My father died of a serious illness.

One day before his funeral, my fiancée returned home to get married to her crush.

When I confronted her about her actions, she got annoyed with me.

"His father has cancer. His last wish is to see me marry him.”

"I just want to do a good deed. Can you stop being so selfish?"

When I called her that night, it was her crush who picked up the call.

"Helen's showering right now. I'll pass your message to her."

I said nothing. All I did was hang up calmly.

Later that night, my fiancée finally called me. She sounded exhausted. "I'll be having my wedding reception soon. Don't bother me with your dad's funeral."

This time, I continued staying silent.

However, I got rid of my engagement ring and canceled all of our engagement plans.

It had been my father's wish to have a simple funeral.

I greeted the guests stoically while trying to get as busy as possible to avoid facing the sadness in my heart.

My fiancée, Helen Lyme, was nowhere to be seen on an important day like this.

When my father was alive, he worked hard to bring me up and often worried about me. I promised myself never to let him suffer again. I did everything as best as I could for him.

The funeral guests said nothing, but it was difficult to hide the pity in their eyes.

Their whispers eventually reached my ear.

"What kind of fiancée is she? She refuses to be here even after her future father-in-law passed away."

"She has no manners. How did her family bring her up?"

"I bet she's busy trying to butter up someone else's family right now. Hmph! What a shameless woman."

A few friends got angrier as they talked about this. They even clenched their fists.

I smiled helplessly as I let them be. It was not the first time my family had been embarrassed this way.

It was something I was already used to.

Besides, Helen was happily preparing for her wedding with Zack Wyndham. She did not have time to see my father for the last time.

She no longer cared about being here, so what was the point of forcing her to come to the funeral?

Moreover, I did not want to see her at my father's funeral. Her presence would only ruin it.

My father's casket gradually disappeared from my sight. The man who loved me most in this world was gone.

I could no longer take it as I looked at the picture on the tombstone.

Plop! I fell to my knees at his grave and burst out crying.

I had been unfilial. My father had died with regrets.

After the funeral, I was exhausted. I sent a message to Helen.

"It's over. Dad is gone."

There was no reply.

She might be busy turning herself into the most beautiful bride in the world. She could also be busy dating Zack.

Helen would not care even if she read the message.

Just like how she never cared for me.

However, that did not matter now.

It meant nothing to me what a stranger felt about this.

When I got home, I received a video recording from Zack.

It was a romantically decorated site. Zack had his arms wrapped tightly around my fiancée. They kissed amidst the crowd's cheering.

Helen's expression had always been cold, but it was the first time I saw her looking shy yet happy.

I had no idea she smiled. Apparently, I was the one she would never smile at.

A guest asked a question, "Who do you like better? Zack or that garbage ex of yours?"

Helen was nonchalant about someone insulting me. She pouted as she answered the guest's question,

"Of course I like Zack better. Don't mention that bastard. Being with him was the greatest humiliation of my life. It's disgusting to even look at him."

Everyone laughed out loud.

Zack pointed to the camera while hugging her.

"You should share this video with him. He should know how happy we are right now."

Helen agreed to it.

"His father just had to choose to die now. I bet his father was trying to stop him from attending the wedding. What a killjoy!"

My hands trembled as I held my phone. I clenched my teeth to force myself not to lose control.

Did she really think that my father's death was something he did just to stop me from going to her wedding?

Could a human be so cold-blooded?

I called her, harboring last hopes, but no one picked up after several calls.

That was when I suddenly heard Zack's voice coming from the other end of the line.

"Helen is in the shower. She's really tired. You understand, don't you?"

He hung up right after that.

To hell with them.

I reminisced about the happy times we spent together. We had been together for five years.

During those five years, I did everything I could to treat her well. I never allowed her to suffer, even for a little bit.

Despite that, what did that bring me in the end?

All I received in return was my fiancée getting married to another man on the day of my father's funeral.

I knew something was wrong the day Zack returned to the country.

Helen did not come home that night. When she finally did, there were love bites on her.

My father was shocked and questioned her about it. Helen made a huge fuss, claiming my father was suspicious of her and accused both of us of restricting her freedom.

