On the night before our wedding, my fiancee, Elara Wynn, gave her first time to her first love, Drew Mercer. I left my engagement ring behind and walked away.

Before I went, I posted a message on their social feed: "Hope you two get back together soon. I’m clearing the way for you."

The very next second, my fiancee called. "Cassian Rowe, I just didn’t want to leave regrets in my life. Can you stop being so old-fashioned?"

I answered, annoyed, that she was no longer my fiancee and had nothing to do with me.

That was when she panicked.

On the night of her bachelorette party, my fiancee, Elara Wynn, gave her first time to her first love, Drew Mercer. I took off the engagement ring and unilaterally announced that the wedding was canceled.

When the news reached Elara, she called in a fury.

"Cassian Rowe! What are you pulling now? If the wedding is canceled, what am I supposed to do? Do you want everyone to laugh at me?

"Can you stop being so petty? I just don’t want to leave regrets in my life. I’m about to marry you. What more could you possibly be unhappy about?"

Her voice was full of blame, as if every bit of this were my fault, yet she was the one who had done wrong. I took a deep breath and clenched my fists hard.

I thought that if I canceled the wedding, she would try to stop me. The first thing out of her mouth, however, was accusation.

From the time I was twenty until I turned twenty-seven, I chased after her relentlessly. In her heart, though, I was nothing.

Drew was the one she had always loved.

I forced myself to calm down.

"Elara, we’re breaking up."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line. Then she spoke with disdain, "Fine, Cassian. So you’ve finally grown a backbone? Breaking up, is that it? I agree. I’d like to see who else would ever want you besides me.

"You’re nothing but a jinx. Don’t flatter yourself into thinking you’re some kind of prize."

A sharp pain struck my chest, and my breathing grew tight.

Elara’s words were like a dull knife, carving into my heart again and again. She knew exactly how to hurt me the most, which was why she could defeat me so easily.

I drew in a slow breath and tried to steady myself.

"You’re right. A jinx like me doesn’t deserve you. We’re done. The wedding is canceled."

After saying that, I hung up.

A notification from Elara’s social media popped up on my phone.

She was completely naked, draped over Drew, the flush on her face not yet faded. She had written: "No matter how much time passes, you will always be the one I couldn’t have. I finally gave myself to you. From now on, I’m yours."

My heart was pierced again.

Elara and I were over. She no longer had to hide her underground affair with Drew.

Elara and I were college schoolmates. While she was the belle of the Literature department, I was just one of the countless ordinary faces in the crowd.

No. I was the one everyone avoided.

We met at a campus party. I was being surrounded and bullied when Elara stepped in and pulled me out of it.

While the other students tried to persuade her not to get involved, they told her I was a jinx. They said my father had fallen from a construction site when I was little and died.

Two years later, my mother, who had depended on me, passed away from exhaustion and illness. I was sent to live with my elderly grandmother. There, I spent what little carefree childhood I had.

When I was ten, my grandmother also died. From that day on, I was sent to an orphanage.

Everyone there called me Jinx. They said all my relatives had died because I brought them misfortune. Everyone hated me and picked on me together.

The only person who treated me kindly, the director, passed away from illness not long after I arrived. Her death only solidified my title as Jinx.

From then on, I endured eight long years of bullying.

Until I met Elara. She was like a little angel, adding a trace of warmth to my dark life.

Even though she was clearly afraid herself, she still comforted me, "Don’t take their words to heart. None of that was your fault. You deserve all the beauty this world has to offer."

In that instant, I fell for her beyond saving.

Unfortunately, she had a boyfriend. His name was Drew. From that moment on, I began a long, silent crush.

In our sophomore year, Drew went abroad to study. The two of them had a fierce argument and parted on bad terms.

I seized the opportunity and pursued her desperately.

Everyone around me laughed at my wishful thinking. They said Elara was the moon above the clouds, and I was nothing more than filthy mud.

"A jinx like you? How could you ever be worthy of Elara?"

