I've always been upfront.

When I found flirty messages between my firefighter boyfriend and a girl I didn't recognize on his phone, I didn't stew over it. I handed the phone to Christian and demanded an explanation.

After a long pause, he admitted, "She's someone I rescued during a mission—a girl who's been struggling with depression. I’ve developed some feelings for her. But Violeta, we've been through so much together, from school uniforms to this stage in life. I promise to keep my distance from her now."

Christian's sincere eyes met mine, and despite the hurt, I chose to forgive him, allowing the wedding to proceed as planned.

On the wedding day, however, his teammate suddenly burst in: "Captain, Emersyn found out about the wedding and is threatening to jump!"

The engagement ring slipped from my fingers and landed on the floor as Christian dashed out like a bolt of lightning.

Through my tears, I shouted after him, "Christian, if you walk out that door today, it's over between us!"

He hesitated briefly but then left without looking back.

Ultimately, he broke his promise.

The ceremony descended into chaos, with guests' whispers piercing my ears. Our parents rushed to us, bewildered by the turn of events.

Christian’s teammate, Kannon, stood nearby, his face red with embarrassment. "Violeta... Emersyn has depression. She attempted to jump before, and the captain saved her. She's very reliant on him. Only he can calm her down... It’s a life-or-death situation, and he had no choice. Please don’t blame him..."

Kannon had worked with Christian for three years, always polite and friendly, calling me "sis-in-law" with a smile. But now, he couldn’t even meet my gaze.

I wondered how many secrets he had helped Christian keep from me, and what connections he had with this girl named Emersyn. The pain spread through my chest, deepening the sting of Christian’s betrayal.

My parents clutched my hands, anxious. "What’s going on? He's supposed to be on wedding leave. Who’s calling him away for an emergency now?"

Christian’s parents dialed his number with worry, muttering, "Violeta, don't worry. I'll have him back right now. He'll face my anger if he doesn't return!"

The ring lay on the carpet, kicked aside, just like my shattered heart.

I stood there, the train of my wedding dress dragging on the ground, like a wilting cloud after a storm. The wedding dreams I'd cherished seemed futile compared to this chaos.

The groom abandoned the bride in a hall full of blessings for another woman.

Five hours and 108 calls later, Christian didn’t pick up. I watched my phone screen dim and brighten, until it faded completely into darkness.

Sunlight streamed through the chapel's stained glass, casting patterns on the floor, chilling my empty ring finger.

Guests eventually trickled away, leaving behind a mess of confetti and half-eaten meals. Suddenly, the room spun, dizziness overwhelming me, with my mother's panicked cries echoing as the last thing I heard.

When I woke up, the smell of antiseptic surrounded me. A nurse was adjusting my IV, and seeing me awake, she gently said, "You're not alone now. You need to take care of yourself."

I stared at the ceiling as silent tears slid into my hair. From the moment I received Christian's love letter at seventeen on our high school campus, to his surprise visit after a 20-hour train ride during college, and the day he became a firefighter, declaring with tears in his eyes, "I'll protect people and always keep you safe"—those seven years flashed through my mind like a fast-forwarding movie.

I looked at my parents and Christian's parents, unable to hide their concern, with tears brimming in my eyes. How do I tell them that this seven-year journey of love has reached its end?

By seven in the evening, Christian Reynolds, missing for six hours, finally showed up. He looked pale, a hint of guilt reflected in his eyes.

“Violeta, I’m sorry,” he rasped, his voice strained. “Emersyn… I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. I had to try and help.”

I swallowed the bitterness rising within me. “There are plenty of firefighters. Why did it have to be you?”

“She picked today to threaten to jump, insisting only you could save her. What was going through her mind?” I continued, feeling a swell of hurt. “Christian, I'm not oblivious.”

He fell silent for a long moment, holding my cold hand, his voice raw. “Violeta, in seven years, I’ve never asked anything of you. Just this once, I’m pleading with you not to spread this around. Don’t let it hurt Emersyn’s reputation. I’m worried she can't handle it.”

His sincere gaze gripped my heart with a suffocating ache. This wasn’t a request he should make of me; he should be apologizing.

A person’s instinct doesn’t mislead. He hadn’t considered the embarrassment he caused leaving me stranded at the wedding venue. He hadn't been concerned about my ending up in the hospital. All his thoughts were on Emersyn.

Tears fell like scattered pearls onto the white bed sheets, dotting them with dark spots. It took all my strength to whisper one word: “Okay.”

He relaxed visibly, then added, “When Emersyn found out about the wedding, she became destabilized. Let’s postpone the ceremony.”

“I need to be with her for treatment for now. Once she improves… maybe three months, just three months, and we can proceed, alright?” he suggested, his voice filled with caution.

I had waited seven years; surely three months shouldn’t matter. Yet observing his concern for someone else made even those three months feel unbearable.

The tiny life within me seemed to sense my turmoil and shifted slightly. I rested my hand on my abdomen, nurturing a six-week-old life—ours, yet distanced from him now.

Slowly, I withdrew my hand, my voice as calm and placid as a still pond. “Christian…”

“I may not have the best memory, but I recall when you handed me a love letter in the schoolyard at seventeen, so nervous you stumbled over your own feet.”

“I remember when you first held my hand, your palm sweaty, and you didn’t let go for three blocks.”

“I remember our college graduation day, when you promised to take care of me forever, vowed to make me the happiest bride.”

“All these years, you remembered I don’t eat onions or garlic, that I sip herbal tea during my period, all my little quirks… I always believed I mattered most to you.”

I met his gaze, tears suddenly streaming down: “But today, I don’t feel your love…”

Memories from the past seven years flooded my mind, and Christian’s eyes grew red. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and a tear slipped down.

“But Violeta, Emersyn needs me right now.”

The phrase “needs me” crushed my last glimmer of hope. Looking at him, I suddenly laughed through my tears: “Then go to her.”

He looked taken aback, as if not expecting those words. But in the end, he didn’t say anything and walked out of the hospital room.