When I came home, my father was sitting on the sofa with his head down while reproaching himself.

As for Helen, she was gone.

When she came home the next day, there were more love bites on her.

That was the first time I argued with Helen. She told me nonchalantly that they were only friends and that my father and I were overstepping our boundaries with her.

However, she had forgotten how my father had always treated her as his own daughter since we got together.

My father ended up emotionally distraught over this. His health began to deteriorate, but even until his death, Helen never once visited him at the hospital.

As I caressed my father's cold hands, I understood what a joke it was to think that she would come back to our family.

Helen bought herself a ticket back to Zack's hometown before my father's funeral.

I could no longer hold back my anger. I called her and begged her to come home right away.

However, she was adamant about her ways.

"His father is in a pitiful state because he has cancer. I'm just here to fulfill his father's last wish. Can you stop being unreasonable?"

I laughed at her ridiculous words.

Her future father-in-law was about to die, but she refused to see him one last time and instead insisted on marrying another man.

Zack’s father had cancer, but my father was on the brink of death.

All my hopes were dashed from that call.

Maybe we should never have been together in the first place.

After the funeral, I started packing up my father's belongings.

That was when my gaze fell upon a ring at the side.

This ring was said to have been passed down from my ancestors. It was meant to be given to the daughter-in-laws of the family. Our family never sold the ring, even during our hardest times.

It was supposed to be worn on Helen's finger.

I caressed the ring, which was highly valuable, as I went into a dazed state.

That was when Helen, who had not contacted me for a while, suddenly sent me a voice message. She sounded happy.

"I've been really busy during this time. We're going to Hawaii for our wedding photoshoot. We'll also be having a meal with his relatives. You'll be on your own during this time."

There was nothing for me to say. I locked the phone and the screen went black. I looked at the ring.

I suddenly laughed.

Fortunately, it was not too late. I would rather destroy the ring than give it to a heartless woman like Helen.

I was about to rest after finishing my work when my friend suddenly sent me an angry message.

"How shameless can Helen be?! Just check out her social media!"

Out of curiosity, I tried clicking into her profile to take a look, but was unable to.

She had blocked me from her social media platform.

I explained the situation to my friend helplessly, and he quickly took a screenshot for me.

Helen was smiling happily in her wedding gown while Zack held her hand. They looked good under the sun.

There was a caption next to the picture.

"Happiness is when I'm with you."

I smiled bitterly. No words could describe how I was feeling.

It felt like a million arrows had shot through my heart. I would have begged her with great humility to return home if this were before.

However, all I did now was close my eyes. She was no longer the most important thing in my life.

She lost her place in my heart.

A week later, Helen suddenly called me.

"What are you doing at home? Pick me up at the station right now!"

I was bewildered.

"Didn't you drive? Why should I pick you up at the station?"

Helen refused to explain any further. All she did was continue ordering me to get there.

It was time for me to clear things up with her, so I went over.

However, I was stunned when I arrived. A large group of old people from the village had gathered as they chatted noisily.

Helen looked like she had seen her savior the moment she spotted me.

"You're finally here. These are Zack's relatives. Hurry up and arrange a place for them to stay. You're in charge of taking them sightseeing for the next few days."

The corner of my lips twitched. I could not believe there was someone as shameless as her in this world.

Helen did not find anything wrong with her suggestion. She pushed my arm when I did not move.

"Hurry up and get this done. What are you waiting for?"

That was when Zack walked over to us.

"You're here, Sam. Sorry to trouble you for the next few days. We'll be leaving first."

He was about to leave with Helen and hand his family over to my care.

I quickly took a step back.

"Who told you I would help you with this?"

Helen's face fell. She glared viciously at me.

"Is there something wrong with your brain? Didn't you understand what I just said? Just do whatever I tell you to. Stop being ridiculous, you stupid oaf!"

Zack's father rolled his eyes arrogantly at me.

"Your driver isn't very smart, Helen. You should give him a lecture."

Helen immediately lowered her voice and nodded.

"You're right. I'll give him a good talking to when we get back."

Zack's father seemed happy with her attitude.

