make you happy?" she asked, eyes misty with tears as though I was the one who’d initiated all this.

"Sure," I replied with a faint smile, focusing on her shiny, dark hair. "Since you feel like shaving it, go ahead. You started this whole thing, after all."

Zaria was caught off guard by my words, her breath momentarily stopping. She hesitated for a brief moment before regaining her composure.

She picked up the scissors from the table, tears brimming in her eyes as she looked at Aiden.

"If it makes Mazie happy, I’m willing," she declared, her voice firm but her face displaying exaggerated sorrow.

Just as she was about to go through with it, a strong hand grabbed the scissors from her grip and tossed them onto the floor with a loud clatter.

Aiden's face was a storm of emotions:

"Mazie, can't you just let it go for Zaria's sake? She's still young."

"It was my decision to cut her hair. What does it have to do with her?"

"It's just a haircut, for crying out loud! Why do you have to make such a big deal out of it and insist she cut hers as well?"

His brow furrowed:

"Zaria has always been proud of her looks since she was little. Do you know how much this will hurt her confidence? Can't you see the impact this will have on her?"

"Can't you just be reasonable and stop causing a fuss?"

Listening to his words made my eyes sting with unshed tears. It felt as though all those years of effort amounted to nothing more than a cruel joke.

"Aiden, I'm supposed to be your girlfriend, your fiancée!"

I clenched my fists, trying to steady my trembling voice:

"You need to sort out your priorities..."

I don't know which of my words struck a nerve, but suddenly Aiden's emotions flared up. His voice was angry, the veins in his neck standing out:

"Mazie, why the sarcasm? My feelings for Zaria are purely platonic, like a brother. There's nothing inappropriate between us!"

"Why do you always have to be so suspicious? It's such a trivial matter. Why do you keep dwelling on it?"

With those words, Aiden took Zaria by the hand and turned to leave. Before he walked away, he shot me a lingering look:

"Mazie, think about this carefully. It's bad luck to see each other before the wedding. Let's just avoid meeting these next few days. This was just a prank; don't spread it around. It won't be good for Zaria."

Throughout it all, Aiden only ever saw things from Zaria's perspective, never considering mine.

The sound of the closing door echoed through the room.

And Aiden's last words lingered hauntingly in my mind:

"In seven days, I'll still come to marry you."

I looked up at the ceiling, feeling a rush of bitterness.

Aiden, I'm not going to marry you. Not now, not ever.