Gareth's POV

Maybe they’d already made peace a long time ago. Maybe I was the only one still holding grudges, clinging to old wounds like a fool.

That night, I called up my childhood friend, Derek Lawson, a lawyer, and asked him to draft up divorce papers.

After hearing my request, he was stunned. “You’re divorcing Marjorie? What happened? Did she beat you?”

“No,” I said quickly. “She treats me well.”

Then, I explained, just briefly, about her forgiving her so-called sworn enemy.

Filled in, he let out a sharp laugh, half angry, half bitter. “Unbelievable.”

He then promised me he’d handle the divorce quickly.

It was still our batch reunion, but when I walked home from the noisy event place, the silence inside was suffocating.

At four in the morning, Marjorie finally stumbled back, reeking of alcohol. She climbed into bed and pulled me tight against her. Her lips brushed over mine, hot and insistent.

After three years of marriage, I knew what she wanted.

She pressed her body against me, one hand fumbling at the nightstand.

Heat flooded through me under her kiss until I heard a crisp sound of plastic.

Like ice water, my desire froze.

“Honey,” she whispered, “put on a condom first, then we’ll keep going.”

Clenching my jaw, I firmly refused.

And without warning, Silas’s words from earlier replayed in my head. "We even made a deal that until the scar on my collarbone healed, she wouldn’t give you a child."

My stomach churned after remembering that. I shoved her away, together with the condom she had forced into my hand.

Using a condom had never been a problem with me before, but somehow my eyes stung with tears now.

Turning away, I whispered, “Let’s get divorced.”

But when I looked back, she was already asleep.

Just then, her wedding ring slipped from her pocket, clinking softly to the floor.

She must’ve taken it off tonight, probably afraid of scratching Silas during whatever “game” they played.

I stared at it for a long time before slipping off my own ring and placing it in the nightstand drawer.

The next morning, Derek messaged me that the divorce agreement was ready.

Following that was another notification about the amusement park tickets.

Last week was my birthday, yet she skipped it, saying she had to work late, and booked the tickets as compensation.

Normally, after drinking, she would’ve slept until noon. But today, she was up early, fixing herself up in the new clothes I’d bought her just days ago.

Watching her in front of the mirror with a face mask on, my feelings twisted.

“Marjorie,” I said carefully, “I’ve got something to take care of today. The amusement park—”

“You go by yourself,” she interrupted, eyes on her phone. “I’ve got a client meeting. I’ll cancel it and just reschedule it for next week.”

I was stunned upon hearing her flat tone while saying that. It seemed almost rehearsed.

As she was busy fumbling with her phone, she didn’t even notice how gray my face had gone.

But just then, my phone buzzed with two notifications.

[Your amusement park reservation has been canceled.]

[Mrs. Frost, your payment for two adult tickets has been confirmed.]

Seeing my expression, she cupped my face and gave me a quick, half-hearted kiss. “Don’t sulk. You never used to be like this.”

She didn’t even try to coax me further. She just slipped on her shoes and headed for the door.

Choking back the lump in my throat, I asked, “This ‘client,’ is he more important than me?”

She looked back with a forced little smile and replied, “Don’t say that. I’m making money so we can reach financial freedom sooner, that’s all.”

And then she was gone.

But her spare phone lay flashing on the couch. Most of the messages on it were synced with her main one.

I picked it up and discovered that besides me, two group chats were pinned at the top.

At that sight, my palm began sweating.

One was with her friends, which I was also in.

The other also had the same people in it.

The only difference was that the only man in it wasn’t me.

It was Silas.

Gareth's POV

The latest messages in the second group chat stopped last night.

[Seriously, Silas, you show up and don’t even warn us? Don’t you know Gareth was there?]

[Exactly. Don’t let him find out you and Marjorie are getting close again!]

[I don’t get it. What does their feud have to do with some outsider?]

Silas replied to the last message, [Some men are petty. Maybe he thinks if Marjorie and I make up, he has no place anymore.]

Through all of it, Marjorie never defended me. She didn’t say a single word to explain that I hated Silas because the guy had picked on me for three years.

On impulse, I scrolled further back and found that the group chat had been created on our wedding day.

That night, Marjorie told me she couldn’t be touched as she had a difficult client to handle. But instead of working, she’d been chatting all night in that group.

I wiped the tears from my face and called Derek. “I feel like going to the amusement park today. Are you free?”

After the call, I wrapped myself up tight and went.

As soon as we met at the park, he handed me the divorce agreement.

Knowing me well, he bluntly asked, “Are those two inside?”

I nodded.

He ground his teeth with anger. “That idiot Marjorie. She didn’t even care that her father was killed by that bastard. She also knew how badly Silas picked on you just because of her.”

He was right. It all started when I saved her and made our relationship public. After that, I was mysteriously locked in a bathroom and forced to drink disinfectant. If someone hadn’t found me in time, I wouldn’t be here.

Because of me, their feud only got worse.

Despite the size of the park, I found the two of them fast. Silas had his arm around her and was feeding her a double-scoop ice cream.

They were talking softly, but I could hear everything.

“We shouldn’t go out alone anymore,” Silas was saying. “Even if I don’t do anything, your husband will always be hostile. I’m a guy, too. I’ll feel slighted.”