"All right. You should get the car and drive. Get him to take a cab to lead the way. Let's hurry up and leave. I'm exhausted."

I frowned at how uncouth Zack's father was.

However, Helen did not seem to notice this. She smiled eagerly at him to please him.

After that, she reached her hand out impatiently to me.

"Hear that? Give me the keys and get lost. Don't make me fight with you here."

I threw the keys over calmly, and she left without looking back.

She thought that I was still unable to leave her.

Unfortunately, she had no idea that I was planning to break up with her.

The cab I got brought the group to the cemetery.

When the car stopped, Helen banged the door as she got out of my car impatiently.

"Why did you bring us here? I just got married. It's bad luck to be here!"

I took a cigarette out of my pocket and lit it slowly. I pointed to my father's tombstone.

"Don't you find this place familiar?"

She had not been here before and did not understand what I meant.

All Helen did was continue ordering me about in frustration.

"Stop playing games with us. Take us to the hotel right now. We're exhausted!"

Even at a time like this, all she cared about was Zack's family's feelings.

My family, on the other hand, had always been disrespected by her. I burst out laughing.

"You're exhausted? Have you ever cared about my father's feelings? Have you ever wondered what was going through his mind when he held my hand while bedridden and breathed his last?"

Helen stumbled backward.

"What do you mean?"

I looked at my father's grave not far away.

"He's lying right there. Don't you want to see him one last time?

"Or are you too ashamed to see him?"

Helen was stunned. She shook my arm in a frenzy.

"You buried your father in advance just because I didn't come back? Don't you have a conscience?"

What a joke. She was supposed to be the one who had wronged us, yet she had the gall to accuse me of something like this.

I pushed her to the ground without sympathy. I had a pained expression on my face.

"Because of you? Who do you think you are? My dad was utterly hurt by what you did.”

"All he wanted before he died was to see you one more time, but what were you doing when I called you then? You were in a hotel room with Zack Wyndham!"

My eyes turned red from the memory of that day.

I wanted so much to tear that adulterous pair apart.

Helen knew she was in the wrong and she lowered her head.

Zack's father stood at the side. He was unsympathetic about this.

"This isn't an important matter at all. What is your driver so angry about? Are you itching to be fired?"

Zack quickly nodded in agreement.

"That's right. We're husband and wife. Why would we need your agreement to do anything?"

My expression turned increasingly cold. What a bunch of shameless bloodsuckers.

They wanted to take advantage of me after they were done making use of Helen.

I refused to let them have their way.

Otherwise, I would be letting my father down.

Helen saw my stiffened expression. She knew I was angry.

She finally lost her attitude and came up to hold my hand.

"Stop it. Let's talk about this at home behind closed doors. Don't fight with me here. Take me to see your dad."

I shook my head.

"You can come with me, but they're not allowed to come along."

I was worried my father would not be able to rest in peace if he saw these bastards.

Zack's father looked unhappy.

"You…!"

"All right. Take me there with you now."

I turned away silently. She followed behind me while chattering away.

"What were you thinking? Why didn't you call me when you were organizing the funeral? I will be criticized for this if people find out about this."

"What did Dad say to you before he died? I know I was wrong, but you can't treat me this way."

I continued staying silent no matter what she said.

Helen could no longer take it in the end. She grabbed my hand.

"Why did you become this way? This is so selfish of you!"

I finally stopped walking. I was disappointed.

"You were taking a shower the night I called you about this. Zack Wyndham picked up the call."

Helen's eyes widened. She checked her call logs incredulously.

Her hands trembled when she saw the log.

It was the first time I had seen guilt on her face.

"I… We were too tired that night, so I took a shower… But we didn't do anything!"

That was when I interrupted her by waving her off.

"It doesn't matter to me what you did. We'll be strangers after today.”

"I brought you here just to fulfil my dad's last wish. Don't think too much of this."

Helen lowered her head guiltily.

"You're just saying this because you're mad right now. Do you really want to break up with me?"

I bowed at my father's grave. When I stood up, there was determination in my eyes.

This was the most important decision of my life.

"We should break up, Helen."