My boyfriend and I had been together for eight years. We were already discussing marriage when Robbie suddenly asked me to wait a little longer.

He said he needed to hold a grand wedding with his first love before he could marry me.

Because, as he explained, for his first love—who struggled with anxiety—marriage was her greatest wish in life.

He couldn't bear to see her spiral into self-harm under the weight of her illness, so with tears in his eyes, he promised to give her a home.

Stunned, I asked what would happen to me.

Instead of answering, he snapped impatiently, "Can't you show some empathy? It's just a year or two more. Are you really that desperate to get married?

"And another thing… lend me your ring. Let Lucy wear it for now. You won't be needing it anytime soon."

I stared at the man before me, someone both familiar and suddenly a stranger, and felt only a cold, hollow ache in my chest.

But at last, I saw his true face behind the mask.

Later, I chose to attend their wedding. I brought with me a very special blessing.

On Valentine's night, I sat alone in the restaurant, a solitary figure in the warm glow meant for two.

My boyfriend had invited me here, promising a surprise so big it would sweep me off my feet.

Yet now, as I watched the couples across the street strolling hand in hand, radiant with love, my isolation felt almost mocking.

"Miss, it's already past midnight. Do you need anything else? We're about to close."

The waiter, noticing my daze, offered a kind reminder.

"Ah… it's so late already," I murmured without thinking.

He blinked in surprise. "But the gentleman who made the reservation still hasn't come? He specifically arranged something special…"

Yes. Special arrangements. Not that they were needed anymore.

I lowered my head and glanced again at the post on my phone.

Then, standing up, I gave a faint, apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry. My boyfriend married someone else tonight. I won't keep you from closing."

The waiter gaped, speechless, as I hurried out, terrified that my grief would spill over in front of strangers.

Just a week ago, Robbie had told me he had a surprise for me.

I thought I knew what it was. He'd once promised me a proposal I'd remember for the rest of my life. But now… everything had changed.

I couldn't resist opening that post again, studying it carefully, as if I could will it to say something different.

But no matter how many times I looked, the man in the photos was the one I knew best.

For the first time in my life, the sight of a marriage certificate made me cry.

Robbie and I had been together since university—eight years of storms and sunshine.

Every moment we'd shared, every fleeting happiness, still shimmered vividly in my mind.

Our love had been the envy of all our friends. In their eyes, we were the couple destined to last.

Even yesterday at work, he'd kissed my forehead, his gaze brimming with tenderness.

"Honey," he whispered, "after all these years of calling you mine, you're finally going to be mine for real."

Yet in a single night, I'd become the world's biggest joke.

No… He wouldn't do this. There had to be an explanation.

Had someone hacked his account? Or stolen his phone? Why else would he ignore my calls?

My heart clenched. I hailed a cab and rushed home.

Just as I reached for the door, I heard voices inside—his, and his close friend Allan Woods's.

"Robbie, are you out of your mind? Aren't you supposed to be marrying Ruby? What the hell is going on?"

Robbie's voice trembled as if on the edge of tears.

"What can I do? Lucy's anxiety has spiraled out of control. She says having a home with me is her only hope in life…

"I don't want to push her over the edge. It'll only worsen her condition. And you know I've loved her since we were kids!"

His tone broke into agitation.

I froze where I stood.

Loved her since they were kids…

Then what was I?

"You're out of your mind!" Allan's voice rose, his anger eclipsing his confusion. "Even so, Ruby at least deserves to know the truth. You shouldn't have snuck behind her back to register a marriage, then parade it to the world!"

But Robbie spoke with the tone of a man convinced no one could possibly understand him.

"Allan, that's how an outsider thinks! Lucy needs security. If I marry her and keep it secret, how could she ever trust me?"

So… all this time, he'd only been thinking about Lucy's feelings. To give her a sense of safety, he could trample on my dignity and our love without a second thought.

It felt as if a blade had pierced straight through my heart. My knees went weak; I could only lean against the doorframe, gasping for air.

"What about Ruby?" Allan thundered. "We were all classmates. I've watched you two from the start. She's my friend, just like you are!"

Robbie hesitated for a moment.

"No matter what, I need to stabilize Lucy's condition first. When she stops thinking about ending her life, I'll slowly bring up divorce. It's just a year or so. Ruby and I have been together this long. She'll wait for me."

And then, unbelievably, he chuckled. "She loves me so much she can't leave me. Of course she'll understand."

In that instant, I no longer had the strength to open the door.

I stumbled downstairs, hollow and lost, and walked away.

What gave him the right to assume I would naturally understand everything he'd done?

I drifted aimlessly through the snowy streets, memories of the past years with Robbie unspooling in my mind like an old film.

His nervous but earnest confession in the university library.

The first night we spent together after graduation, his awkward yet pure expression.