He wiped his eyes and added, “That night three years ago, I was drunk. Let’s just act like nothing happened, and keep pretending to be enemies.”

So that was why, before our wedding night, she was unreachable. It turned out she was busy with him. No wonder she had time to get a beauty mark tattooed on her private part.

Even though I’d braced myself, his words hit me like a bucket of cold water.

But Derek's temper flared. He rolled up his sleeves and lunged forward.

I quickly grabbed him, but a kid holding an ice cream cone bumped into us, and the sticky mess splattered across my shirt.

When I looked up, Marjorie was using her finger to wipe the ice cream from Silas’s lip.

I felt ridiculous, covered in melted ice cream, fumbling to clean my chest but only making it worse.

Her voice then cut through as she said, “I stopped blaming you a long time ago. My dad used to yell at you. So, him getting hit by you was only his karma.” She shrugged. “As for Gareth, without him, maybe you and I could have been together already. I always thought that sometimes hate at its extreme is just another kind of love.”

Silas’s eyes lit up. “Then will you accept if I offer you a wedding?” he asked.

At that moment, my vision blurred, so I couldn’t tell if she nodded or not.

Shortly, Derek quickly covered my eyes, cursing under his breath. “That ungrateful bitch! If you hadn’t dragged her out of that car back then, grass would be six feet high on her grave by now! You helped her unconditionally, and now we'd learn she's been stabbing you in the back for years! Divorce isn’t enough! I’ll make sure she walks away with nothing!”

Gareth's POV

When I pulled Derek’s hand off my eyes, I saw that Marjorie and Silas were still on that bench, kissing like no one else existed.

My hands trembled as I called Marjorie. Once, twice, three times.

Yet, she ignored every ring, as if she couldn’t hear it.

Only when she picked her phone back up later did she finally see my text.

[Marjorie, since you’re busy today, I came to the amusement park with my buddy instead.]

The moment she read it, she shot to her feet, looking around in panic. But Silas grabbed her hand and dragged her off to the rollercoaster. That was when I finally stepped out from behind the trees.

All afternoon, I watched them, riding the carousel side by side, sharing a Ferris wheel cabin, and smiling when it stopped at the very top.

And all afternoon, I was holding her spare phone in my pocket, so I saw their plans for a “private wedding” in the group chat. Hundreds of wedding dresses were sent into it, asking their friends to vote.

Yet those same women who used to flatter and softly call me didn't say a word to me about this.

I had always believed Marjorie wasn’t into wedding details. Because back then, I planned everything myself, from the venue to the gowns and rehearsals. Even at the rehearsal dinner, I practiced my vows to an empty hall while she claimed she was too busy with work.

When my mom complained, I even defended her, saying, “Not every woman enjoys this stuff.”

But that night, she and Silas walked into the city’s best restaurant, and Derek and I sat at the table right behind them.

After they ordered food, Marjorie texted me, attaching a string of photos.

[A friend of mine is getting married. Since you’re good at planning weddings, can you help pick out a suit for him?]

I scrolled through hundreds of pictures and deliberately picked the same suit I had loved before, the one Marjorie once told me looked awful.

Her reply came quickly.

[My husband’s taste is always perfect. My friend loves it.]

Shortly after, a new message popped up in my work chat.

[Boss: This weekend, there’s a small private wedding at the church. The bride wants someone experienced to plan. Anyone available?]

Quickly, I typed back, [I’ll take it.]

The following days, Marjorie acted like nothing had changed. She still left me with little surprises, still playing the part of a doting wife.

But I wasn’t blind. Most of the gifts were cheap leftovers. Obviously, the real, expensive ones went to Silas.

They looked like a couple in the honeymoon phase. Quarreling out of habit, but sweeter than ever.

Excited, Silas openly bragged on his social media, posting, [If I make the first move, what chance does he have?]

He never named me, but everyone knew who he meant.

Still, I pretended not to notice. Instead, I focused on planning that wedding.

When everything was finally in place, Marjorie came to me with a guilty smile. “Gareth, I have to travel out of town this weekend. I’ll have to cancel on you again.”

She then leaned in to kiss me, but I turned my face without a word.

And that rattled her.

“Honey, next week. I swear, next week I’ll spend it all with you.”

I gave a small nod, and she sighed in relief.

When I offered to drive her, she refused and then climbed straight into Silas’s car.

Days went by, and it was finally Saturday.

I counted the auspicious hour, then drove with Derek to the church. I oversaw the ceremony remotely, making sure every detail was perfect.

But I didn’t stop there.

I also invited every one of Marjorie’s clients, her colleagues, and her relatives.

So when the groom pulled up with his bride, the two of them froze at the sight of a packed hall. They thought they had walked into the wrong wedding.

Then one of Marjorie’s so-called best friends wrinkled her nose and barked, “What’s wrong with you people? Crashing someone else’s wedding like you’re lining up for free eggs? Get out!”

And that was when she saw Marjorie stepping out of the car arm-in-arm with Silas. Her face went pale on the spot.

Right then, I stepped out of the crowd, holding Marjorie’s father’s memorial photo, and pressed the remote.

When the display on the projector changed, the look on Silas’s face, so carefully composed, instantly shattered.

“What is this?!” he roared.