We had been dating for ten years before my boyfriend, Shawn Jepson, agreed to marry me. 

When the wedding photographer asked us to pose a few kissing shots, Shawn claimed he had germophobia and walked out on me. 

I awkwardly apologized to the team. 

Taxis were a rare commodity during blizzards, so I trudged through the snow to get home. 

To my dismay, I stumbled upon Shawn tongue-deep into his crush’s throat in what was supposed to be our marital home. 

“Just say the word, Casey, and I’ll leave Jessica.” 

Later, word went around that Shawn searched the world for his ex-fiancee, begging her to return.

I stood outside my bridal suite, watching through the floor-to-ceiling window as Shawn Jepson and Casey Thomas locked tongues.

Shawn held Casey tightly in his arms, his lips pressing and eager, unlike the callous man he usually was.

I was soaked to the bone, my clothes, shoes, and hair completely drenched from the snow.

My blood ran cold, and I felt sick to my stomach.

As the pair rolled onto the bed for my wedding night, I whipped out my phone and caught them on tape. A wave of disgust washed over me, and I retched.

In the many years I had been with Shawn, he had never kissed me during our most intimate moments.

He said he had germophobia, and I bought into it.

The truth was that his lips were reserved for the love of his life.

Picking up on the noise, the pair in the bedroom looked over.

They were the ones having a rendezvous. Yet, I took cover without a second thought.

I shuddered from the cold and prayed that Casey would leave soon. I waited an hour, but she didn’t seem to be going anywhere.

I sneezed and dragged my frozen stiff body home.

It was warm and toasty in our marital home. Shawn, who would not be caught dead with any house chores, was busy in the kitchen.

He looked very much at home behind the stove.

The range hood worked hard to filter out the grease and steam, but the heavy spice lingered heavily in the air.

I had a weak stomach, so spicy food was never an option for me.

“Aren’t you a hungry hippo? Dinner isn’t ready yet—”

Shawn turned to the noise with a smile.

His smile faded when he saw me. “Oh, it’s you. You’re soaking wet. Why don’t you get yourself cleaned up instead of making a mess everywhere?”

“I’m sorry.”

I clutched my drenched jacket and apologized right away.

Shawn furrowed his brows, annoyed. Before he could say anything more, Casey emerged from the room.

Her swollen lips and flushed cheeks were a testament to their little canoodle earlier.

I turned my attention to her.

Casey pulled her blouse down as if she had something to hide and explained in a fluster, “Jessica, d-don’t get the wrong idea.”

“What’s there to explain? It’s a blizzard out there, and the roads are bad for travel, so Casey is staying the night,” Shawn said flatly, his tone cold and final.

Casey was the girlfriend of Shawn’s brother, who had passed away before the lovebirds could tie the knot.

She had always been a sister-in-law to Shawn.

With the food ready, Shawn called Casey to the dinner table.

Shawn smiled as Casey relished the food, completely oblivious that I was picking at my salad.

After dinner, Casey went to bed.

The place was supposed to be my marital home with Shawn. Still, he settled Casey down in our master bedroom while I was put in the guest bedroom.

“Casey won’t be comfortable in the guest bedroom, since it’s still a mess. You can make do with it for now.”

Another woman enjoyed the privilege of sleeping in the bedroom of our marital home before I even had a chance to lay my head to rest there.

Despite the urge to snap back, I couldn’t say a word.

Shawn stayed in the master bedroom until midnight before retreating to the guest bedroom.

I lay in bed, feeling miserable from being out in the cold and having an empty stomach. Still, I was haunted by images of Shawn and Casey snogging.

The moment Shawn walked into the bedroom, I was tempted to grill him.

Why was he marrying me if he didn’t have feelings for me?

Why was he kissing another woman when our wedding was around the corner?

Why did he feel entitled to be inappropriate with another woman while I was present?

Despite the questions weighing down on me, I said wryly, “If you change your mind about getting married, you can be honest with me, Shawn.”

I could handle it if he wanted to call off the wedding.

However, I would never forgive him for abandoning me at the altar.

I put it subtly, not accusing Shawn directly of his affair with Casey.

Here I thought he would feel bad and come clean with me.

Shawn could stay true to himself and call off the wedding.

Instead, Shawn pulled a long face and criticized me.

“Are you jealous and threatening me with calling off the wedding because I spent some time with Casey? You’re twenty-eight. You’re not a child anymore, Jessica. Our wedding is not a game.”

I clutched the hem of my shirt and murmured, “But it’s Casey we’re talking about. You had a crush on her, and—”

Shawn interrupted me with a frown. “That’s all in the past. Can you stop bringing up ancient history?”

Well, could I help it?

