When it's time for us to say our vows during the wedding ceremony, Jessica Fletcher, my wife, leaves the stage just so she can confess her love to her first love, Benedict Olson.

"Once upon a time, we had vowed to stay together for the rest of our lives, Benedict. It's unfortunate that we've missed out on the chance to do so in this lifetime. Would you be willing to stay with me in our next life, then?"

Touched, Benedict pulls Jessica into his arms. Then, he turns to tell me, "Oliver, I've already given Jess to you in this lifetime, so you must take good care of her for me."

Everyone gasps in shock, thinking that they'll soon witness two men fighting over the same woman.

But I merely smile at the sight of Benedict and Jessica embracing each other tightly. Then, I take off my ring before passing it to Benedict.

"Why wait till your next life to be together? Since you've already made a vow to stay together for eternity, I might as well grant your wish."

I had looked forward to having my wedding with my beloved partner, Jessica Fletcher, for five long years.

There was once when I thought I'd be the happiest man alive on my wedding day. After all, I got to marry my beloved Jessica.

At least, I thought I was certain that my happy ending was within my reach before I heard Jessica's sincere confession toward her first love, Benedict Olson.

Her actions ended up shattering all of my fantasies about our marriage. She made me realize that the happy life I thought I had was nothing but a fragile bubble that could be popped with just a touch.

As Jessica snuggled into Benedict's arms, she asked with a frown, "What do you mean by that, Oliver?"

Benedict was wearing a white suit today, which matched Jessica's white bridal gown. They looked like actual newlyweds when they embraced.

Even though I was the actual groom, I looked more like a pathetic clown when I stood across from Jessica and Benedict.

Instead of answering Jessica's question, I responded with a question of my own as I stared into her eyes.

"Today is our wedding day, Jessica. Yet, you confessed your feelings to Benedict in front of the guests. Do you really think what you're doing is appropriate?"

Upon recalling the way Jessica had teared up during her confession, my heart ached as though it was caught in a vice-tight grip. It made breathing very difficult for me.

At that moment, I felt like I was playing a toxic male side character in an urban romance novel, the one who would do everything in his power to stop the protagonists from being together.

The thing was, I was supposed to be Jessica's legal husband! Today was supposed to be our wedding day!

However, Jessica didn't seem to care at all.

"So what if it isn't? I was just speaking the truth. Benedict and I have already missed out on each other in this lifetime. Are you saying that you won't let us make a vow to reunite with each other in our next life?

"Besides, it's not like I ditched you at the altar, right? Is it really necessary for you to make such a big fuss?"

I fell silent after hearing her describe marrying me like it was an act of charity.

The other guests kept murmuring among themselves at the same time. Their sympathetic yet mocking gazes felt like daggers to my heart.

It turned out that trampling all over me was nothing but a petty matter for Jessica.

Benedict pretended to defuse the situation. "Why are you mad at Jess over such a small thing, Oliver? Does this mean you might even abuse her whenever you get mad at her in the future?"

Upon hearing his words, Jessica hurled her bouquet at me angrily.

"Oliver Ratcliffe! Don't think you can treat me like that just because we've already registered our marriage at the City Hall! I'll have you know that I'm not the type who will endure abuse like a doormat!"

She glared at me furiously the whole time.

All I did was brush the petals off my shoulders while gazing back coolly.

"I'm not going to marry you today, Jessica."

Since I was about to say my wedding vows earlier, I still had the microphone raised to my lips. Hence, everyone could hear my voice clearly.

Jessica's furious expression froze on her face, but she soon snapped out of her trance. She merely gazed at me in disdain.

"Don't tell me you're jealous, Oliver! Benedict and I made a promise to reunite with each other in our next lifetime, not this one!

"Anyway, you don't have to worry about a single thing! Now that I've already registered my marriage with you, you're the only husband I need.

"If you apologize to Benedict and me, I'll let bygones be bygones. We'll resume the wedding after that."

I responded by tossing my suit jacket to the floor.

"I'm serious. Coincidentally, Benedict is wearing a white suit today. I'll pass the position of the groom to him so that I can fulfill your vow. I'll let you be with each other for eternity. Isn't that a good thing?"

Benedict was Jessica's first love. However, he didn't hesitate to dump her and leave the country when her family's company went bankrupt.

On the other hand, I had been secretly in love with Jessica the whole time. I couldn't bear to watch her live her life in sorrow, so I decided to fork out some funding to stabilize her company's cash flow. In order to help Jessica overcome her heartbreak, I spent all of my time with her.

After spending two months healing her broken heart, Jessica finally overcame the pain and struggles of her failed relationship. Slowly, she let me into her heart. That was how we got together as a couple.

This year happened to be our fifth official year together.

Half a year ago, we got our marriage registered at the City Hall. We specifically picked today's date, which happened to be our fifth anniversary, to hold our wedding.

I thought my five-year relationship with Jessica would finally bear fruit. However, Benedict returned to the country three months ago.

It appeared as though Jessica had forgotten about the pain and suffering Benedict had caused her five years ago. She ended up falling in love with him all over again.