I considered giving up, but I refused. Who were they to strip me of my right to pursue happiness? So I chased after Elara for five years.

The day she accepted my confession, I was over the moon. I thought I could finally stand openly by her side.

Then Drew returned to the country, and my beautiful dream was shattered.

Elara’s gaze was gradually drawn back to him. She began moving closer and closer to Drew.

That night, Elara lay on the bed, drunk beyond recognition, murmuring Drew’s name over and over.

In that moment, it felt as if someone had grabbed my heart and squeezed. Were the years I spent with her still no match for the one year she had with him?

I started to feel insecure and restless. I kept telling myself it was only natural.

Drew had been her first love. Of course, he would be hard to forget. It didn’t matter. I was the one by her side now. As long as Elara was still with me, nothing else mattered.

Until she slept with Drew, I could no longer lie to myself. I never believed a girl’s purity was defined by something so small.

But Elara had said she was frigid. Even when I accidentally brushed against her, she would recoil in disgust.

Now she could lie in the same bed as Drew and sleep with him?

When news of the canceled wedding reached Elara’s parents, Gregory and Helena Wynn, they stormed over to demand an explanation.

The moment they walked in, they began accusing me without a single question.

"Our Elara has been with you for so many years. The venue's already booked. And now you’re saying the wedding’s off just like that? Are you trying to make us lose face in front of all our relatives and friends?"

"Cassian, let me tell you something. Our daughter marrying you is a blessing for you. Don’t be so ungrateful."

I slammed the photos of Elara and Drew down in front of them.

"Take a good look. This is the wonderful thing your precious daughter did. The day before her wedding, she goes and books a hotel room with another man. I’m not so desperate that I’d marry just any worn-out bitch."

Their expressions changed, as if they had swallowed something filthy.

Mrs. Wynn lifted her chin stubbornly. "So what? It’s just sleeping together. It’s not some huge deal. Are you really going to nitpick over something like that?"

Mr. Wynn quickly chimed in, "Exactly. How are you still this backward? If anything, this can’t be entirely Elara’s fault. Maybe you just weren’t good enough to keep her."

I laughed in anger. I wanted to see just how shameless this entire family could be.

I deliberately sighed, letting guilt and reluctance show on my face. "Mr. and Mrs. Wynn, it’s not that I insist on holding onto this. I just… I can’t accept it so suddenly…"

Mrs. Wynn snorted. "What’s so hard to accept? I think you’re just fragile. Society is open now…"

I nodded repeatedly in agreement while quietly recording the conversation on my phone.

Mr. Wynn looked me up and down with clear dissatisfaction. "Spreading this around wouldn’t sound good either. Don’t say we didn’t give you a chance. As long as you keep your mouth shut about this, our Elara can still marry you."

I forced back the urge to curse. "Well, shouldn’t we ask her what she wants? Marriage is between two people."

Their faces darkened instantly.

"What do you mean by that? Elara marrying you is already your good fortune. Don’t push your luck."

I let out a heavy sigh, pretending to be deeply in love. "I do want to be with her. It’s just… the Mercer family is so powerful… I… I’m afraid."

When they heard that, their contempt for me deepened. However, the moment they registered the Mercer family’s influence, their eyes lit up.

"You mean the Mercers? The one whose son slept with our Elara?"

I nodded, then feigned surprise. "Yes. Didn’t she tell you?"

Mr. Wynn shot Mrs. Wynn a look. After a light cough, he spoke, "Of course, we know about it. Since she and the Mercer boy are mutually in love, and they’ve already been together… I think your marriage should just be forgotten."

Mrs. Wynn agreed immediately, "Yes. This has nothing to do with you anymore."

Inside, I was overjoyed. On the surface, I looked full of reluctance. "But… I truly love her. You…"

Before I could finish, they cut me off.

"That’s enough. She has nothing to do with you anymore."

They left in a hurry, barely able to hide their eagerness.

Watching their backs disappear, I curved my lips in quiet satisfaction. The real show was only just beginning.