My Almost-Husband's Sins Brought Him to His End

As my husband leaned in at the wedding, I closed my eyes with a smile, ready for his kiss.

But to my shock, he turned away and pulled another woman—his "first love," dressed in a wedding gown—close to him, kissing her with tears in his eyes.

"Cassie, I promised you, in this lifetime, I would only kiss you as the bride," he said. "If you had turned around that day, I would've left immediately to be with you."

Cassie Parkers was moved to tears. After a deep kiss, she turned to me and said, "Caroline, please take care of him in my place. I hope you can make him happy."

The room buzzed with gossip as if everyone had been waiting for this moment. I watched them, still stunned, as they kissed passionately. It felt as if I, the actual bride, was nothing more than an outsider.

But I didn't cry or cause a scene. Calmly, I removed my veil and tossed it in her face. "Take this filthy man for yourself," I said, "and here's a piece of white cloth in case you need it to cover your body when you die."

——

The chaos in the room swirled around me, but all I felt was irony.

For eight years, I had been devoted to Jeremy, treating his family like my own, hoping to win their approval and finally become his wife.

In the end, I had to pay 9.4 million dollars as a dowry before the Landers family reluctantly agreed to the marriage. And now, at the moment when we should've been exchanging vows and kissing, he was standing there, lost in another woman's arms.

I clenched my dress, wanting to tear it apart, but the storm of emotions raging inside me made everything feel pointless.

The moment felt even more surreal when Cassie threatened to harm herself because of something I said. Holding a shard of glass near her neck, she had drawn Jeremy to her side.

His eyes filled with anger, he shouted at me, "You jealous woman! It was just a joke, but you took it too far! If anything happens to Cassie, I'll never forgive you!"

Without a second thought, he had carried her in his arms, rushing her to the hospital like a scene from a ridiculous romance drama.

As I stood there alone, both families turned their frustration on me.

"If you hadn't been so stubborn, this wedding wouldn't have been ruined!" Jeremy's mother wiped her bright red lipstick while sneakily throwing a few disdainful glances my way.

Even my own mother joined in, pushing me and calling me a disgrace for ruining what was supposed to be a happy day.

"Go after Jeremy right now!" she demanded. "If you don't, how will I show my face? If you don't, I'll die right here!"

My father, with a cold expression, pulled her away, leaving me to handle everything on my own.

The Landes family berated me, saying I was nothing more than a nouveau riche with no class. They made it clear that marrying into their family meant enduring hardships that regular people couldn't handle and that I should've ignored everything instead of humiliating my husband.

For the first time in eight years, I realized that all the dreams I had built were just an illusion. They had never seen me as one of them. I no longer wanted this marriage.

Once they were done scolding me, everyone left. I was left standing there alone, dragging the weight of my wedding dress behind me as I walked out.

Thunder rumbled, and rain soaked through my shoes as I stepped outside. The vast hall was empty, and no one came to help.

Just then, my phone rang. It was my mother.

"Hello? Are you still there?"

Her words, soft and warm like the sun in June, brought a lump to my throat. I nodded, feeling a flicker of comfort. But then her tone shifted.

"Since you're still there," she said, "we've taken the car from the parking lot. You stay there and think about what you've done. Don't come home. If you can't even keep a man, what use are you? If you had any sense, you'd have had a child to tie him down. Now, if you get kicked out, don't blame anyone but yourself."

Before I could respond, she hung up. That suffocating feeling rushed back, and I felt my body sway. I watched as their car drove away, leaving me standing alone in the rain.