The day before my wedding, my boyfriend's childhood sweetheart, Sheryl, posted a picture in a small group chat with ten childhood friends and herself.

The picture showed a peculiar ring, which immediately caught my attention. Sheryl commented, “Calvin is so kind. He actually made me a ring with his own ribs. It symbolizes undying love. Now I no longer envy Lana.”

My heart shattered at her words and in that moment of clarity, I finally made a decision. I called my Aunt Mary, who lived abroad.

“Auntie, I’ve made up my mind. I agree to the marriage you suggested.”

——

When Calvin emerged from the shower, he saw me holding his phone. His expression soured and he snatched it from my hand with impatience.

“Lana, I didn’t set a password because I trusted you. But I didn’t give you permission to snoop. Don’t you trust me at all?”

Trust? How could I trust him? Those who are cherished feel secure, but he never gave me that sense of security. Instead, he repeatedly pushed the limits of my tolerance.

As he interrogated me, I wanted to ask about the ring. What did it mean? But before I could speak, his phone rang. I already knew it was Sheryl, thanks to the exclusive ringtone he set for her.

Calvin glanced at me briefly before answering the call right in front of me, as if to prove that he and Sheryl had nothing to hide.

“Calvin, you’re getting married tomorrow. Let’s meet up tonight for one last gathering,” Sheryl said sweetly.

“Sure, send me the location,” Calvin replied without hesitation.

He hung up and turned to me. “I’ll be back later. Go to bed early and don’t wait up.”

Once again, he dismissed me before I could utter a word. Without a second thought, he changed clothes and walked out the door.

Strangely, I didn’t complain or argue this time. I was uncharacteristically quiet, but Calvin didn’t notice my unusual behavior.

After he left, I made up my mind. Picking up my phone, I started calling every guest who was invited to the wedding, informing them that the ceremony was canceled.

Once all the notifications were sent, I sat down and opened the chat logs I had forwarded from Calvin’s phone to mine.

In the group chat, I saw Sheryl boldly asking each of her “sweethearts” to prepare a special gift for her before her wedding.

Among these so-called sweethearts were two of her brothers and several others who either adored her romantically, like Calvin, or treated her as if she were royalty. Sheryl, in this group, was undeniably a princess.

Faced with her request, everyone went to great lengths to impress her. Calvin, of course, decided to offer something extraordinary—he used his own rib to craft a one-of-a-kind ring for her.

Why? Because Sheryl had once casually mentioned, “I really envy the custom ring Calvin made for Lana.”

As I read this, I couldn’t help but question the purpose of all the years I had spent with Calvin.

The time I had a high fever of 39 degrees and couldn’t reach him? He was busy teaching Sheryl to skate.

The night I was nearly assaulted on my way home from work and called him for help? He was out with Sheryl, searching for her lost dog.

He adored Sheryl, cared for her, loved her. And yet, it was Calvin who pursued me when we were younger, initiating a relationship I thought was built on love.

That night, Calvin didn’t return home. At dawn, he called me with a nonchalant tone.

“Lana, I drank too much. The wedding’s canceled. Can you inform everyone?”

His words were casual, as if he were canceling a game night.

After hanging up, I finally understood why. Sheryl’s social media post explained it all.

She had shared a video captioned: “The most thrilling game I’ve ever played. Who dares to top this?”

In the video, Sheryl and her group of friends were clearly drunk. A boy named Liam turned to Calvin and taunted him, “Do you dare to cancel tomorrow’s wedding for Sheryl?”

The others immediately laughed and jeered at Calvin's boldness, while Sheryl stared at him with an expectant smile. Calvin returned her gaze with an affectionate look before turning to the group and sneering.

“Why wouldn’t I dare? Lana’s like a cotton doll—she won’t get mad at all. Besides, she can’t live without me. It’s just canceling a wedding,” he said casually.

His words suffocated me. It was true, just as Calvin described. I had been like a cotton doll, enduring everything he did or said without showing any pain or anger.

I remembered vividly the time Calvin joked in front of his friends, including Sheryl, “Lana’s an orphan, wanted by no one, loved by no one. As long as I treat her slightly better, she won’t leave me. She’s practically my lifelong slave. Tangled up with me, ha!”

I had been present that day, though slightly tipsy from the wine I’d had. I pretended I hadn’t heard him. Calvin always believed his words wouldn’t hurt me because, in our seven years together, I’d never lost my temper with him.

But this time, I wouldn’t remain that cotton doll—numb, unfeeling and incapable of reacting.

My aunt called me again, asking about my plans. She must have sensed that my relationship with Calvin had fallen apart.

“You’ll finally see I was right,” she said over the phone, her tone triumphant. “You’ve ignored the path I arranged for you all these years, thinking you knew better. But people change.”

This time, I didn’t argue or lash out like an irritable cat. Instead, I listened silently as she talked, her words hitting harder than usual.

Back in my senior year of high school, my aunt had tried to bring me abroad. She’d even completed all the paperwork, preparing for me to join her.

Aunt Mary was a strong, independent woman who had never married or had children. She had built a successful career abroad through her sheer determination and hard work.