Shawn was an amazing photographer, but he never took pictures of me.

He claimed he was not keen on capturing portraits. Yet Shawn had thousands of Casey’s photos saved on his computer.

When I confronted him about it, a big fight ensued.

At the time, Shawn promised that he and Casey were a thing of the past. He saw Casey as nothing more than his brother’s girlfriend now.

I believed him, but what did I get in return?

Had I not returned today and overheard his plan to elope, I would have remained oblivious to his lingering feelings for Casey and that I was merely his second choice.

Though hurt and upset, I was the first to apologize, as always. “I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions.”

“I hope this is the last time. You know I care a lot about you. You’re the only woman I’ll marry.”

Shawn took a shower in the bathroom, got into bed, and spooned me from behind.

Years ago, Shawn struggled with grief and insomnia after losing his parents and brother in a plane crash. The looming threat of others coveting his family inheritance cast a dark shadow over his life.

During those difficult times, I remained by his side.

I worked as his secretary, navigating his personal and business challenges with him.

When he developed stomach issues from frequent business dinners, I took care of his health and enrolled in culinary courses to cater to his nutritional needs.

I would tell him bedtime stories and play him white noises during his insomniac nights, only going to bed when he was asleep.

More often than not, Shawn would hold me and say, “Your family is blind not to love you. From now on, I’ll be your lover, your family, and your constant support.”

Casey returned from her studies abroad as the Jepsons’ business bounced back.

Shawn defended his favoritism toward Casey, given the latter’s ties with his late brother. Casey always came first before me.

He urged me to be kind to Casey and treat her like family. However, family members should not engage in romantic relationships with one another.

In the dark, I bit my lip and removed Shawn’s arm from my belly.

Without a word, Shawn faced his back toward me and fell asleep. He no longer suffered from insomnia.

Change was constant in the world.

I stared at the ceiling, not getting a wink of sleep. It took me a whole night to come to a decision.

Ten years of our lives were invested in our relationship, and I knew it would be hard for me to let go of Shawn, but I couldn’t stay with a man who didn’t love me.

I didn’t want to go through with the wedding anymore.

Still, I wanted to end things amicably with Shawn.

I didn’t get a chance to speak to him the next day, though.

First thing in the morning, I woke up with a splitting headache. I felt my temperature, and I was burning.

Shawn scowled as I was barely lucid from the raging fever.

“We are out of medicine. Hang in there. I’m taking Casey home before she catches something from you. I’ll take you to the emergency room when I get back.”

He grabbed the car key and drove Casey home.

I stared at his back, my heart broken.

Though Shawn hurt me so deeply, I didn’t want to give up hope yet.

After all, we had been together for a decade. Our relationship should count as something. Surely, he would be back for me.

If he came back and showed that he cared, I would suggest we call off the wedding and end things on a good note.

I waited for hours, but Shawn was nowhere to be found. Instead, I came across Casey’s post on social media.

[I feel horrible during my period, but I’m lucky to have him by my side. He said he would always be there when I needed him, and he’s never proved me wrong.]

“He” must be Shawn.

Shawn had let me down for the last time.

I thought he would have some feelings for me after fifteen years of friendship and ten years of romance. Yet, he couldn't care less about me.

My mind was made up.

I would not be calling the wedding off. I was going to bolt on him during our wedding.

Shawn never considered my feelings when planning a runout on me.

Well, he was not my concern anymore. He could be the fool at our wedding.

Fighting back the tears, I dialed the emergency number.

While being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, I slipped into unconsciousness from a high fever and seizure.

When I regained consciousness, the nurse told me, “It’s a good thing you called the emergency line when you did because it could’ve been fatal for the condition you were in, especially since you were home alone.”

Shawn then called me. “I’m busy at work, so I don’t have time to get back to you. Just grab something at the pharmacy.”

He hung up without a word of concern.

I had stuck by Shawn when he had a headache or a cold. During his time in need, I stayed up night after night with Shawn to overcome his grief.

I had not expected anything in return. I simply wanted to be there for him.

However, Shawn was something else to play nurse to Casey during her period while I was stuck in a hospital with a fever.

I held my phone and reached out to Shawn’s business rival, Colt Williams. “I know that you’ve been after the Jepsons’ shares. I’m open to selling.”

The doctor ordered two days of bed rest in the hospital before I was given the all-clear.

I got a call from the wedding photographer. “Ms. King, I was wondering if you and your fiancé could come in sometime within the next five days for your photo session? We’re running short on time before your wedding, so the sooner we can get these done, the better.”

“I need to ask my fiancé. I’ll get back to you soon.”

Since Shawn refused to take my calls and respond to my texts, I went to his office.

