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.

Although I decided not to love Jessica anymore, the sight of the photos still left my heart throbbing in pain.

The amazing memories we had woven together in the past did exist, but the fact that she preferred Benedict's company over mine still stood.

It was said that human brains were capable of saving good memories and deleting the painful ones.

Jessica had completely forgotten about the pain Benedict had caused her five years ago. Who was to say that I didn't go through the same process?

Ever since Benedict got back to the country three months ago, all that was left between me and Jessica were deceit and fights. But for so long, I relied on the amazing memories we had crafted over the past five years in order to numb my heart to the heartbreaking pain.

Only now did I finally realize the truth.

I stared at the photos on the wall. Among them were Jessica's bright smile and the hug we had shared beneath the fireworks. There were so many more photos depicting our happiness on the wall.

Slowly, I took down the photos one by one. After piling them up in the backyard, I set them on fire with my lighter. Flames licked the glossy paper instantly. Slowly but surely, the photos were reduced to ashes.

Memories were like a slow-acting poison—all they did was torture me. In that case, I might as well burn everything with fire. That way, I'd be able to clear up a lot of space in my mind.

My phone chimed at that moment. I tapped on the screen, only to find out that Benedict had updated his Instagram feed. The photo on the latest post showed Jessica leaning on his shoulder. The caption read, "Thank you for remembering our promise."

I just dropped a like on the photo before sending a comment of my own. "I hope you two can live happily ever after."

The next thing I knew, Jessica sent me a text immediately.

"What's with the act? You're the one who ruined the wedding! Do you have any idea that Benedict was so distracted by your comment that he tripped and fell? He even got hurt from the fall!"

Five years ago, Jessica was the one who hugged me while bawling like a baby. She was the one who told me she wanted to be with me, and that she'd spend the rest of her life making it up to me.

But five years later, she was also the one who trampled all over my pride and ego at the wedding. Not to mention, she had ditched me at the altar for another man.

I didn't respond to Jessica's text. Soon, I received a video from Benedict.

The video showed Jessica carefully disinfecting Benedict's scrape with some disinfectant. She blew on the injury from time to time, asking him if it hurt.

I recalled the time when I had suffered from a calf fracture after falling down the stairs a month ago. At that time, my leg had to be put up in a cast, which meant I had to be hospitalized.

I had called Jessica, hoping to ask her to take care of me at the hospital. She told me impatiently that she wasn't a doctor, so I wouldn't heal any faster even if she were there with me. So, her company at the hospital would be pointless.

Some time after that, I found out that it was Benedict's birthday on the day I got hurt. It turned out that my phone call had delayed the birthday celebration she had planned for Benedict. That was why she wanted nothing more than to end the call immediately.

A self-deprecating smile made its way to my lips as I drafted a text for Jessica.

"Let's get a divorce."