When I was thirteen, my parents died in a car accident. The driver responsible committed suicide and his elderly parents were unable to provide compensation.

Left orphaned and a financial burden, I was shuffled between relatives. My uncle called a family meeting and it was decided I would rotate between living with him, Aunt Mary and another uncle.

For eight years, I lived under others’ roofs like a parasite.

Years later, Aunt Mary—who had been estranged from the family—learned of my situation. Despite the distance and time, she stepped forward to help, likely out of gratitude for my father, who had paid her tuition and living expenses when she was younger.

Aunt Mary wanted to repay that kindness by taking me abroad and giving me a fresh start. But back then, I stubbornly refused. Having spent so many years reliant on others, I wanted to stand on my own. And truthfully, I didn’t want to leave Calvin.

Even though I rejected her offer, Aunt Mary never gave up on me. She covered my high school and college living expenses and returned every year during the holidays to take me traveling.

During these trips, she opened my heart, little by little, telling me stories about how my father had loved and cared for her. “He was the one who believed in me the most,” she often said. “And now, I’ll treat you the same way.”

Her words brought me comfort back then, but now they felt like a reminder of everything I’d given up for Calvin.

I heard footsteps at the door and moments later, Calvin walked in. I quickly ended the call with Aunt Mary.

As Calvin took off his shoes, he shot me a mocking glance. “Talking to your aunt again, huh? She’s probably off with some old man abroad, thinking she can marry you off to someone like him too. Does she think you’re just an object? Why are you still in contact with her?”

I forced a smile, but it came out bitter and sarcastic.

He was the one who treated me as an object. I had never even told him about Aunt Mary’s true identity. No matter how wealthy she was, it was her success—not mine. I didn’t want Calvin to think I relied on someone else’s wealth to measure up to him.

“Calvin, I’ve decided,” I said firmly. “I’m going to live with my aunt.”

He froze for a moment, staring at me in disbelief. Then, he laughed nonchalantly.

"Aren't you going to marry an old man from abroad? Don't be angry. I have rescheduled our wedding. It will be next Monday. It won't change this time. I also asked my mother to notify all my relatives. My mother said they would kill me if I changed my mind this time, so don't worry."

His words reminded me of the last wedding he canceled. It had been planned so simply that only his parents and a few close friends were informed. At the time, he claimed that if you couldn't marry the one you truly loved, the size of the wedding didn't matter.

I had only discovered the truth about the canceled wedding through his group's chat logs, realizing it was yet another instance of his indifference. Still, I had foolishly clung to the hope that he at least cared for me.

Just like I saw a question before, "What has the other person done for you that makes you feel like you can trust them for the rest of your life?"

I immediately thought that when I was working part-time in college, I was almost raped. When Calvin found out, he beat the man half to death. The man threatened to put Calvin in jail.

Calvin shook his fist fiercely at him and said disdainfully, "Even if I'm imprisoned for the rest of my fucking life, I'm going to beat you up. Do you know who the person you touched is? I can't bear to touch her."

That was the most touching time for me, because indeed, as Calvin said, I was with him when I was eighteen years old. Even though we both went to college and were in love for four years, he always respected me and never went too far. That time was also the first time I felt loved and protected since losing my parents.

When I fell asleep at night, Calvin hugged me and said inadvertently, "Lana, don't be angry anymore. You also know that I like to play, but I promise that I will calm down in the future."

I stayed silent, letting him hold me. What he mistook for anger was actually disappointment—a disappointment so deep that I knew I couldn't wait for him to change anymore.

The day to go abroad was getting closer and closer. Seeing that I hadn't paid much attention to him recently, Calvin felt that I might still be angry about canceling the wedding.

So he formed a bureau, called his small group and said he would bring me into them. And to show their sincerity, they also pulled me into their small group. I thought it was pointless and wanted to refuse, but Calvin forcefully pulled me away.

When I arrived at the private room they had reserved long ago, everyone warmly invited me to sit down. Sheryl was the only one missing among this group of people.

I didn’t want to ask more questions, but in the face of the enthusiasm of everyone today, I guessed that Calvin must have said hello in advance. In the past, they didn’t welcome me.

Sheryl had the strongest reaction. Therefore, I thought her not coming today also showed her attitude to me.

But as soon as I sat down, Calvin whispered in my ear that he was going to pick up Sheryl. He was secretive and said that Sheryl was procrastinating so he hadn't arrived yet.

But after he left, Sheryl's second brother Shawn crossed the crowd and sat next to me and told me directly. "Lana, to tell you the truth, If Sheryl isn’t here, it’s because we don’t want you here. Be smart and stop making things difficult for everyone. Today, we're just playing along with Calvin. That's how it'll always be. There's no comparison between you and Sheryl. Just like Calvin will always only choose Sheryl forever, no matter what."

I silently drank the wine from the glass. On the outside, I was calm and unconcerned, but inside I felt extremely uncomfortable. I took the little bit of pity that Calvin gave me as salvation, but when I compared it to Sheryl, I was still shattered.

When Calvin came back, he brought Sheryl with him. I didn’t know what benefits Calvin promised her, but she sat next to me with a smile as if the tension between us didn’t exist.