His secretary’s office told me, “As Ms. Thomas is starting her job as the CEO’s executive assistant today, Mr. Jepson took the team out to celebrate.”

I asked for the venue and rushed to the hotel.

When I first started working for Shawn, the family business was going through a rough patch. There was no time for an onboarding celebration.

I worked around the clock to keep the business afloat, barely getting any food or sleep. Yet, for Casey, Shawn threw a huge welcome party that was more lavish than my engagement.

Before I could join the lively party, Shawn abruptly pulled me away from the cheers and laughter.

“Don’t ruin Casey’s onboarding party. You’re such a party pooper.”

“Now that she’s your executive assistant, what happens to me?”

Despite my best efforts to keep my emotions in check, I choked with sobs.

When I was down with a fever, Shawn did not check up on me at the hospital. Instead, he gave me a few days off and urged me to rest.

I had no idea he had replaced me with Casey until I went to the office.

Every time I thought I’d seen the worst of him, he always managed to surprise me with a new level of betrayal.

Shawn handed me a napkin. “Don’t cry. I just thought you needed a break after all these years of hard work.

“You’re just a computer science grad from a regular university. Casey is perfect for the job as she graduated from an Ivy League. You can just enjoy your life as Mrs. Jepson.”

Oh, now he was picking on my education.

Well, he never had a problem with it when I risked my health drinking with potential partners at social events.

Faced with my silent retaliation, Shawn grew annoyed. “Jessica…”

“I’ll hand in my resignation later.” I clenched my fists, reining back my building resentment and fury.

Shawn eased tension along his facial lines. “That’s my girl. You know I would never hurt you. You can leave then.”

He needed to go back to Casey.

I pulled him back. “The wedding photographer asked if we had time in the week to take our pre-wedding shoot.”

“I’ll be away on a business trip.”

“…Fine.”

On my way out of the hotel, I gave the wedding planner a call. “I need to switch out the photos and videos that will be displayed on the large screen for the wedding.”

I compiled the footage of Shawn’s infidelity with Casey and sent it to the wedding planner.

Since they had no shame, I didn’t see why I should play nice.

Shawn claimed to be on a business trip, but during that week, he took Casey to see the Northern Lights.

They kissed under the aurora, making promises to each other.

A week later, I called Shawn. “We need to schedule our fitting for our wedding attire.”

“I’m meeting a client here, so I can’t make it back in time. Casey has better taste. Plus, she’s around your size. I’ll get her to pick out a few bridal gowns here and bring them back to you.”

As always, Shawn didn’t ask for my opinion and made the decisions for me.

With nothing left to give him, I felt nothing and agreed with whatever he said.

Casey tried out several bridal gowns and took wedding photos with Shawn. She sent me a text alongside the photos.

“You can’t have a wedding without photos. Since you two were too busy to make time, I stepped in to help you. We can always swap your face into the photos with AI. You’re welcome.”

I glanced at the wedding photos. Shawn was uncomfortable kissing me, but his standard of hygiene was gone when it came to Casey.

They stopped just short of kissing, but it was pretty much the same.

I locked my mobile screen and said to the maid who just came in, “Pack up all the women’s clothing and belongings. Leave everything else.”

After clearing out my things, I moved out of our marital home.

I met up with Shawn’s rival and sold all my shares in the Jepsons’ business to him.

Shawn rushed back the day before the wedding. With him was Casey.

They brought back a wedding gown for me. Casey even volunteered to be my bridesmaid and had a gown ready.

Casey urged me to try on the dress right away. She put on her dress, too.

The wedding dress she picked for me was just a piece of silk cloth, barely covering the essentials. I looked like a nightclub girl.

She wore a designer gown, complete with a diamond tiara. She looked much more like a bride than I did.

“You’re a beautiful bride.”

Still, Shawn’s adoring eyes fell on Casey.

After a month apart, Shawn barely spent ten minutes with me before shuffling off with Casey.

Prior to his departure, he said, “I’ll meet you at the hotel for the reception tomorrow. Tell your friends and family that we aren’t doing the whole wedding tradition. I prefer to keep things casual.”

“Sure.”

Shawn had nothing to worry about.

I had informed my side of the family and friends that the wedding was off. None of them would attend the wedding tomorrow.

With Shawn and Casey gone, I contacted the clients I had brought into the business.

“I’ve made a move to a new company. To mark this occasion, I’m offering special partnership deals. I hope to continue our work together.”

That night, I lost sleep.

I was curious about Shawn’s response to his runaway bride.

Casey’s reaction would be intriguing when the videos of her affair with Shawn were played.

The next morning, I lugged my suitcase to the train station.

As the clock struck the hour of our wedding reception, I boarded the train.

I was bombarded with calls and texts right there and then.