The time I prepared a birthday dinner just for him, when tears welled in his eyes as he hugged me tightly, swearing he'd never let me go.

And yet, the one I had loved and trusted with everything had driven a knife straight into my unguarded heart.

Snow began to fall harder, and people in the city quickened their steps, hurrying to find shelter from the storm.

But my feet felt heavy as lead. Snow settled on my hair and shoulders as I wandered, directionless.

The squeal of brakes cut through the night, snow crunching under tires. A car screeched to a stop beside me.

Robbie leapt out, pulling me into the car in one quick motion.

He handed me a blanket, his expression tight and uneasy.

"Baby, I called you so many times. Why didn't you pick up? It's snowing so hard. Why didn't you find somewhere to wait?"

Hearing him still call me "baby" in that same tender tone made my stomach turn.

He was someone else's husband now.

"Don't call me that. Go to Lucy. She's your wife, isn't she?"

I flung the blanket aside, opened the door, and stepped out of the car.

His car sat motionless in the snow, wipers sweeping back and forth.

In eight years, I had never been this cold to him.

I ran into the snow, pain burning in my chest, not knowing where to go.

Behind me came hurried footsteps.

Robbie caught up.

He was much taller and stronger; he seized my wrist and pulled me into his arms.

"Baby, please… don't do this. We can talk about everything. Just give me another chance. It's snowing so hard. Let's go home first…"

He used the same tone, the same sweet words I'd heard a thousand times.

Looking at his disheveled face, a damp, suffocating weight rose inside me.

The world went dark.

I fainted.

When I woke again, I was in a hospital.

My whole body ached as I burned with a fever.

Robbie sat by my bedside, clutching my hand with a face full of concern.

"You're finally awake… you nearly scared me to death just now."

While unconscious, I had dreamed of him and me walking hand in hand into the courthouse to get married, then stepping into a chapel to the sound of solemn, holy bells.

But dreams were all they were.

"I'm sorry," he began, his voice heavy with guilt. "I told you about Lucy before. We'd been together since primary school, only breaking up after high school because of irreconcilable differences.

"You have to believe me—these past eight years with you, you're the one I've loved. But when she suddenly appeared again, her wrists covered in scars… She told me if I couldn't give her a home, she'd end her life…"

His eyes, always so moving, filled with tears again.

"I couldn't just watch her die. But believe me, once her illness stabilizes and she stops trying to hurt herself, I'll divorce her immediately. It won't take long. You have to trust me."

"What if her illness never gets better?"

I fixed him with a cold, unwavering stare.

"I…" His words faltered. At that moment, his phone rang.

His expression shifted instantly, but after glancing at me, he still answered.

"Baby, I'm caught up with something. I'll be home soon, all right? Take your medicine. I'll bring you a gift when I get back. Of course I love you. Why else would I have married you?"

Though he lowered his voice, the syrupy endearments to another woman rang loud and clear in the hospital room.

My boyfriend was calling someone else "baby". He was whispering promises to another woman right in front of me.

Tears blurred my vision, spilling over before I could stop them.

When he hung up, he immediately reached to wipe them away.

"Get out! You disgust me!" I slapped his hand aside with all the strength I had.

For a few seconds, he just stared, frowning, as though unable to comprehend my fury.

"Have you really only ever loved one person in your whole life? Feelings change. Why can't you put yourself in my shoes? I promise you, once she's better, I'll marry you. It's just a year or two. Can't you wait that long?"

His voice softened again, coaxing. "Come on, let's not fight. I just wanted to discuss something with you. Lucy's wedding was arranged in a hurry… could we borrow your wedding dress? You two are about the same size. I'll make sure it isn't damaged."

I stared at him, almost laughing through my bitterness. He had the gall to make another woman wear the gown I had chosen for our marriage.

My cries of helpless rage drew the doctors and nurses. Seeing my labored breathing, they quickly drove him out.

That night, alone in the quiet ward, I unlocked my phone again. There it was—their announcement, the photo of him and Lucy proclaiming their marriage to the world.

This time, no tears came. My heart felt hollow.

If he had never truly cared about my love or my feelings, why should I waste grief on him?

He wavered between women, feigning devotion while playing both sides.

I was almost grateful to see his hypocrisy before the wedding. Thank God it wasn't too late.

Soon came the day of their wedding.

In the days leading up to it, he shamelessly asked again and again about borrowing my wedding dress.

I told him flatly, "It's not for loan. If she wants it, she can buy it for eight thousand."

"What? That's daylight robbery!" he exploded.

Over the phone, Lucy's saccharine voice chimed in, "But I want that one. The boutique dresses are filthy and don't fit right."

And in the end, Robbie hesitated, then gave in.

"Fine. Eight thousand it is. Also… we both hope you'll come to our wedding."