When I was sick, she went to the movies with Benedict. In fact, she even spent the night with him, but she lied to me, saying she had been with a friend.

Even so, I still couldn't bear to end our five-year relationship. That was why I still wanted to believe that she wasn't cheating on me.

I thought Jessica would settle down and become my devoted wife after the wedding. Alas, reality was cruel to me. This relationship had completely decayed from the inside out. I was the only one who was struggling to keep everything together.

Anyway, I thought Jessica would be elated after hearing that I decided to let her stay with Benedict. Instead, she flew into a rage.

"What's with that passive-aggressive tone of yours, huh? Thanks to you, our wedding is ruined! If you don't apologize to me and promise to hold a grander wedding right away, I will never forgive you!"

After that, Jessica dragged Benedict away from the altar. Judging from her tone, she sounded very confident that I was just throwing a tantrum out of jealousy toward her actions. She thought I'd suck it up and apologize to her afterward.

Well, such things had happened in the past five years, after all.

I couldn't bear to upset Jessica in any way. The moment she started showing signs of anger, I'd shower her with gifts right away and apologize to her.

However, Jessica had already trampled all over my love for her at the wedding.

At the end of the day, I was only human. After going through so much, of course, I'd feel tired.

Now, I no longer loved Jessica, so why should I care about her feelings? Besides, I'd never agree to marry her ever again.

After dealing with my friends and relatives, I went home right away. The moment I opened the front door, I saw the wedding decorations as well as a wall plastered with photos.

Before the wedding, I had specifically hired a team to decorate my residence. That way, Jessica and I would be able to reminisce about our pasts when we were spending time together after the wedding.

As I stared at the first photo I had taken with Jessica five years ago, I began to feel a little dazed.

The truth was, I had gotten to know Jessica nine years ago. I lost my parents to a car accident when I was still a kid. Thanks to their protection, I was able to survive the tragedy.

The driver responsible for the accident paid me a huge sum of money that allowed me to live the rest of my life quite comfortably. However, I could never be with my parents anymore.

Since then, everyone called me a walking jinx—a magnet for disaster. They all claimed that I was the reason my parents died.

Due to that, I blamed myself heavily for my parents' deaths. I completely lost my confidence, and thus, I didn't like communicating with others.

When I was a high school sophomore, a bunch of seniors had me trapped in the alley. They had demanded all of my pocket money at that time.

Seeing as I was the type who wanted to get everything over with without causing trouble, I decided to do as they said. However, that was when someone in the group decided to run their mouth.

"I bet this punk must be super happy that his parents died. After all, he got his hands on so much money! Maybe he's even secretly complaining about the fact that his parents didn't die a more tragic death so that he could get more compensation! Haha!"

I froze in the middle of digging my wallet out of my backpack. My eyes became bloodshot instantly when I heard the senior's rude words. Without hesitation, I punched him right away.

But I was still one lone boy at the end of the day. When the seniors finally reacted, they began beating me up ruthlessly.

Just when I thought I was about to die, we all heard a loud feminine voice.

"Stop that! I've already called the cops on you!"

When the students heard that the police were about to be involved, they were so frightened that they quickly scrambled away from the scene.

I did my best to crack my eyes open. All I could see was a girl with a ponytail crouching before me. To me, she was emitting a bright halo that made her look like my savior.

I heard her say, "I believe your parents wouldn't want to see you like this. Since they already gave you the opportunity to live, you must continue living for them as well."

Her words were deeply imprinted in my mind.

I no longer maintained a silent personality. Instead, I threw myself into my studies and did my best to participate in all sorts of after-school activities. At the same time, I lived my life with a positive mindset.

Also, I had found out from the others that the girl who had rescued me that day was Jessica Fletcher, a student who happened to be in my year. But that was when I also found out about her childhood sweetheart, Benedict Olson, who happened to be her first love too.

In light of that, I kept my feelings for Jessica a secret.

After the SATs, I kept asking around to find out the college Jessica would be enrolling in. I promptly followed her there by enrolling in the same college too.

Once we started college, all I did was give her and Benedict my blessings from afar.

That was, until Jessica's family company was met with a huge crisis when we hit our third year in college. Benedict flew abroad at that time, leaving Jessica behind. She spent her days drowning in tears and sorrow.

I had used my money to tide the Fletchers' company over the financial crisis. Only then did I spend the next five years dating Jessica.

Honestly speaking, I knew very well that Jessica still loved Benedict at that time. Maybe she chose to stay with me because she was either grateful toward me or wanted to use me for my money.

Either way, I didn't care at all. Like a naive fool, I thought that I could eventually win Jessica's heart over if I poured enough love into this relationship.

But the moment Benedict returned to the country, Jessica kept flaking on me during dates and promises. On top of that, she kept lying to me as well. Her actions made me realize that a relationship couldn't necessarily bear any fruit if I was the only one working hard to maintain it.

If I kept burning myself for the sake of this relationship, I'd just end up getting covered in nothing but injuries.